U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Notice 

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation 

in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of 

the information contained in this document. 

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or 

manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the 

objective of the document. 

Quality Assurance Statement 

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve 

Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. 

Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and 

integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and 

processes to ensure continuous quality improvement. 

Source – Cover Image: FHWA . 
Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No. 

FHWA-HOP-13-041

2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. 

4. Title and Subtitle 

Operations Benefit/Cost Analysis TOPS-BC User’s Manual 

Providing Guidance to Practitioners in the Analysis of Benefits and Costs of 

Management and Operations Projects

5. Report Date 

June 2013

6. Performing Organization Code 

7. Author(s) 

Doug Sallman, Krista Jeannotte, Rich Margiotta and Jennifer Strasser – Cambridge 

Systematics, Inc.

8. Performing Organization Report No. 

9. Performing Organization Name And Address 

Cambridge Systematics, Inc. 

555 12th Street, Suite 1600 

Oakland, California 94607

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) 

11. Contract or Grant No. 

DTFH61-06-D-00004

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Federal Highway Administration 

Office of Operations 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590

13. Type of Report and Period Covered 

User’s Manual

14. Sponsoring Agency Code 

HOP

15. Supplementary Notes 

FHWA Contracting Officer’s Technical Manager (COTM) Jim Hunt.

16. Abstract 

This document provides guidance on the setup and application of the Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC), which was 

developed to provide key decision support capabilities including: 

 The ability for users to investigate the expected range of impacts associated with previous deployments and analyses of 

many TSM&O strategies; 

 A screening mechanism to help users identify appropriate tools and methodologies for conducting a benefit/cost (B/C) 

analysis based on their analysis needs; 

 A framework and default cost data to estimate the life-cycle costs of various TSM&O strategies, including capital, 

replacement, and continuing operations and maintenance (O&M) costs; and 

 A framework and suggested impact values for conducting simple sketch planning level B/C analysis for selected TSM&O 

strategies. 

This User’s Manual provides instruction on the installation and setup of TOPS-BC Version 1.0, instruction for using the basic 

capabilities, and discussion of adapting the available capabilities to the unique needs of an individual analysis. 

The TOPS-BC tool was developed to support and complement the guidance developed as part of the FHWA Operations 

Benefit/Cost Desk Reference project. The Desk Reference provides more general discussion on the field of B/C analysis and 

methods for structuring analyses to overcome the many challenges often present when attempting to apply B/C analysis to 

Operations strategies. 

17. Key Words 

Benefit/Cost Analysis; Cost Benefit Analysis; Economic 

Analysis; Transportation System Management and 

Operations; Operations Planning; Analysis Tools; Lifecycle 

Cost Analysis; Travel Time Reliability Analysis; 

Multiresolution/Multiscenario Analysis 

18. Distribution Statement

No Restrictions. 

19. Security Classif. (of this report) 

Unclassified

20. Security Classif. (of this page) 

Unclassified

21. No. of Pages 

88

22. Price 

N/A

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | i

Table of Contents 

Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................ 1

PROJECT BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE ........................................................... 1

HOW TO USE THE TOPS-BC USER’S MANUAL ................................................. 4

Chapter 2. Overview and Getting Started with TOPS-BC ........................ 7

WHAT IS TOPS-BC? ....................................................................................... 7

BASIC NAVIGATION WITHIN TOPS-BC ............................................................ 10

Chapter 3. Investigate the Range of Impacts Associated with 

Various Operations Strategies ................................................................... 13

OVERVIEW..................................................................................................... 13

USING CAPABILITY 1 TO INVESTIGATE THE RANGE OF IMPACTS ASSOCIATED 

WITH VARIOUS OPERATIONS STRATEGIES ...................................................... 14

Chapter 4. Map B/C Methodologies to Your Organization’s Needs ...... 17

OVERVIEW..................................................................................................... 17

USING CAPABILITY 2 TO MAP B/C METHODOLOGIES TO YOUR 

ORGANIZATION’S NEEDS ................................................................................ 18

Chapter 5. Estimate Life-Cycle Costs of TSM&O Strategies ................. 21

OVERVIEW..................................................................................................... 21

USING CAPABILITY 3 TO ESTIMATE LIFE-CYCLE COSTS OF TSM&O

STRATEGIES .................................................................................................. 21

Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for 

Selected TSM&O Strategies ....................................................................... 29

OVERVIEW..................................................................................................... 29

USING CAPABILITY 4 TO CONDUCT SIMPLE SPREADSHEET-BASED B/C

ANALYSIS FOR SELECTED TSM&O STRATEGIES ............................................ 30

SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS INPUTS AND OUTPUTS .............................................. 43

Chapter 7. Customizing and Maintaining TOPS-BC ............................... 59

OVERVIEW..................................................................................................... 59

ADDING NEW ROWS TO A SPREADSHEET ....................................................... 59

ADDING NEW DATA OR STRATEGIES TO THE IMPACT LOOK UP CAPABILITY ...... 60

ADDING NEW CAPABILITIES OR TOOLS TO THE METHODOLOGY MAPPING 

CAPABILITY .................................................................................................... 61

MODIFYING EQUIPMENT OR ADDING NEW STRATEGIES TO THE COST 

ESTIMATION CAPABILITY................................................................................. 63

ADDING NEW STRATEGIES TO THE BENEFIT ESTIMATION CAPABILITY .............. 66

MODIFYING THE NAVIGATION MENU................................................................ 67

RESTORE FEATURE ....................................................................................... 68

Appendix A Frequently Asked Questions ............................................ 71

Appendix B List of Acronyms ................................................................ 75

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | iii

List of Tables 

TABLE 1-1. SUMMARY OF GUIDANCE ON VARIOUS TSM&O STRATEGIES ...................... 4 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | v

List of Figures 

FIGURE 1-1. CAPABILITIES PROVIDED BY TOPS-BC ....................................................... 3 

FIGURE 2-1. SAMPLE VIEW OF SECURITY SETTINGS PROMPT ......................................... 9 

FIGURE 2-2. TOPS-BC OPENING SCREEN .................................................................. 10 

FIGURE 2-3. PARTIAL SCREEN VIEW OF THE TOPS-BC NAVIGATION MENU .................. 12 

FIGURE 3-2. IMPACT LOOKUP WORKSHEET .................................................................. 14 

FIGURE 3-2. TSM&O STRATEGIES MAPPED TO LIKELY IMPACTS ON 

MOES ..................................................................................................... 15 

FIGURE 3-3. SAMPLE DISPLAY OF HIGH-LEVEL EMPIRICAL DATA 

MAINTAINED IN TOPS-BC ........................................................................ 16 

FIGURE 4-1. PARTIAL SCREEN VIEW OF THE METHOD SELECTION 

WORKSHEET ............................................................................................ 19 

FIGURE 4-2. PARTIAL SCREEN VIEW OF SUGGESTED METHODOLOGIES 

OUTPUT ................................................................................................... 20 

FIGURE 5-1. PARTIAL SCREEN VIEW OF COST ESTIMATION

WORKSHEET INSTRUCTIONS ..................................................................... 22 

FIGURE 5-2. PARTIAL SCREEN VIEW OF COST DATA ORGANIZATION FOR A 

RAMP METER SYSTEM ............................................................................. 24 

FIGURE 5-3. TOPS-BC PROJECTED STREAM OF COSTS OUTPUT ................................ 26 

FIGURE 5-4. TOPS-BC COST ESTIMATION WORKING CALCULATIONS AREA ................. 27 

FIGURE 5-5. STRATEGY COST ESTIMATION DATA INPUT ................................................ 27 

FIGURE 6-1. PARTIAL SCREEN VIEW OF BENEFIT ESTIMATE WORKSHEET 

INSTRUCTIONS ......................................................................................... 31 

FIGURE 6 2. INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING CELL COLORS IN THE BENEFIT ESTIMATION 

WORKSHEETS .......................................................................................... 31 

FIGURE 6-3. PARTIAL SCREEN VIEW OF THE BENEFITS ESTIMATION “PARAMETERS”

WORKSHEET ............................................................................................ 33 

FIGURE 6-4. SAMPLE VIEW OF STRATEGY SPECIFIC DEFAULT IMPACT DATA ................. 34 

FIGURE 6-5. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) ON THE BENEFIT ESTIMATE

SHEET...................................................................................................... 35 

FIGURE 6-6. REVIEWING THE MINIMUM REQUIRED DATA INPUT ..................................... 37 

FIGURE 6-7. REVIEWING THE PREDICTED STRATEGY IMPACTS ..................................... 39 

FIGURE 6-8. REVIEWING THE PREDICTED FACILITY PERFORMANCE IMPACTS ................ 39 

FIGURE 6-9. TOPS-BC DEFAULT SPEED/FLOW RELATIONSHIP TABLE (BASED ON 

HIGHWAY CAPACITY MANUAL 2010 FORMULAS) ........................................ 40 

FIGURE 6-10. DISPLAY OF USER ENTERED BENEFIT, NUMBER OF PERIODS PER YEAR,

AND TOTAL AVERAGE ANNUAL BENEFIT VALUES ....................................... 41 

FIGURE 6-11. EXAMPLE REPLACEMENT OF DEFAULT CALCULATED CONGESTED 

SPEEDS WITH DATA FROM A SIMULATION MODEL ...................................... 42 

FIGURE 6-12 SELECTING STRATEGIES TO COMBINE FOR VIEWING IN THE MY 

DEPLOYMENTS SHEET.............................................................................. 56 

FIGURE 6-13 VIEWING THE VALUE PARAMETERS IN THE MY DEPLOYMENTS SHEET ....... 57 

FIGURE 7-1 PARTIAL SCREEN VIEW OF THE IMPACTDATA WORKSHEET ........................ 60 

FIGURE 7-2 PULL DOWN MENUS ON THE IMPACT LOOKUP WORKSHEET ................. 61 

FIGURE 7-3 PARTIAL SCREEN VIEW OF THE METHODDATA WORKSHEET ...................... 62 

FIGURE 7-4 SAMPLE SCREEN VIEW OF A COST ESTIMATION WORKSHEET .................... 64 
FIGURE 7-5 PARTIAL SCREEN VIEW OF THE BLANK COST TEMPLATE

WORKSHEET ............................................................................................ 65 

FIGURE 7-6 PARTIAL VIEW OF GENERIC LINK MODEL SHEET ....................................... 66 

FIGURE 7-7 CREATING A NEW HYPERLINK IN THE MASTER NAVIGATION MENU ............. 68 

FIGURE 7-8 RESTORE FEATURE POP-UP MESSAGE ..................................................... 69 
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 1

Chapter 1. Introduction 

Project Background and Purpose 

Due to the competitive fiscal environment, state, regional, and local transportation planning 

organizations around the country are increasingly being asked to justify their programs and 

expenditures. Transportation System Management and Operations (TSM&O) programs have not 

escaped this scrutiny and are routinely asked to rank their projects against traditional expansion 

projects, as well as conduct other “value”-related exercises. 

