Exploratory Advanced Research . . . Next Generation Transportation Solutions

Mega-Regional Modeling 

Examining Mega-Regional Travel

land use, and travel demand at national, regional, 

and local levels. Other impacts of the megaregion, in addition to transportation measures, 

can also be identified—these could include air 

quality, water quality, and fiscal and economic 

impacts. 

The study involves a number of transportation 

pricing experiments to examine how changes 

in prices affect travel behavior, land use, economic growth, residential energy consumption, 

and the environment throughout the region. 

Researchers can increase prices in different 

ways, at different places, at different times, and 

in different amounts to focus on scenarios that 

would impact passenger and freight trips within the model with the most price sensitivity.

Mega-Regional Issues

Several factors make the geography of megaregions different from that of traditional metropolitan planning organizations and States. These 

factors include the issues defining the megaregion, the economic and transportation interactions with other mega-regions and the rest of the 

country, and the scale of the problems addressed. 

It is issues, rather than political boundaries, that 

define and outline a mega-region, and these defining issues may be related to:

•	 Environment—Where regional coverage is 

defined by environmental factors, rather 

than economic or political factors (e.g., the 

Chesapeake Bay Commission is concerned 

with water quality for the entire bay area). 

•	 Transportation—Where the performance of 

a transportation system within a corridor 

linked by air, auto, and rail travel will affect 

all areas within that corridor.

•	 Economy—Where an area dominated by manufacturing, for example, could be concerned 

with changes in activity within the United 

States, and possibly the world, economy. 

•	 Scale—Where inter-city travel and economic 

activity throughout the larger region are the 

concern, rather than problems within individual areas.

The Exploratory Advanced Research Program Fact Sheet

Project Objectives

The study aims to develop and test a megaregional travel demand modeling framework 

using a large corridor stretching from Baltimore, 

MD, to Virginia Beach, VA, as a case study. This 

framework will be examined and expanded 

to cover a larger mega-region comprised of 

Washington, DC, and parts of four other States: 

Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. 

Researchers aim to use the case study to address 

some of the technical challenges faced when 

developing a modeling framework and tools on 

such a large scale.

Modeling Tools

The study will test several scenarios on the megaregion to demonstrate the ability of the modeling 

framework in real-world situations. A selection of 

analysis tools measure the outcome of future scenarios using factors including economic change, 

The growth of major metropolitan 

areas over the last century has resulted in the emergence of “mega-regions”—

a large network of urban areas that 

often develop along major transportation 

routes. Expected to form an essential 

role in the future global economy, new 

analysis tools are needed to operate 

these mega-regional transportation networks efficiently. “Mega-Regional Travel,” a 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 

Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) 

Program study, was awarded to the 

University of Maryland to investigate 

the regional impact of transportation 

policy decisions.
Overcoming Barriers

Mega-regions pose many challenges to 

planners and policymakers because 

they span local and State political jurisdictions, complicating efforts to devise 

and implement coordinated policies. 

These multiple scales make it particularly important for mega-regions to expand beyond the technical methods 

found in traditional transportation planning models. A multidisciplinary approach may be necessary, in order to 

integrate economic, transport, land use, 

and emissions models. Multiscale project evaluations may need to be conducted to include larger megaregional scales, 

such as high speed rail and truck corridors, and 

smaller scale neighborhood projects. Multimodal 

transportation networks may also need to be 

evaluated, including highway, bus, rail, and air 

travel. In addition, all trip purposes will need to be 

encompassed—including short- and long-distance travel. Building on an existing multilayer 

modeling system, this project focuses on transportation policy decisions and how the cost and 

pricing of different regional transportation investments affects travel performance in the larger 

mega-region.

Coordinated Strategy

“Currently, individual metropolitan areas do not 

always have sufficient incentives to improve connections to neighboring metropolitan areas 

because the benefits of their investments will 

often flow to other areas,” says Supin Yoder at 

FHWA. “However, mega-regional coordination of 

transportation planning and investments addresses this need and in addition has several benefits potentially affecting development of several 

transportation areas, including high-speed rail, 

congestion management, cargo expressways, 

truck lanes, and port expansion.” 

The strategy is also ideal from a logistical 

standpoint because it becomes possible to enWhat Is the Exploratory 

Advanced Research Program?

FHWA’s Exploratory Advanced Research 

(EAR) Program focuses on long-term, 

high-risk research with a high payoff 

potential. The program addresses underlying gaps faced by applied highway 

research programs, anticipates emerging issues with national implications, and 

reflects broad transportation industry 

goals and objectives. 

To learn more about the EAR Program, visit the Exploratory Advanced 

Research Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov/

advancedresearch. The site features information on research solicitations, updates 

on ongoing research, links to published 

materials, summaries of past EAR Program events, and details on upcoming 

events. For additional information, contact 

David Kuehn at FHWA, 202-493-3414 

(email: david.kuehn@dot.gov), or Terry 

Halkyard at FHWA, 202-493-3467 (email: 

terry.halkyard@dot.gov).

Mega-Regional Modeling 

Examining Mega-Regional Travel

compass parts of a supply chain—minimizing 

freight bottlenecks and coordinating intermodal connections. Yoder explains, “Improving the 

flow of goods and commodities in such a way 

within mega-regions, and beyond to the worldwide markets, may ultimately assist a region 

when competing in the global marketplace.”

Learn More

For more information on the University of Maryland project, contact Supin Yoder at FHWA, 

708-283-3554 (email: supin.yoder@dot.gov).

Publication No. 

FHWA-HRT-12-024

HRTM-30/1-12(1M)E

Photo credit, page 1: 

© istockphoto.com/

Dave Sucsy Photography

The model components 

recommended for 

mega-region analysis. 

© University of Maryland

Economic Model

Accessibilities

Accessibilities

Location 

Quality

GDP

Land Use Model

Mega-Regional Model

National or Global Model

Environmental/Fiscal Models

Activity 

Locations

Land Use

Land Cover Roadway

Link Volumes

Commodity Flows

Long Distance Travel

Transport Model