Principles and Practices of Transportation Planning and Engineering

Connie Tang, Lei Zhang

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9780367714741
• eBook ISBN:
  9781000366365
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Project Management
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Connie Kelly Tang and Lei Zhang have provided a holistic coverage of the entire surface transportation project and program development process from the beginning of planning though environmental approval, design, right-of way acquisition, construction to operations and maintenance.— Neil Pedersen, Executive Director, Transportation Research Board, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, DC

Transportation program and project development is complex. The process spans over planning, programming, environment, design, right of way, construction, operations, and maintenance. Professionals from civil engineering, planning, social and environmental sciences, business and project management, and data science, work together in a relay team to transform an idea into a highway, a transit hub, an airport or a water facility. It is challenging for any one person to master all the knowledge and skills needed to perform every relevant task. However, it is critical for all involved to understand how this relay works and how the societal, environmental, governmental, and regulatory contexts influence the process and the technical solution. Professionals who understand the process and see the big picture are those who rise to the top as leaders.

Transportation Project and Program Development provides holistic coverage on the technical subject matter, processes and procedures, and policy and guidance associated with transportation project and program development, which can help professionals become program leaders. For each phase of the process, key products delivered, processes used, governing principles, foundations of applicable science and engineering, technologies deployed, and knowledge required are discussed. While all coverages reflect the practices of the United States, the logic, principles, science, and engineering are applicable to all countries of the world. The book can also serve as an introductory textbook for undergraduate students and as a textbook or reference for a graduate-level course in civil engineering, transportation engineering, planning, and project management.

Chapter 1

The Law and the Process

Modern highways link villages, towns, cities, mines, factories, farms, ports, markets, and, most importantly, people. This interconnected system not only enables the transportation of goods that sustain our basic physiological needs but also provides the means to satisfy the human desire to explore and discover. The highway system has become an integral part of our modern life.

The establishment, operation, maintenance, and planning for such a system require extensive human resources, materials, and funding capital. Governments are the ideal candidates to bear such duties and responsibilities. Throughout the world, governments have indeed taken on the responsibilities of planning, financing, operating, and maintaining their nation’s roadway systems. Along the way, laws and regulations are enacted to ensure such complex systems function properly.

1.1 The Law

The U.S. surface transportation legislation provides authority, responsibility, and resource for surface transportation programs.

In the United States, the Federal government provides national policy and financial assistance to State and local governments to carry out the financing, planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the nation’s roadway systems through the “Federal-aid highway” program. The hallmark of the Federal-aid highway program is that State and local government agencies, such as State, county, and city transportation departments, are empowered to make their own decisions concerning what projects are to be carried out. And by following Federal policies and guidelines, State and local governments receive federal aid funds and technical and policy support for their projects. The Federal-aid highway program is the cornerstone of the U.S. surface transportation legislation.

1.1.1 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA)

ISTEA, the first modern surface transportation legislation, was enacted by Congress and signed into law by President George H. W. Bush in 1991. A total exceeding $155 billion in Federal-aid budget was allocated to State and local governments over the course of six years. As stated in President Bush’s Statement of Administration Policy during ISTEA signing, the purpose of ISTEA is “to develop a National Intermodal Transportation System that is economically efficient, environmentally sound, provides the foundation for the Nation to compete in the global economy and will move people and goods in an energy efficient manner.”

ISTEA outlined several major goals for the nation:

• Designating a National Highway System (NHS) Roadway Network
  The act called for the designation of roadways that are the most important to interstate travel and national defense, connect with other modes of transportation, and are essential for international commerce.
• Returning Decision Making to State and Local Governments
  The act gave State and local governments more flexibility in determining transportation solutions. The act officially created a new type of planning organization called the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) through federal funding.
• Developing New Technologies
  The act funded intelligent vehicle highway systems and prototype magnetic levitation system programs to develop new approaches for providing 21st-century transportation.
• Empowering Private Business Involvement
  The act relaxed restrictions on the use of Federal-aid funds for toll roads. The private sector was explored as a source for funding transportation improvements.
• Funding Mass Transit
  The ac...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Authors
• 1 The Law and the Process
• 2 Transportation Planning
• 3 Project Environmental Class of Action (COA) Determination
• 4 Preliminary Engineering
• 5 Environmental Analysis
• 6 Final Engineering Design
• 7 Right of Way
• 8 Construction
• 9 Operations
• 10 Maintenance
• Index