This requirement can put TSM&O projects at a disadvantage since many specialists in this arena 

have limited experience in performing benefit/cost (B/C) analysis; and often, many of the established 

tools and data available for conducting B/C analysis for traditional infrastructure projects are poorly 

suited to analyzing the specific performance measures, project timelines, benefits, and life-cycle costs 

associated with operational improvements. 

In response to the needs of system operators to conduct these analyses, a number of initiatives have 

been undertaken in recent years at the national, state, and regional levels to develop enhanced 

analysis tools, methodologies and information sources to support the conduct of B/C analysis for 

many specific TSM&O strategies. It often remains difficult, however, for practitioners to sift through the 

various information and guidance sources in order to understand and apply an appropriate 

methodology for meeting a specific analysis need. 

The FHWA Operations Benefit/Cost Analysis Desk Reference

Project 

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Operations initiated this project in recognition of 

practitioners’ need for relevant and practical guidance on how to effectively conduct B/C analysis for a 

wide spectrum of TSM&O strategies. The Operations Benefit/Cost Analysis Desk Reference

[http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop12028/index.htm] is intended to meet the 

needs of a wide range of practitioners looking to conduct B/C analysis of operations strategies. The 

guidance provided in the Desk Reference includes fundamental background information on B/C 

analysis, including basic terminology and concepts, intended to support the needs of practitioners just 

getting started with B/C analysis, who may be unfamiliar with the general process. Building off this 

primer base, the Desk Reference also describes some of the more complex analytical concepts and 

latest research in order to support more advanced analysts in conducting their analyses. Some of the 

more advanced topics include capturing the impacts of travel time reliability; assessing the synergistic 

effects of combining different strategies; and capturing the benefits and costs of supporting 

infrastructure, such as traffic surveillance and communications. 
Chapter 1. Introduction 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 2

The Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost 

(TOPS-BC) 

The Operations Benefit/Cost Analysis Desk Reference is 

supported by a decision support tool, called the Tool for 

Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC). This spreadsheet-based 

tool is designed to assist practitioners in conducting B/C analysis 

by providing four key capabilities, including the following: 

 Investigate Impacts – The ability to investigate the expected range of impacts associated 

with previous deployments and analyze many TSM&O strategies; 

 Research Methods – A screening mechanism to help identify appropriate tools and 

methodologies for conducting a B/C analysis based on analysis needs; 

 Estimate Costs – A framework and default cost data to estimate the life-cycle costs 

(including capital, replacement, and continuing O&M costs) of various TSM&O strategies; 

and 

 Estimate Benefits – A framework and suggested impact values for conducting simple B/C 

analyses for selected TSM&O strategies. 

In addition to these capabilities, TOPS-BC also is intended to serve as a repository of relevant 

parameters and values appropriate for use in B/C analyses. Figure 1.1 shows the opening screen of 

TOPS-BC, which provides navigation to the capabilities within the support tool. This User’s Manual 

provides specific guidance on the proper use and setup of the TOPS-BC application. It is intended to 

support the Desk Reference document and contains many references to that publication. 

Transportation planning activities and associated Federal planning requirements can be generally 

categorized into the following four stages: 

1. Visioning and Screening; 

2. Long Range Planning; 

3. Transportation Improvement Program Development; and 

4. Project Development. 

The sketch planning capabilities (Capability 4 “Estimate Benefits and Conduct B/C Analysis”) within 

TOPS-BC are generally applicable for analyses in Stage 1 and partly Stage 2 for screening and 

estimating the order of magnitude of benefits. The more complex and detailed analysis required for 

program and project development in Stages 3 and 4 may warrant the application of a more robust 

analysis tool. TOPS-BC has the ability to help you screen and identify appropriate tools and 

methodologies for conducting a B/C analysis based on your analysis needs (Capability 2 “Research 

Available Analysis Methods and Tools”) and may recommend you apply more rigorous tools for more 

complex analyses. 

Source: FHWA. 
Chapter 1. Introduction 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 3

Figure 1-1. Capabilities Provided by TOPS-BC 

Source: FHWA. 

Operations Strategies Covered 

Together the Desk Reference and the TOPS-BC tool are intended to support the analysis of a wide 

range of available TSM&O strategies. These “strategies” include the direct application of 

technologies and infrastructure as physical roadside applications (e.g., deployment of freeway service 

patrol vehicles), as well as many harder-to-define, nonphysical strategies (e.g., interagency 

coordination). While it is not possible to comprehensively provide guidance on every type and 

variation in application of all the many TSM&O strategies (especially in light of the fact that new 

strategies and technologies are constantly emerging), the TSM&O strategies covered in the TOPS-BC

tool and/or the Desk Reference are identified in Table 1-1. Section 3.0 of the Desk Reference

document provides expanded discussion of these various strategies, as well as sub-strategies and 

variations in application within the general categories. Section 3.0 of the Desk Reference also 

identifies the typical benefits and impact measures associated with the deployment of the strategies. 

FHWA Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS‐BC):  Version 1.0

What would you like to do today?
Chapter 1. Introduction 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 4

Table 1-1. Summary of Guidance on Various TSM&O Strategies 

TSM&O Strategy 

Discussed 

in Desk 

Reference

TOPS-BC 

Analysis 

Capability 

Physical Strategies 

Arterial Signal Coordination  

Arterial Transit Signal Priority  $ 

Ramp Metering  

Traffic Incident Management  

Pretrip Traveler Information  

En-route Traveler Information  

Work Zone Management  

HOT Lanes  

Speed Harmonization  

Road Weather Management  

Hard Shoulder Running  

Travel Demand Management  $ 

Supporting Strategies 

Traffic Surveillance  $ 

Traffic Management Centers  $ 

Communications  $ 

Nonphysical Strategies 

Active Transportation and Demand Management (ATDM) 

System Integration 

Interagency Coordination 

Regional Concepts for Transportation Operations 

 – Guidance or analysis capability provided. 

$ – Life-cycle cost estimation capability only. 

How to Use the TOPS-BC User’s Manual 

The TOPS-BC application is designed to be intuitive and easy to use. This User’s Manual is intended 

to provide clarification on the proper setup and application of the tool. This User’s Manual assumes 

that you are minimally familiar with B/C analysis and the unique challenges of applying B/C analysis to 

TSM&O strategies. The Desk Reference may be used by practitioners unfamiliar with fundamental 

B/C concepts and terminology to learn more about the basics of B/C analysis for TSM&O strategies. 
Chapter 1. Introduction 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 5

This User’s Manual also assumes that you have a basic knowledge of spreadsheet navigation and 

operation. 

The User’s Manual is divided into the following chapters that generally follow the major capabilities of 

the tool: 

 Chapter 2.0 Overview and Getting Started with TOPS-BC provides an overview of the 

TOPS-BC application and describes the process for installing and initiating an analysis. 

 Chapter 3.0 Investigate the Range of Impacts Associated with Various Operations 

Strategies summarizes the first of the major capabilities by illustrating the use of the tool 

to research TSM&O strategies and their likely impacts/benefits. 

 Chapter 4.0 Map B/C Methodologies to Your Organization’s Needs summarizes the 

capability of the tool to research different existing tools and analysis methods, and identify 

those methods that are most appropriate to the particular needs of a specific analysis. 

 Chapter 5.0 Estimate Life-cycle Costs provides a description of the cost estimation 

framework and equipment cost data maintained in the tool. 

 Chapter 6.0 Estimate Benefits of Operations Strategies provides step-by-step 

guidance for using the sketch planning framework for estimating major impacts and 

benefits of various operations strategies included in the tool. It also provides several 

innovative approaches and examples for overcoming common analysis challenges. 

 Chapter 7 Customizing and Maintaining TOPS-BC provides guidance for utilizing the 

automated processes designed into TOPS-BC for updating information and adding new 

analysis capabilities. 

 Appendix A Frequently Asked Questions provides a quick guide for addressing 

common questions about the tool and the required data inputs and outputs. 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 7

Chapter 2. Overview and Getting 

Started with TOPS-BC 

What is TOPS-BC? 

TOPS-BC is a spreadsheet-based tool designed to assist practitioners in conducting B/C analysis and 

support the guidance provided in the Desk Reference. TOPS-BC provides: 

 The ability to investigate the expected range of impacts associated with previous 

deployments and analyze many TSM&O strategies; 

 A screening mechanism to help identify appropriate tools and methodologies for 

conducting a B/C analysis based on analysis needs; 

 A framework and default cost data to estimate the life-cycle costs (including capital, 

replacement, and continuing O&M costs) of various TSM&O strategies; and 

 A framework and suggested impact values for conducting simple sketch planning level 

B/C analysis for selected TSM&O strategies. 

The TSM&O strategies within TOPS-BC were listed in Table 1-1. TOPS-BC covers a long list of 

strategies; however, due to the environment of TSM&O, where new strategies are constantly 

emerging and being enhanced, the tool is designed to be flexible for easy adaptation and 

improvement by practitioners to meet the needs of a particular analysis. In fact, the tool contains 

capabilities designed to support the creation of new strategy analysis within the tool, as discussed in 

Chapter 7 of this manual. The following requirements were used in the development of the initial 

TOPS-BC application: 

 Provide the tool in a macro-driven spreadsheet environment to provide easy distribution 

of the tool and easy customization by practitioners; 

 Design the capabilities to be intuitive to use; 

 Ensure default figures used in the tool are documented and understandable; 

 Make all formulas reviewable so practitioners can understand the analysis process being 

applied; and 

 Provide for easy maintenance and customization. 
Chapter 2. Overview and Getting Started with TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 8

Installing and Using TOPS-BC for the First Time 

The TOPS-BC application is distributed as a Microsoft Office 2007 Excel spreadsheet. Two separate 

versions are available: 

 Standard Version – This is the most typical version and is available on-line. This version 

is provided with some of the key worksheets and mathematical formulas in a locked 

mode so that they may not be altered. Locked cells include critical input parameters and 

analysis calculation formulas. You may, in many cases, override the default input values 

if desired; however, you must do so by using the defined “user defined input” cells that 

clearly document changes made to the analysis. Use of this version ensures that all 

analysis conducted in the tool is completed using the parameters, values and formulas as 

they were developed in the original tool. 

 Development Version – This version is identical to the Standard Version, with the 

exception that no security features have been added to any cells or code in the 

workbook. This version is not available on-line, but will be available upon special 

request. Advanced users will be able to freely modify and customize the tool to meet 

individual needs. It is your responsibility, however, to ensure that the modifications you 

make to the tool are appropriate, as there are no tracking mechanisms available within 

this version to document changes made to the original tool. 

Note: This User’s Manual is intended to support the typical user and is focused on describing 

functions available in the Standard Version of the software. Not all of the advanced internal features 

designed to support the future maintenance and updating of the tool are described in this document. 

The file name of the distributed file indicates the version and version release number, as illustrated in 

the following examples: 

 TOPS-BC standard version 1.0.xlsm – Represents a Standard (locked) Version of the 

tool with a version number of 1.0 (the number 1.0 is assigned to the initial release of the 

tool and will be increased as subsequent versions are released). 

 TOPS-BC development version 1.0.xlsm – Represents a Development (open) Version 

of the tool with a version number of 1.0. 

Note: the version number associated with the tool is also prominently displayed on each worksheet in 

TOPS-BC for reference. 

You are encouraged to download the latest version of the spreadsheet file and save it to your 

computer’s hard drive. You are also encouraged to make a copy of the file and rename it 

according to your own file keeping structure. You should then use the copied file as you move 

forward with your analysis. This will ensure that a “clean” copy of the file is preserved in case you 

wish to use it as a reference. 

Further, there may be situations where you may want to keep multiple copies of the file. For example, 

if you are analyzing multiple projects, you may want to keep a separate file for each project being 
Chapter 2. Overview and Getting Started with TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 9

analyzed. Chapters 4 and 5 covering the life-cycle cost and benefit estimation capabilities provide 

additional discussion of how to structure multiple project analyses. 

Security Settings 

The TOPS-BC application makes extensive use of Active-X macros. Depending on the individual 

security settings applied to your computer, the initial use of these capabilities may not be permitted. 

When TOPS-BC is opened for the first time on a new computer, you may receive a message 

indicating that certain applications are barred as shown in Figure 2-1. 

Figure 2-1. Sample View of Security Settings Prompt 

Source: FHWA. 

To allow TOPS-BC to work properly on the computer, you must select “Allow content” or “Enable this 

content” before proceeding with any analysis. Depending on individual computer settings, you may 

need to allow/enable more than one type of content (e.g., ActiveX and Links). Once allowed, you will 

be automatically taken to the opening screen of the tool. 

Note, the macros within TOPS-BC are implemented automatically upon opening the file, and will direct 

you by default to the opening screen workbook. Once you open the file, automatic initiation of this 

macro alters the file. This will prompt a “Save Changes” prompt upon closing the file, even if you 

simply open and then immediately close the file without modifying any other data. As a result, the 

“Date Modified” associated with a TOPS-BC file viewed in Windows Explorer will also be updated 

every time the file is opened and subsequently closed/saved. Therefore, you are encouraged to not 

rely solely on the date the file was last modified to keep track of the latest version of working files. 

Instead, you are encouraged to save the file with unique naming conventions to track internal working 

versions of the file. 
Chapter 2. Overview and Getting Started with TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 10

Basic Navigation within TOPS-BC 

Upon opening the TOPS-BC spreadsheet, you will automatically be directed to the opening screen 

worksheet, as shown in Figure 2-2. This view allows easy access to the four key capabilities of the 

tool, as well as a “More Info?” link that provides basic instruction on the tool. 

Figure 2-2. TOPS-BC Opening Screen 

Source: FHWA. 

 

FHWA Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS‐BC):  Version 1.0

What would you like to do today?  
Chapter 2. Overview and Getting Started with TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 11

Worksheets within TOPS-BC are organized by capability, and by individual strategies in some 

situations. The worksheet tabs are color coded according the capability provided. While the 

color coding may vary slightly from one computer to another, the general color coding scheme is 

as follows:1

 

 White/light gray – Opening Screen / General Info / Navigation; 

 Blue – Capability 1: Investigate the Range of Expected Values Associated with Various 

TSM&O Strategies; 

 Orange – Capability 2: Map Different B/C Methodologies to Your Organization’s Needs; 

 Green – Capability 3: Estimate Life-cycle Costs of TSM&O Strategies; 

 Purple – Capability 4: Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected 

TSM&O Strategies; and 

 Red – These are typically hidden worksheets involved in the maintenance and 

updating of the worksheet. Most users will not have a need to use these worksheets 

and many of these spreadsheets are locked and not available for editing in the 

standard distribution version. 

TOPS-BC may be navigated similar to most other spreadsheets simply by selecting the desired 

worksheets tabs within the workbook; however, a number of shortcut navigation tools are available. 

From the opening screen worksheet, you can click on any of the boxes to automatically be taken to 

the first worksheet related to the selected capability. In the case of Capability 1 (Investigate the Range 

of Expected Values Associated with Various TSM&O Strategies) and Capability 2 (Map Different B/C 

Methodologies to Your Organization’s Needs), you will automatically be taken to the worksheet where 

you can use the particular capability. In the cases of Capability 3 (Estimate Life-cycle Costs of 

TSM&O Strategies) and Capability 4 (Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected 

TSM&O Strategies) you will be directed to an overview screen for the particular capability that 

provides instruction and further navigation links to analyze specific strategies. 

Within all individual analysis worksheets in the TOPS-BC workbook, a blue-shaded Navigation Menu 

is provided vertically along the left side containing hyperlinks that allow you to go Back to the previous 

page visited2

, return to the OPENING SCREEN, access the General Tool Overview, or go directly to 

any of the other worksheets. Figure 2-3 shows a sample of a portion of this Navigation Menu. 

As you insert or delete rows or columns in any of the worksheets, the Navigation Menu will 

change. Adding a row will leave a blank row in the navigation menu; deleting a row will 

remove the link to a worksheet. TOPS-BC has been designed to auto correct this problem. 

When you leave a worksheet that has been edited, and then return, the navigation menu is 

recreated in its original form, ensuring that no links will accidentally be removed. 

 

1

 The actual tab colors used on any individual computer may be viewed in a mapping shown on the “TOPS-BC 

INFO” worksheet. 2

 Note that if you are navigating through the tool using the worksheet tabs rather than the hyperlinks provided in 

the Navigation Menu, the “Back” function will return you to the last hyperlink selected. 
Chapter 2. Overview and Getting Started with TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 12

Figure 2-3. Partial Screen View of the TOPS-BC Navigation Menu 

Source: FHWA. 

Navigation



Traveler Information

DMS

HAR

Pre‐Trip Traveler Info

Back

LIST OF ALL WORKSHEETS

1) INVESTIGATE IMPACTS

2) METHODS AND TOOLS

3) ESTIMATE COSTS

OPENING SCREEN

GENERAL TOOL OVERVIEW
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 13

Chapter 3. Investigate the Range of 

Impacts Associated with Various 

Operations Strategies 

Source: FHWA. 

Overview 

The first key capability provided in TOPS-BC is the ability to investigate the range of impacts 

associated with various operations strategies. Practitioners often have the need to research and 

identify the potential high level impacts of various operations strategies. For example, you may need 

to identify the typical range of speed change related to a ramp metering deployment. This information 

may be needed to fulfill a request to provide basic justification of the potential benefits of strategies to 

communicate to decision makers or the public, or may be needed to provide input parameters on the 

potential impacts for use in a B/C analysis. The TOPS-BC application is intended to provide guidance 

regarding the potential benefits of a wide range of TSM&O strategies in order to fulfill these needs. 

TOPS-BC maintains an internal database of impacts and benefits observed for specific strategies 

when deployed in various regions in the United States and abroad. This information has been 

compiled from the ITS Joint Program Office’s Benefit Cost Database 

[http://www.benefitcost.its.dot.gov ] and numerous other sources. Additionally, input parameters used 

in several operational analysis tools are also documented in the database for additional guidance. 

The number of data points associated with any particular strategy and individual impact is often 

related to the maturity of the strategy and the number of real-world evaluations that have been 

conducted to date. Well established strategies may have many benefits data points available from 

multiple locations. New and emerging strategies may have only a limited number or no empirical data 

points available. Cells in the database have been reserved, however, to be populated at a later date 

as benefit information becomes available on these strategies. Similarly, not all strategies are 

anticipated to impact all types of benefits. Therefore, many impact categories for a particular strategy 

may not contain information. 
Chapter 3. Investigate the Range of Impacts Associated with Various Operations Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 14

Using Capability 1 to Investigate the Range of Impacts 

Associated with Various Operations Strategies 

To navigate to the worksheet providing this capability, click on the appropriate box on the opening 

screen, or simply select the blue worksheet tab named “Impact Lookup.” The Impact Lookup sheet is 

shown in Figure 3-1. 

Figure 3-1. Impact Lookup Worksheet 

Source: FHWA. 

On this worksheet, select a particular strategy and impact category you are interested in 

researching. When selecting particular strategies, you may be asked to define the sophistication 

of the strategy. For example, Ramp Metering has separated menu items in the pull down menu 

for pre-set, actuated and central control timing. Upon selecting these inputs, a range of observed 

impacts may be displayed under the “Noted Impacts.” This range is based upon a review of 

available data by the tool developers. 

If insufficient data was available to identify an appropriate range of potential impacts, a message 

stating “Not enough data available” will appear. Figure 3-2, also presented in the Desk Reference, 

provides a mapping of the generally recognized benefits associated with various operations 

strategies. While not an absolute mapping of empirical data maintained in the database, the table 

provides a hint to where the most data is likely available. 
Chapter 3. Investigate the Range of Impacts Associated with Various Operations Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 15

Figure 3-2. TSM&O Strategies Mapped to Likely Impacts on MOEs 
Chapter 3. Investigate the Range of Impacts Associated with Various Operations Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 16

Ranges of data shown on the Impact Lookup worksheet are individual high-level summaries of 

the observed impacts from empirical studies and other data from existing B/C analysis tools. The 

message displayed under the “Noted Impacts” heading is hyperlinked directly to a summary of 

studies and existing tool input parameters used in developing the estimated range. Figure 3-3 

shows a sample data point representing a view of the Speed/Travel Time impacts related to ramp 

metering deployments. 

Figure 3-3. Sample Display of High-Level Empirical Data Maintained in TOPS-BC 

Source: FHWA. 

The default data displayed in the database shows only very high-level summaries of the data. Data 

related to particular strategies is presented in rows, while columns display data related to specific 

impacts. The database is not intended to be a comprehensive presentation of data, but instead is 

intended to provide a “quick look” overview of the available data and observed impacts (generally 

expressed as a simple percentage change whenever possible). 

The database does not document the specifics of the deployment or evaluation effort that produced 

the data point. Instead, a hidden column located to the right of each impact category column contains 

a reference for the data’s source documentation, providing you the opportunity to further investigate 

the specifics of particular data points. 

To view the reference data for each individual data point, follow the normal Excel process for 

viewing a hidden column. Highlight the entire column for the impact of interest and the column 

located immediately to the right of that column. Once selected, perform a right-mouse click, while 

the mouse is positioned over the alphabetical column headings, and select “Unhide” from the 

pop-up content menu. 

Austin - Travel time decreased by 37.5% from ITS Benefits: Continuing Successes and Operational 

Test Results and ITS Benefits: 2001 Update - Mitretek

Dallas - 7.6% to 55% increase in speed from Overview of Ramp Metering Subsystem for Phoenix 

Freeway Management System - ITE

Dallas (North Central Expwy) - 15% increase in speed, 

15% decrease in delay from The 2nd National Symposium on ITMS - TRB

Detroit - Speeds increased by 8%

from PATH's Learning from the Evaluation and Analysis of 

Performance web site, 1998 - California PATH and 

Caltrans

Detroit - Travel time decreased by 7.4% from ITS Benefits: Continuing Successes and Operational 

Test Results - Mitretek

Houston - 29% increase in speed

from ITS Benefits: Review of Evaluation and Reported 

Benefits - TTI, 1998 and Twin Cities Ramp Meter 

Evaluation - Cambridge Systematics, 2000

Phoenix - 5% to 10% increase in speed from Ramp Metering in Minnesota - TTI and Twin Cities 

Ramp Meter Evaluation - Cambridge Systematics

Portland - 39% reduction in travel time, 60% improvement 

in speed from ITS Benefits: 2001 Update - Mitretek

Portland - Speeds increased from 16 to 41 mph NB and 

40 to 43 mph SB (156% and 7.5% increase, respectively) 

from PATH's Learning from the Evaluation and Analysis of 

Performance web site, 1998 - California PATH and 

Caltrans

Portland - Travel time decreased by 7.4% from ITS Benefits: Continuing Successes and Operational 

Test Results - Mitretek

Seattle - Travel time decreased by 47.7% to 52.3%, 

speed increased by 20%

from ITS Benefits: Continuing Successes and Operational 

Test Results and ITS Benefits: 2001 Update - Mitretek

U.S. state, regional, local 

studies/statistics
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 17

Chapter 4. Map B/C Methodologies to 

Your Organization’s Needs 

Source: FHWA. 

Overview 

Dozens of individual analysis tools and methodologies designed for conducting B/C analysis of one or 

more TSM&O strategies have been developed to date. Chapter 4 of the Desk Reference document 

provides an overview of many of these tools and methods. These include tools developed by 

regional, state, and Federal agencies, as well as proprietary tools developed by many private-sector 

enterprises. These tools and methods range from simple methods intended for one-time analysis to 

more complex tools that are continually maintained and updated that form a continuing standardized 

framework for conducting B/C analysis for various agencies. Additionally, several emerging 

tools/methods are currently undergoing development as part of parallel efforts by U.S. DOT, American 

Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), individual states and regions, 

and research organizations. Chapter 4 of the Desk Reference document provides a synthesis of 

many of the available tools and their specific capabilities and limitations. 

No single tool or method is appropriate to address the requirements of all of the wide ranging needs 

for conducting B/C analysis, and it is critical that practitioners select the right tool for the job to produce 

meaningful analysis results within the resources available for the assessment. With the large and 

growing number of tools and methods available, however, it has become increasingly difficult for 

practitioners to know which tool to apply. 

TOPS-BC includes the capability to research different tools and methods in order to quickly winnow 

out those methods that are not applicable and allow you to better focus on those tools that are most 

relevant to the needs of your analysis. This capability also is intended to provide practitioners with an 

enhanced understanding of how different criteria affect the needs of their analysis, and make them 

more aware of the many tradeoffs involved in selecting an analysis approach (e.g., greater level of 

analysis detail and more accuracy often requires more resources to complete the analysis). The 

process used by TOPS-BC to provide this capability is described in the section below. 
Chapter 4. Map B/C Methodologies to Your Organization’s Needs 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 18

Using Capability 2 to Map B/C Methodologies to Your 

Organization’s Needs 

TOPS-BC’s capability of researching available analysis tools is designed around having you enter 

information related to several key criteria reflecting your analysis needs. The tool will match those 

criteria to the known capabilities of a number of publicly available tools and methods, and present you 

with a list of those appropriate methods for conducting the analysis. Where available, you will then be 

presented with links to more information regarding the method(s) in order to conduct additional 

research on the specifics of the suggested tool(s). 

Figure 4-1 shows a sample screen view of the capability within TOPS-BC, located on the 

“Method Selection” worksheet. Upon opening this worksheet, an automated macro populates a table 

of selection criteria related to B/C criteria. These criteria include: 

 Geographic scope of the analysis; 

 Desired level of confidence in the results; 

 TSM&O strategies to be analyzed; 

 Key Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs); 

 Travel modes to include; 

 Level of resources to support the analysis; and 

 Data/tools available to support the analysis. 

As shown in Figure 4-1, TOPS-BC contains a list of some of the most widely distributed and applied 

tools used for conducting B/C analysis of TSM&O strategies. This listing summarizes those major 

tools developed by Federal, state, or regional transportation agencies (or affiliated research 

organizations) that are available within the public realm. This listing does not include proprietary 

offerings of private-sector vendors. Specific descriptions of the various tools are provided in Chapter 4 

of the Desk Reference. The listing also includes general analysis approaches (not specific tools) such 

as travel demand modeling and simulation modeling methods. Methods for applying these analysis 

tools for supporting B/C analysis are provided in Chapter 5 of the Desk Reference. 

To operate this capability, review the various input criteria and make selections that define your 

specific analysis needs on the Method Selection worksheet. For example, if the analyst wants to 

analyze performance on a corridor, select the “Corridor” option under the “What is the geographic 

scope of the analysis?” question. For each question, either “Select 1” by choosing from the defined 

radio buttons, or “Choose Multiple” by checking however many multiple selection boxes that are 

relevant. You are not required to enter information for each criteria question, and may leave any 

question answered as “No preference.” 
Chapter 4. Map B/C Methodologies to Your Organization’s Needs 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 19

Figure 4-1. Partial Screen View of the Method Selection Worksheet 

Source: FHWA. 

 

FHWA Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS‐BC):  Version 1.0

Method Selection

Guidance on Appropriate Benefit/Cost Methods

INPUT CRITERIA Suggested Methodologies:

What is the geographic scope of the analysis? (Select 1)

No Preference

Statewide TOPS‐BC * MicroBENCOST

Regional BCA.net Redbook Wizard *

Corridor CAL‐BC SCRITS

Isolated Location EMFITS * SPASM *

Other FITSEval * STEAM

What is the desired level of confidence of the analysis results?  (Select 1) HERS‐ST

No Preference IDAS

High (extremely accurate) Travel Demand Model Methods *

Medium Simulation Methods *

Low (order of magnitude)

What TSM&O strategy(ies) do you want to analyze?  (Choose Multiple)

No Preference

Arterial Corridor Traffic Signal Coordination Strategies

Traffic Signal Priority Strategies

Ramp Metering Strategies

Traffic Incident Management Systems

Transit AVL and Automated Scheduling

Pre‐Trip Traveler Information

En‐Route Traveler Information

HOT Lanes

Speed Harmonization

Road Weather Management

Work Zone Management

Travel Demand Management ‐ Employer Based

Supporting Systems (Surveillance, TMC, Communications)

Instructions:  Please indicate the needs of your analysis associated with the following options.  

As you select the options, a list of appropriate methodologies will be displayed to the right.  

Hyperlinks are provided for those tools with current websites.  Tools/methods without a current

website are denoted with an asterisk (*).    

Also Consider:

Tools meeting ALL BUT 1

criteria

Tools meeting ALL

criteria
Chapter 4. Map B/C Methodologies to Your Organization’s Needs 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 20

As you enter information for the criteria you feel is relevant, a macro is activated that will dynamically 

identify those tools and methods that meet all the criteria indicated, as well as those that meet all but 

one of the user defined criteria settings. Tools failing to meet two or more of the user defined criteria 

will be eliminated from further consideration. The results will be displayed in the Suggested 

Methodologies box located to the right of the criteria input selection area as shown in Figure 4-2. 

Tools meeting all user defined criteria are listed separately from tools meeting all but one criteria. 

Note: the order in which the tools are listed in either the “Tools meeting ALL criteria” or the “Also 

Consider: Tools meeting ALL BUT 1 criteria” listing is not intended to represent any prioritization of the 

tools listed under either category. 

Figure 4-2. Partial Screen View of Suggested Methodologies Output 

Source: FHWA. 

You may review this list and return to the input criteria selection to make modifications if necessary. 

By making changes to the input criteria and reviewing the automatically refreshed results, you may 

gain a better understanding of the contribution key criteria have in selecting a tool. 

Once you have developed a list of tools to consider, the capabilities of the tools may be further 

investigated by reviewing the information contained in Chapter 4 of the Desk Reference document. 

Additionally, many of the tools listed under the Suggested Methodologies contain hyperlinks that will 

direct you to external websites or information sources related to the particular tool. 

Suggested Methodologies:

TOPS‐BC * HERS‐ST

BCA.net

CAL‐BC

EMFITS *

FITSEval *

IDAS

MicroBENCOST

Also Consider:

Tools meeting ALL BUT 1

criteria

Tools meeting ALL

criteria
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 21

Chapter 5. Estimate Life-Cycle Costs 

of TSM&O Strategies 

Source: FHWA. 

Overview 

Estimating the costs of TSM&O strategies is complex. Compared to more traditional infrastructure 

improvements, TSM&O improvements typically incur a greater proportion of their costs as continuing 

O&M costs, as opposed to upfront capital costs. Much of the equipment associated with TSM&O 

strategies typically has a much shorter anticipated useful life than many traditional improvements, and 

must be replaced as it reaches obsolescence. Further complicating the TSM&O cost estimation 

process is the fact that TSM&O deployment costs are greatly impacted by the degree to which 

equipment and resources are shared across different deployments and jurisdictions. 

Despite these difficulties, it is critical that planners fully consider and account for all the costs of 

TSM&O strategies when evaluating and developing deployment and O&M plans. Failure to recognize 

and accurately forecast these costs may result in future funding or resource shortfalls, or worse, the 

inability to properly operate and maintain deployed TSM&O improvements. The cost estimation 

capability developed within the TOPS-BC support tool is intended to assist planners in estimating and 

predicting high-level cost and resource requirements of planned TSM&O strategies. 

The prior two capabilities described in this User’s Manual were primarily involved with conducting 

research in order to make more informed decisions. The life-cycle cost estimation capabilities provide 

the first example of analysis where you will be entering data representing an existing or planned 

improvement in order to generate values that will be directly used in the comparison of benefits and 

costs. As such, you are encouraged to carefully think about your file structure – multiple copies of the 

TOPS-BC file may be required to analyze different projects – as you will likely want to save the data 

you have entered separately for each one. 

Using Capability 3 to Estimate Life-cycle Costs of TSM&O 

Strategies 

The estimation of life-cycle costs is initiated by selecting the capability from the OPENING SCREEN 

worksheet, or selecting the COST ESTIMATION worksheet tab. This action takes you to an 

instructional sheet, as shown in Figure 5-1. This sheet also contains links to the worksheets where 
Chapter 5. Estimate Life-cycle Costs of TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 22

individual strategies will be analyzed. You may also jump to a particular cost estimation worksheet for 

a specific strategy by selecting the appropriate hyperlink in the Navigation Menu. 

Figure 5-1. Partial Screen View of COST ESTIMATION Worksheet Instructions 

Source: FHWA. 

Prior to initiating a life-cycle cost analysis in TOPS-BC, familiarize yourself with the cost structure and 

terminology used in the tool. TOPS-BC considers the following cost categories: 

 Capital costs – Include the upfront costs necessary to procure and install equipment 

related to the TSM&O strategy. These costs will be shown as a total (one-time) 

expenditure, and will include the capital equipment costs, as well as the soft costs 

required for design and installation of the equipment. 

 O&M costs – Include those continuing costs necessary to operate and maintain the 

deployed strategy, including labor costs. While these costs do contain provisions for 

upkeep and replacement of minor components of the system, they do not contain 

provisions for wholesale replacement of the equipment when it reaches the end of its 

useful life (see Replacement costs). These O&M costs will be presented as annual 

estimates. 

 Replacement costs – Include the periodic cost of replacing/redeploying system 

equipment as it becomes obsolete and reaches the end of its expected useful life in order 

to insure the continued operation of the strategy. 

 Annualized costs – Represent the average annual expenditure that would be expected 

in order to deploy, operate, and maintain the TSM&O strategy; and replace (or redeploy) 

any equipment as it reaches the end of its useful life. Within this cost figure, the capital 

cost of the equipment will be amortized over the anticipated life of each individual piece of 

equipment. This figure is added with the recurring annual O&M cost to produce the 

FHWA Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS‐BC):  Version 1.0

Cost Estimation

Instructions:  Lifecycle Cost Estimation Tool

Purpose

Inputs Needed

Outputs

Purpose: The purpose of the Lifecycle Cost Estimation Tool is to provide the capability to quickly estimate the costs of various 

TSM&O strategies. The tool is developed to provide scalable costs dependent on the scope of the user's anticipated 

deployments. The lifecycle cost estimates include both up front capital costs as well as on-going operations and maintenance 

(O&M) costs. The tool is also capable of displaying average annual costs and the expected stream of costs over time 

Inputs Needed: The tool was developed to include most of the data needed to estimate the costs of the various strategies. This 

data is maintained as defaults in the tool. The user is generally only required to provide minimal information on their 

deployments, including: size/scope of the deployment (e.g., how many ramp meters will be deployed), the implementation date 

of the deployment, and any desired time horizon for the analysis itself. The user is encouraged to review the default data and

make appropriate changes to these data elements as well, including: Equipment mix associated with any strategies, the unit 

costs of equipment, the anticipated useful life of equipment elements, and the discount rate. 

Outputs: The outputs from the tool include an Average Annual Cost and a forecasted Stream of Costs. The Average 

Annual Cost represents a snapshot of the average level of funding that would be required to deploy and operate the 

TSM&O strategy. In the calculation of Average Annual Costs, the capital cost deploying of equipment is amortized over 

its anticipated useful life. The Stream of Costs represents the year-by-year anticipated expenditures needed to deploy 

and operate the strategy. Costs are forecast from the deployment date to the year 2100. Costs necessary for replacing 

obsolete equipment are realized at the anticipated end of the equipment's useful life. Additionally, from the Stream of 

Costs, the Net Present Value (NPV) of the costs may be calculated. 
Chapter 5. Estimate Life-cycle Costs of TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 23

annualized cost figure. This figure is particularly useful in estimating the long-term 

budgetary impacts of TSM&O deployments. 

The complexity of many TSM&O deployments warrants that these cost figures be further segmented 

to ensure their usefulness. Within each of the capital, O&M, and annualized cost estimates, costs are 

further disaggregated to show the infrastructure and incremental costs. These are defined as follows: 

 Infrastructure costs – Include the basic “backbone” infrastructure equipment (including 

labor) necessary to enable the system. For example, in order to deploy a camera 

(closed-circuit television (CCTV)) surveillance system, certain infrastructure equipment 

must first be deployed at the traffic management center to support the roadside Intelligent 

Transportation System (ITS) elements. This may include costs, such as computer 

hardware/software, video monitors, and the labor to operate the system. Once this 

equipment is in place, however, multiple roadside elements may be integrated and linked 

to this backbone infrastructure without experiencing significant incremental costs (i.e., the 

equipment does not need to be redeployed every time a new camera is added to the 

system). These infrastructure costs typically include equipment and resources installed 

at the traffic management center, but may include some shared roadside elements as 

well. 

 Incremental costs – Include the costs necessary to add one additional roadside element 

to the deployment. For example, the incremental costs for the camera surveillance 

example include the costs of purchasing and installing one additional camera. Other 

deployments may include incremental costs for multiple units. For instance, an 

emergency vehicle signal priority system would include incremental unit costs for each 

additional intersection and for each additional emergency vehicle that would be equipped 

as part of the deployment.3

Structuring the cost data in this framework provides the ability to readily scale the cost estimates to the 

size of potential deployments. Figure 5-2 provides a sample view of the cost data organized 

according to the defined structure in the TOPS-BC application for a ramp meter deployment, as taken 

from the individual cost estimation strategy worksheet for centrally controlled ramp metering (the 

green tabbed worksheet named “RM-Central Control”). Infrastructure costs would be incurred for any 

new technology deployment. Incremental costs would be multiplied by the appropriate unit (e.g., 

number of intersections equipped, number of ramps equipped, number of variable message sign 

locations, etc.); and added to the infrastructure costs to determine the total estimated cost of the 

deployment. Presenting the costs in this scalable format provides the opportunity to easily estimate 

the costs of expanding or contracting the size of the deployment, and allows the cost data to be 

reused in evaluating other corridors. 

 

3

 Note that many of the default unit costs for communications capabilities are based on figures originally 

developed for the ITS National Infrastructure. These communications costs typically represent the cost to lease 

the capabilities. You may want to review these cost assumptions and modify the values to best represent how 

you plan to deploy and operate communications systems. 
Chapter 5. Estimate Life-cycle Costs of TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 24

Figure 5-2. Partial Screen View of Cost Data Organization for a Ramp Meter System 

Source: FHWA. 

 

FHWA Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS‐BC):  Version 1.0

PURPOSE:  Estimate Lifecycle Costs of TSM&O Strategies

WORK AREA 1 ‐ ESTIMATE AVERAGE ANNUAL COST

Ramp Metering Systems: Central Control

Basic Infrastructure Equipment

TMC Hardware for Freeway Control 5

TMC Software/Integration 5

Labor

TOTAL Infrastructure Cost

Incremental Deployment Equipment (per Ramp Location)

Ramp Meter (Signal, Controller) 25

Loop Detectors (2) 25

Communication Line 25

TOTAL Incremental Cost

INPUT Enter Number of Infrastructure Deployments 1

INPUT Enter Number of Incremental Deployments 10

INPUT Enter Year of Deployment 2013

Average Annual Cost

$            11,000 $                  500 $                  940

$         222,500 $         252,000 $         296,500

$         296,500

$            67,400

$363,900

Equipment Useful Life

Capital / 

Replacement 

Costs (Total)

O&M Costs 

(Annual)

Annualized 

Costs

$            22,500 $              2,000 $              6,500

$            99,750 $              2,750 $              6,740

$                  750 $                  250 $                  280

$            88,000 $              2,000 $              5,520

$          ‐ 200,000 $                   $            40,000

$                  ‐ $         250,000 $         250,000
Chapter 5. Estimate Life-cycle Costs of TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 25

In the ramp meter example shown in Figure 5-2, the Annualized Costs for any individual piece of 

equipment equals the Capital Costs (which represents the total cost to deploy or redeploy that piece of 

equipment) divided by the Useful Life (to amortize the cost of the equipment over the anticipated life), 

plus the annual cost of operating and maintaining the piece of equipment. This methodology assumes 

that the piece of equipment is replaced at the end of its useful life. For example, the Annualized Costs 

for the equipment called “TMC Hardware for Freeway Control” is calculated as: 

Annualized Costs = (Capital Costs/Useful Life) + Annual O&M Costs 

or 

Annualized Costs = ($22,500/5 years) + $2,000 = $6,500 

Some equipment does not have upfront Capital Costs, but only has recurring annual O&M Costs, as 

illustrated by the “Labor” costs in the Figure 5-2 example. In these situations, the annualized cost is 

simply the annual O&M Costs. 

In the TOPS-BC application, you are able to enter the quantity of Infrastructure and Incremental 

equipment units you want to deploy, as shown in Figure 5-2; and the tool will calculate the total cost 

of the selected deployments based on these entries.4

 Average Annual Costs for the ramp metering 

example, assuming 10 ramp meter locations were included in the deployment, would be calculated 

as: 

Average Annual Costs = (# of Infrastructure Deployments * Annualized Costs of Infrastructure 

Deployment) + (# of Incremental Deployments * Annualized Costs of Incremental Deployment) 

or 

Average Annual Costs = (1 * $296,500) + (10 * $6,740) = $363,900 

Outputs from this process include the following: 

 An Average Annual Cost – A single expected cost compiling upfront capital, ongoing 

O&M, and future equipment replacement costs in a single figure. 

 A Projected Stream of Costs – An output showing year-by-year expected expenditures 

over the next 30-year timeframe. This output can be used to calculate Net Present Value 

(NPV) over any time horizon you choose, if you chose to use NPV instead of average 

annual costs in your analysis. 

Figure 5-3 shows a sample view of the Projected Stream of Costs generated for the ramp meter 

strategy illustrated in Figure 5-2. In this view, the Capital Costs are not amortized over the life of 

equipment, but appear in the year they are incurred. Your Upfront Capital Costs appear in the first 

year of deployment, and Replacement Costs are incurred in future years, as equipment needs to be 

 

4

 For most TSM&O strategies, the number of “Infrastructure” deployments will be one, as only one deployment of 

this equipment is necessary to support multiple deployments of the “Incremental” units. However, you have the 

opportunity to deploy more than one “Infrastructure” unit if planned deployment is configured in a nontypical 

manner (e.g., managed from multiple Traffic Management Centers) or enter zero if you already have the 

Infrastructure deployed. In situations where the infrastructure equipment supports more than one strategy (or 

multiple deployments of the same strategy on more than one corridor), a fraction may be entered in the User 

Input cell. For example, if in the sample deployment shown in Figure 5-2, the deployment of 10 ramp meters 

was meant to analyze one of four corridors that were being planned for deployment, you may want to enter a 

value of .25 as the number of infrastructure deployments, to represent that each corridor would be expected to 

incur one-fourth of the infrastructure costs. 
Chapter 5. Estimate Life-cycle Costs of TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 26

replaced. In the ramp metering example, the full Capital Cost of deployment is incurred in year 2013, 

and the same value is incurred again in year 2018, since the equipment involved in the deployment 

has reached the end of its useful life by this date. Space is provided to view costs up to a 50-year 

time horizon. You may calculate the Net Present Value (NPV) of the costs by selecting a time horizon 

(in number of years) and an appropriate discount rate. Defaults are provided, but you may override 

those defaults by entering different values. The user is encouraged to review information in Chapter 5 

of the Desk Reference for more information on calculating and using NPV. The Desk Reference also 

has information to guide you in selecting an appropriate discount rate to apply in your analysis. 

Figure 5-3. TOPS-BC Projected Stream of Costs Output 

Source: FHWA. 

The default view of the stream of costs shown in Figure 5-3 rolls up all Infrastructure and Incremental 

costs into single values for easy viewing; however, located in hidden rows underneath the display of 

the stream of costs, a separate working calculations sheet shows the breakout of costs by year, by 

equipment type for accounting purposes if needed. Figure 5-4 shows a view of this information (in an 

unhidden view). You are discouraged from directly editing any of the values in this calculations sheet. 

FHWA Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS‐BC) PURPOSE:  Estimate Lifecycle Costs of TSM&O Strategies

WORK AREA 2 ‐ PROJECT STREAM OF COSTS AND ESTIMATE NET PRESENT VALUE

Ramp Metering Systems: Central Control

Cost Item

Infrastructure Costs

Incremental Costs

Total Annual Cost

Cumulative Cost

INPUT Enter Number of Years in the Analysis Time Horizon 20 Source:   TIGER Grant Application Recommendations

INPUT Enter the Beginning Year of the Analysis 2013

INPUT Enter Discount Rate 7.0% Source:  Office of Management and Budget

2013 TO 2033

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2021

$            27,500 $            27,500 $            27,500

2019 2020

$         474,500 $         252,000 $         252,000 $         252,000 $         252,000 $         474,500 $         252,000 $         252,000 $         252,000

$      1,025,000 $            27,500 $            27,500 $            27,500 $            27,500 $            27,500

$      1,499,500 $         279,500 $         279,500 $         279,500 $         279,500 $         502,000 $         279,500 $         279,500 $         279,500

$     1,499,500 $     1,779,000 $     2,058,500 $     2,338,000 $     2,617,500 $     3,119,500 $     3,399,000 $     3,678,500 $     3,958,000

NET PRESENT VALUE OF COSTS $3,490,036
Chapter 5. Estimate Life-cycle Costs of TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 27

Figure 5-4. TOPS-BC Cost Estimation Working Calculations Area 

Source: FHWA. 

To estimate the life-cycle cost of any individual strategy, visit the cost estimation sheet for the selected 

strategy and enter the appropriate information on the number of infrastructure and incremental units, 

as well as the Year of Deployment, as shown in Figure 5-5. The Average Annual Cost and Stream of 

Costs will automatically update based on the inputs. 

Figure 5-5. Strategy Cost Estimation Data Input 

Source: FHWA. 

If you intend to use only the default data available in TOPS-BC, there is no need to make any further 

modifications, other than to enter the number of Infrastructure and Incremental units, and the Year of 

Deployment. You are strongly encouraged to carefully review the default cost data and make 

modifications as necessary. You may change the predicted useful life, base unit cost of equipment, or 

continuing O&M cost for any piece of equipment. You may also delete pieces of equipment or add 

pieces of equipment to better match your own anticipated equipment mix for the strategy. 

Note that if an additional row(s) is needed in order to add a new piece of equipment, you should insert 

an entire row by first copying an existing row of data. You can do this by highlighting an entire 

row by clicking on the row number at the far left of the page, conducting a right click, and selecting 

“Copy.” Right click on the highlighted row number again and select “Insert Copied Cells.” This will 

WORKING CALCULATIONS SHEET ‐‐ DO NOT MODIFY VALUES IN THIS SECTION

Cost Item

Basic Infrastructure Equipment

TMC Hardware

TMC Software/

Labor

TOTAL Infrastru

Incremental Deployment Equipment (per Ramp Location)

Ramp Meter (S

Loop Detectors

Communicatio

TOTAL Increme

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

$                   ‐ ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   $                   ‐ ‐ $                   ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   $                   ‐ ‐ $                   ‐ $                  

$ - - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 

$                   ‐ ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   $                   ‐ ‐ $                   ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                  

$ - - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ $ - - $ - $ 

INPUT Enter Number of Infrastructure Deployments 1

INPUT Enter Number of Incremental Deployments 10

INPUT Enter Year of Deployment 2013

$         296,500

$            67,400
Chapter 5. Estimate Life-cycle Costs of TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 28

create a new row that is properly formatted and contains the cell formulas necessary to maintain the 

integrity of the analysis. (If you simply decide to “Insert” a new row, you will need to manually merge 

cells and copy/paste formulas to match the existing equipment rows.) If you are only interested in 

using the Average Annual Costs in your calculations, no further modifications are needed. If you are 

interested in viewing the Stream of Costs and calculating the Net Present Costs and Net Present 

Benefit, you will additionally need to check and see if the added equipment has been added to the 

Working Calculations Sheet at the bottom of the individual cost estimation sheet [Figure 5-4]. In 

some cases, due to the manner in which the row was added or the version of Excel being used, the 

added equipment may not have automatically been generated in the Working Calculations Sheet. 

Therefore, it is recommended that you check to see that the equipment has been added to the 

Working Calculations Sheet. If the new equipment is not there, simply follow the directions above for 

copying and inserting copied rows within the appropriate section of the Working Calculations Sheet to 

replicate the addition of the new equipment in this Working Calculations Sheet. (Again, you should first 

copy and “Insert Copied Cells” to ensure the formatting and calculations are maintained.) 

As rows are added, the Navigation Menu will temporarily be distorted as gaps will appear in 

the content; however, once you leave the page where the rows have been added and then 

return, the Navigation Menu will once again correctly display. 

When changing data, note that any modification to the default data requires that the modified data 

match the data format of the default data. For example, you may enter a new piece of equipment for 

a particular strategy; however, it must have supporting data on the useful life, capital cost, and annual 

O&M cost to work within TOPS-BC’s estimation structure. 
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 29

Chapter 6. Conduct Simple 

Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for 

Selected TSM&O Strategies 

Source: FHWA. 

Overview 

TOPS-BC provides an analysis framework and many default parameters in order to provide the 

capability to conduct simple sketch planning level B/C analysis for selected TSM&O strategies. 

This capability was provided in order to enable practitioners to conduct B/C analysis quickly, 

simply and with generally available input data. A number of sketch planning tools and analysis 

frameworks currently exist to assess the benefits of particular TSM&O strategies or small sets of 

strategies. TOPS-BC leverages many of these existing tools to identify best practices, and 

synthesizes their capabilities into a more standardized format for analyzing a broader range of 

strategies within a single tool. 

TOPS-BC also links the estimation of sketch level benefits with life-cycle cost estimates provided by 

Capability 3 – this ability to directly estimate benefits and costs within a single tool is uncommon in 

existing tools to date. Further, the TOPS-BC benefit estimation methodology was developed to 

incorporate the assessment of new performance measures (e.g., travel time reliability) that are more 

capable of capturing the unique impacts of many operations strategies. Finally, the benefits 

estimation capability of TOPS-BC incorporated much of the latest research on the benefits of TSM&O, 

particularly for many new and emerging strategies. 

TOPS-BC provides the ability to assess the sketch planning level benefits of various TSM&O 

strategies using minimal data input. Changes in performance measures, such as throughput, speeds, 

and number of crashes are based on simple and established relationships used in numerous other 

models. With generally available data such as corridor speeds, volumes and capacities, TOPS-BC 

can produce an estimate of the change in performance resulting from the implementation of TSM&O 

strategies. This change in performance can then be used to generate enhanced metrics, and the 

estimated benefits can be monetized within the tool and compared with estimated life-cycle costs for 

the strategy generated using Capability 3 (Discussed in Chapter 5 of the User’s Manual). 

While the sketch planning level analysis provided by TOPS-BC may be suitable for many planning 

studies, TOPS-BC was not intended to serve as a single analysis tool to be used for all situations. As 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 30

discussed in Chapter 4 and 5 of the Desk Reference and as highlighted in the discussion of Capability 

2 (Chapter 4 of this User’s Manual), analyses requiring detailed output and high levels of confidence in 

the accuracy of the results may require more advanced analysis capabilities than provided directly 

within TOPS-BC. Even in these situations, however, TOPS-BC may provide value in serving as a 

framework for monetizing benefits and comparing with costs. Outputs from more advanced simulation 

or dynamic traffic assignment tools may be used as inputs to TOPS-BC, overriding the performance 

impacts normally calculated within the tool. 

TOPS-BC is intended to provide a framework for analysts to modify and configure to match the needs 

of their regions and the characteristics of the area being analyzed. Default data is provided for many 

impact parameters, performance relationships, and benefit valuations – typically based on national 

averages or accepted values; however, opportunities are provided, and you are encouraged, to use 

locally configured or regionally relevant data where appropriate and desired. 

Similar to the life-cycle cost estimation capabilities discussed in Chapter 5, the benefit estimation 

capability has a common instructional worksheet with links to individual strategies housed on separate 

worksheets (purple tabs). The outputs from the benefits estimation include the Average Annual 

Benefit and the Stream of Benefits time horizon (up to 50 years). The estimated benefits for all 

strategy sheets are rolled up in a summary sheet that estimates the cumulative benefit for all 

strategies where data has been entered. 

The individual strategy sheets pull data from the appropriate life-cycle cost estimation sheet to provide 

the basis for generating a B/C ratio and net benefit. For example, the benefit estimation worksheet for 

Traffic Incident Management will pull any cost data from the life-cycle cost estimation sheet for Traffic 

Incident Management to provide this comparison opportunity. From the combined benefit and cost 

data, the NPV of the strategy may be estimated using either default or user-defined parameters. 

The following discussion highlights the steps required to conduct B/C comparisons using TOPS-BC. 

Using Capability 4 to Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based 

B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

The estimation of benefits and comparison with costs is initiated by selecting the capability from the 

OPENING SCREEN worksheet or selecting the BENEFITS ESTIMATE worksheet tab. If you are on 

another sheet rather than the OPENING SCREEN, you may simply select the hyperlink for 

ESTIMATE BENEFITS on the Navigation Menu. This action takes you to an instructional sheet, as 

shown in Figure 6-1. Under ESTIMATE BENEFITS in the Navigation Menu, links are available that 

take you to the individual worksheets for estimating the impacts associated with the strategies 

available in the tool. You may also select the appropriate purple-tabbed worksheet with the strategy 

you wish to analyze. 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 31

Figure 6-1. Partial Screen View of BENEFIT ESTIMATE Worksheet Instructions 

Source: FHWA. 

The TOPS-BC benefits analysis is generally unique to each strategy, based on the analysis approach 

and the anticipated benefit performance measures. All worksheets, however, follow a common 

structure as defined in the tool instruction page. The most critical part of the common structure is the 

coloring of the cells within TOPS-BC, as shown in Figure 6-2. This cell color scheme helps you to 

identify where data input is required and identify cases where you can input your own data to override 

the default values. 

Figure 6-2. Instructions Regarding Cell Colors in the Benefit Estimation Worksheets 

Source: FHWA. 

As noted above, each of the different strategies covered by TOPS-BC varies slightly in the input data 

required, the benefits estimated for the strategy and the methodology used in calculating the benefits. 

This User’s Manual is not intended to provide a comprehensive step-by-step guide for each of the 

individual strategies. The approaches operate similarly, so the guidance provided here covers several 

FHWA Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS‐BC):  Version 1.0

Estimate Benefits and Conduct B/C Analysis

Instructions:  Benefits Estimation and Cost Comparison Tool

Purpose

Inputs Needed

The purpose of the Benefits Estimation Tool is to provide the capability to quickly estimate the potential benefits of various 

TSM&O strategies. These benefits may then be compared with strategy costs estimated in the Lifecycle Cost Estimation Tool to 

produce the benefit/cost ratio and net benefit measures. The tool is designed to provide quick sketch planning estimates of 

TSM&O strategy benefits primarily targeted at fulfilling the needs of practitioners wanting to conduct preliminary screening and 

initial prioritization of TSM&O strategies. 

The user is generally only required to provide minimal information on their deployments, and these data inputs are typically 

composed of readily available performance measures such as: roadway volumes, speeds, and capacities. The user may also be 

required to provide data on the operating parameters of the selected TSM&O strategy, such as: the percentage of time that a 

dynamic message sign is displaying data, or the sophistication of a signal coordination plan (e.g., pre-set, traffic actuated, or 

centrally controlled timing plans). The data required for any given analysis is dependent on the particular strategy selected.

The tool was developed to include most of the data needed to estimate the benefits of the various strategies. This data is 

maintained as defaults in the tool and is based on national averages of observed impacts and/or vetted parameters used in other

existing operations analysis tools. However, the user may, and is encouraged to, review and override these defaults where they

feel they have better or more locally relevant data. Many of the default data parameters that are commonly used in analyzing 

multiple strategies are housed in the PARAMETERS worksheet for easy access and review. 

The data needed to provide the required inputs and/or refine the default parameters may be obtained from a variety of sources, 

including: periodic performance monitoring surveys and traffic counts, travel demand models, simulation models, automated 

archived data systems, among other sources. As typical with these types of analysis, the degree of confidence the user places 

in the input data will directly influence the confidence that may be placed in the benefit estimates output by the tool. The Users 

Manual (Section 6 of the Operations Benefit/Cost Desk Reference) provides additional discussion on determining and selecting 

the appropriate data sources. 

Yellow cells represent Default data maintained by the tool.

Blue cells represent Modeled data or outputs calculated internally within the tool.

Green cells represent User Input.  These cells may represent mandatory user inputs, which are typically indicated

by the word "INPUT" along the left hand side of the sheet.  Green cells may also represent optional user input.  

Note: inputting a value into an optional user input cell will override the values shown in the default data or

calculated data cells in all subsequent analysis; however, the default or calculated values will still appear in those

cells as a check on the user input value.  

Within the individual worksheets, color is used within individual cells to highlight the source of the data in the cell

according to the following guidelines:
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 32

example analyses rather than comprehensively covering each strategy individually. You are 

encouraged to review all examples in this section, as together they cover all the key steps. 

Once you have selected a strategy to analyze, and navigated to that strategy’s worksheet, review the 

methodology to understand which performance measures are being estimated. Usually, these impact 

methodologies are presented in sections including: 

 Travel Time Savings; 

 Travel Time Savings Due to Traveler Information (Advanced Traveler Information 

System); 

 Travel Time Reliability; 

 Energy; and 

 Safety. 

TOPS-BC may not include a methodology for estimating every possible impact associated with a 

particular strategy (as earlier highlighted in Figure 3-2). In these situations, the analysis framework 

and default parameters have not been directly provided in TOPS-BC for one or more of the following 

reasons: 

 Difficulty in accurately assessing the level of these benefits in a spreadsheet based tool; 

 Non-consensus among practitioners and researchers on the impact of the particular 

strategy on the benefit; 

 Reliance on a non-typical manner of operating the strategy in order to gain the benefit; 

 Difficulty in quantifying and identifying a value of the benefit; or other reasons. 

If you want to include measurement of these other benefits within the TOPS-BC analysis, and you 

have an established methodology for estimating these benefits, you have the flexibility to value the 

benefit off-line and add the value as a line item “User Entered Benefit (Annual $’s)” in the analysis. Or, 

you may choose to customize the tool yourself by modifying the approach to incorporate your 

methodology and data for these particular benefits. 

Default Parameters 

A number of default parameters are used throughout the benefits estimation process. Some 

parameters are common to multiple strategies, such as the dollar value to be applied to an hour of 

travel time savings. Other parameters are linked to a specific strategy. For example, the crash rate 

reduction impact related to a traffic actuated ramp metering system is only applied to that single 

strategy. Parameters that are generally used across multiple strategies are housed in the 

“Parameters” worksheet, as shown in Figure 6-3. These default data include data items such as 

speed-flow relationships, crash rates, fuel economy, and valuations of benefits, among many other 

parameters. These parameters are generally based on national sources or represent national 

averages. The source and date of the individual parameters are available as comments within Excel, 

and may be viewed by hovering over the individual cell to view the attached comment. 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 33

Figure 6-3. Partial Screen View of the Benefits Estimation “Parameters” Worksheet 

Source: FHWA. 

You may choose to customize TOPS-BC by replacing the values presented in the Parameters 

worksheet with locally preferred values or data better configured to their own region. For example, 

you might want to replace the assumed “Percentage of Trucks” figure in the traffic mix based on 

national averages, with one obtained from local studies or analysis models. This customization of 

default parameters assumes that the new data matches the format and units of the data it is replacing. 

Modifying these default data on the Parameters worksheet will permanently alter this data for all 

strategies that use the parameters for the current and any future analysis that is conducted using that 

file or copies of that file. TOPS-BC does not currently have the capability to actively track changes 

made to the data contained on the Parameters worksheet. Therefore, use care in modifying these 

data. An unused version of the TOPS-BC tool may be used as a reference for the default data in the 

Parameters worksheet. Chapter 7 contains further instructions for restoring the original defaults for 

selected sheets, including the Parameters page. 

Beyond the default data presented in the Parameters worksheet that are applied to multiple strategies, 

individual strategies often have default data associated with the benefit analysis for the strategy. 

These defaults are viewable on the individual worksheets analyzing the particular strategy in the 

section titled “Impacts Due to Strategy.” Figure 6-4 provides a sample view of the defaults associated 

with a traveler information dynamic message sign analysis. 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 34

Figure 6-4. Sample View of Strategy Specific Default Impact Data 

Source: FHWA. 

Consistent with all individual strategy worksheets, the default data is always displayed in a yellow 

colored cell. These values may be based on national averages, recent research, impact values used 

in other existing tools, or the judgment of the tool developers where little data exists. The text in these 

cells is normally colored black; however, in situations where little consensus exists regarding the level 

of impact of a particular strategy may have on a metric, or situations where there are few existing data 

points with which to establish a default measure, the text is shaded red to indicate that discretion 

should be used in applying the default, particularly if you have local data that contradicts the default. 

The default data in the yellow cells will automatically be used in any calculations unless you choose to 

override any of the default values where you may have more suitable parameters. If you choose to 

replace the data with your own figure, this value should be entered in the green cell located to the left 

of the default value, as has been done for the “Percent drivers using information” entry shown in 

Figure 6-4. Although the default value still appears in the yellow cell, all subsequent calculations will 

use the User Defined value.5

 If nothing is entered into the green cells, the default value will 

automatically be used. 

In certain situations, a default impact may be set to zero. These situations represent impacts that 

many practitioners often wish to include in the analysis of the particular strategy, but where little 

consensus exists as to the actual impact. In these situations, the capability to analyze the impact has 

been provided within the framework, but by default, no benefit will be accrued unless you actively 

enter your own User Defined impact parameter. 

For questions on the appropriate format of data to enter, a list of “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)” 

is provided at the bottom of the BENEFIT ESTIMATE instruction page, as shown in Figure 6-5. These 

FAQs are also presented in Appendix A. 

 

5

 Although the default value is superseded in the analysis by any User Defined value input in a green cell, the 

default data remains displayed in the yellow cell to indicate what data has been replaced to provide a reality 

check on the user entered data. Impacts Due to Strategy

Percent time device is disseminating useful information

Average Time Saved (Minutes) by Drivers Acting on the Information

25%

Percent Drivers Acting on the Information 10%

4

Average Time Saved (Minutes) by Drivers Not Acting on the Information 0
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 35

Figure 6-5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the BENEFIT ESTIMATE Sheet 

Source: FHWA. 

Structuring the Analysis 

Before beginning the analysis, you should carefully structure the analysis. As discussed in more detail 

in Chapter 5 of the Desk Reference, you will need to consider many factors, such as: 

 What are the strategies to be analyzed? You should consider the strategies and any 

combinations of strategies that will be analyzed. This has multiple implications on the 

analysis. For example, if strategies are to be analyzed as separate projects and the 

relative benefits compared, you will need to set up multiple spreadsheet files to conduct 

analysis of the different projects. 

 What are the time periods to consider? You should consider the relevant time periods 

in which the operational strategy will be active. For example, if a traffic incident 

management deployment will only be operated in the peak periods, the input data should 

represent conditions for the period(s) in which the improvement is operating. 

 What data is available to support the analysis? The availability of data will influence 

what actual data needs to be compiled to conduct the analysis. For example, if you only 

have basic baseline data (e.g., average volumes, capacities, posted speeds) available, 

you may be looking to TOPS-BC to estimate impacts to speeds, travel times, or other 

measures. If on the other hand, you have rich simulation data or archived data available, 

you may not need to compile and enter the basic data, but instead may want simply use 

your own speed and travel time outputs to replace the estimates provided within TOPSBC. 

 What impact will the strategy have on non-recurring conditions? If you want to 

analyze strategies focused on specific non-recurring conditions (e.g., incidents, weather, 

work zones, special events), you may want to set up the analysis using a multi-scenario 

approach. Chapter 5 of the Desk Reference provides a more detailed discussion of this 

method. With the multi-scenario approach, you will need to set up multiple spreadsheet 

files to conduct analysis of the different scenarios. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What isthe appropriate capacity and volume to enter?  

What doesthe "Number of Periods per Year" entry represent?

Where do the estimated cost figures come from?

The values entered for capacity and volumes in the individual strategy analysis worksheets should repesent the average capacity or volume 

for the entire facility (all lanes) for the period being analyzed. For example, if the analysis is being conducted for a 3-hour peak period, the 

capacity should represent the 3-hour peak period for all roadway lanes. Ideally, the period of analysis will match the operating 

charactoristics of the strategy (i.e., a ramp metering strategy intended to be operated during the 3-hour afternoon peak commute period 

should use data representing the 3-hour PM peak period in the analysis. 

The number of periods per year entry is used to annualize the impact estimated for a single day or period to a annual figure. The number 

entered should be dependent on the analysis period used and the expected operating charactoristics of the strategy being analyzed. A 

default value of 250 represents that the strategy is anticipated to be utiized on all non-holiday weekdays. This entry can be decreased to 

represent strategies that are anticipated to be used on fewer days per year (e.g., special events only), or increased to represent multiple 

periods per day (e.g., a doubling of the default value could be used in conjunction with input data from a single peak period to estimate the 

impacts of mutiple peaks per commute day). Operating charactoristics of the strategy (i.e., a ramp metering strategy intended to be 

operated during the 3-hour afternoon peak commute period should use data representing the 3-hour PM peak period in the analysis.

Lifecycle cost estimates for the individual strategies are pulled from the Lifecycle Cost Estimation worksheet for the individual strategy. To 

estimate costs for an individual strategy, visit the cost estimation worksheet for the individual strategy and enter the deployment information 

as directed in the instructions. 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 36

All users, particularly those conducting analysis of multiple projects or scenarios approaches that will 

require establishing more than one spreadsheet file, are encouraged to first set up a “base” file. In this 

approach, you would open a new copy of TOPS-BC. Prior to entering any strategy data, review and 

modify any of the default data, including data on the Parameters worksheet, the individual strategy 

worksheets of interest, and any default cost data if TOPS-BC also will be used to generate life-cycle 

cost outputs. Once the modifications are complete, save a copy of the base file (and archive a secure 

copy) before beginning the analysis. It is recommended that you create a new filename for this base 

file for easy reference and file organization purposes. All project analysis should then be conducted 

using a copy of this base file to ensure that the same modifications are carried forward to all projects 

or scenarios being analyzed. Copies of this base file can be distributed to multiple users to ensure all 

users within a particular agency are using the identical analysis data, for instance. 

Sample Strategy Analysis 

The benefit estimation analysis within TOPS-BC is performed similarly for most strategies, although 

the actual inputs, outputs and approach may vary slightly. The following sample provides a 

description of an analysis of a ramp metering deployment for illustration of how the general process is 

applied. Two separate scenarios are described: 

 Scenario 1 – You have only limited input data and are looking to the TOPS-BC tool to 

forecast the changes in speed and travel time in the analysis; and 

 Scenario 2 – You are conducting an evaluation using archived data based on real-world 

observations that will be used to estimate the benefits. 

Scenario 1 – Limited Data Approach 

In this sample analysis, you only have limited performance information available to conduct the 

analysis, including the average volumes, roadway capacity and free-flow (posted) speeds. The 

centrally controlled ramp metering strategy will be operated during the 3-hour afternoon peak period in 

a 4-mile study corridor. The proposed project will deploy ramp meters at five on-ramp locations in a 

single direction of travel. 

For this analysis scenario, you would navigate to the Ramp Metering strategy worksheet in one of 

two ways: 

 Click on the “Ramp Metering” link under ESTIMATE BENEFITS in the main Navigation 

Menu along the left side of any worksheet; or 

 Click on the purple “Ramp Metering” worksheet tab. 

Within the individual strategy worksheet for Ramp Metering or any other strategy selected, you are 

encouraged to review the general methodology and data that will be required. You should review the 

minimum data inputs required to complete the analysis. These minimum data requirements are 

identifiable as they are the only available green shaded entries for a particular row. In Figure 6-6, 

entries for the Length of Analysis Period, Freeway Link Length, Freeway Total Number of Lanes, 

Ramp Link Length, Ramp Number of Lanes, Freeway Link Volume, and Ramp Link Volume must all 

be filled in, as there are no default (yellow shaded) or calculated (blue shaded) cells in the row for the 

particular data input. 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 37

Figure 6-6. Reviewing the Minimum Required Data Input 

Source: FHWA. 

You should ensure that the appropriate data is available to meet the minimum analysis input needs. 

Several key input requirements common to many strategies include: 

 Length of Analysis Period – The length of the analysis period is entered as the length in 

number of hours. In order to provide a relevant analysis, the length of the analysis period 

will match as closely as possible to the expected period in which the strategy is intended 

to be operating. In the ramp metering example, the length of the analysis period should 

be set to three hours to represent the 3-hour afternoon peak period in which the ramp 

meters are expected to be operational. Once the length of the analysis period is 

determined, other data inputs should be matched to this analysis period. For example, 

data inputs such as capacities, volumes should represent totals and speeds should 

represent averages across the entire 3-hour peak period. The length of the analysis data 

should ultimately be matched with the input data. Do not enter three hours as the length 

of the analysis period and then enter peak hour or daily data for other required inputs. 

TOPS-BC performs no internal conversion of the entered data, therefore, it is the 

responsibility of the user to correctly match the data. 

 Capacity – Many roadway strategies require the input of facility capacity. Although a 

default capacity is provided for many strategies, based on the Length of the Analysis 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 38

Period, Link Facility Type, and Number of Lanes you enter, this estimated value should 

be reviewed closely and modified as needed to match actual conditions.6

 In the case of 

the ramp metering example, TOPS-BC requires the input of different capacities for the 

freeway capacity and the average ramp capacity. The entered value for “Freeway 

Capacity” should represent the total facility (all lanes) across the entire analysis period (3-

hour peak period in the ramp metering example). If a single direction of travel is being 

analyzed, the capacity should represent all lanes in that single direction of travel. If both 

directions are being analyzed, the capacity should represent all lanes in both directions. 

Per lane / per hour capacities are not appropriate for use in most analyses. For the 

“Average Ramp Capacity, you should average the capacity for all on-ramps (all lanes for 

the entire period of analysis). If there is a wide discrepancy in capacities on individual 

ramps, you may want to divide the corridor into segments to better capture the unique 

nature of the sub-corridors. 

 Volume – Like capacity, the entered value for volume should represent all lanes of travel 

over the entire analysis period. This value should also represent total vehicle volumes 

across all travel modes. 

 Free Flow Speed – The value entered for this input should represent the average speed 

of travel in the absence of congestion. In the absence of field data, you may consider 

using a convention such as the posted speed limit or 5 miles per hour (mph) above the 

speed limit. 

 The signal coordination and ramp metering strategies in TOPS-BC will require input defining the level 

of sophistication of the strategy to be deployed. In the ramp metering example shown in Figure 6-6, a 

pull down menu is shown that will enable you to pick from three options: Preset, Traffic Actuated, or 

Central Control. Selecting one of these levels of sophistication performs two functions: 

1. Default impacts used later in the analysis are set to a level representative of the level of 

sophistication; and 

2. The selection entered defines the corresponding life-cycle cost sheet to be used for the B/C 

comparison. TOPS-BC will only pull in life-cycle costs from the strategy sheet for the 

particular strategy and level of sophistication. 

Once the required data has been gathered and entered, scroll down the sheet to view model defaults 

(shown in yellow cells) related to various impacts predicted by the tool, as shown in Figure 6-7. These 

default impacts were generally developed using ranges of impacts observed in deployments of these 

strategies gathered from national and international evaluation efforts of real-world implementations, 

combined with parameters identified for use in other existing analysis tools. Note: these default 

impacts may be sensitive to the level of sophistication of the strategy (if applicable). Review these 

predicted default impacts and modify them if you have more appropriate data by entering a value in 

the green cell immediately to the left of the value you want to replace. 

 

6

 Default capacities mapped to various facility types are maintained in the hidden worksheet “Link Characteristics”. 

You may change the default capacities (entered as hourly lane capacities). By changing these default 

capacities, you will modify the baseline capacity calculation for any analysis using that facility type. 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 39

Figure 6-7. Reviewing the Predicted Strategy Impacts 

Source: FHWA. 

After entering the minimum required input data and reviewing (and modifying if desired) the default 

impacts, begin reviewing the predicted facility performance. Figure 6-8 shows this data for the 

example ramp metering project. 

Figure 6-8. Reviewing the Predicted Facility Performance Impacts 

Source: FHWA. 

Often included in this portion of the analysis are summary traffic performance measures (e.g., 

congested speeds) shown both without improvement (under the “Baseline” column) and with 

improvement after deployment (under the “Improvement” column) predicted by the tool. These 

calculated values are displayed in blue colored cells in separate columns of the sheet. In the 

ramp metering example, calculated values are displayed for Freeway Congested Speeds and 

Ramp Congested Speeds both with and without the improvement. These congested speeds are 

calculated based on the volume / capacity ratio derived from the data you enter, which is used to 

look up the appropriate speed reduction factor from the Speed/Flow Relationships table on the 

“Parameters” sheet. Figure 6-9 presents a partial view of this speed-flow data. The speed 

reduction factor is applied to the free flow speed you enter to estimate the congested flow 

speeds. The estimated congested speeds do not by themselves represent a monetized benefit of 

the improvement. Instead, these changes in network performance are used in subsequent 

analysis to quantify other measures of effectiveness. Impacts Due to Strategy

Facility improvement models

Change in Freeway Link Capacity (%)

Reduction in Freeway Crash Rate (%)

10%

0%

12%

‐35%

8%

Change in Ramp Link Capacity(%)

Reduction in Freeway Crash Duration (%)

Reduction in Fuel Use (%)

Fuel consumption (Gallons)

Congested Speed 34.117

Vehicles Miles Traveled (VMT) 750.0000 0.0000

30.985 ‐3.131

3577.4775 357.7477

‐6.01920E‐07

1559.4649 1495.3123

750.0000

‐64.1526

Ramp Link Volume (during the time period of analysis) 3000

Baseline

Change

3219.7297

0.013824568 0.010705745 ‐0.003118823

Number of Fatality Crashes 5.01600E‐06 4.41408E‐06

Baseline Improvement

48.735 50.826 2.091

Vehicles Miles Traveled (VMT) 76000.0000 76000.0000 0.0000

Congested Speed

V/C 0.9596

V/C 0.6250 0.9615 ‐0.3365

24.2051

Freeway Link Volume (during the time period of analysis) 19000

Vehicle Hours of Travel 21.9834

Incident Related Delay (hours) per vehicle per mile

2.2217

Change

Number of Injury Crashes 5.27655E‐04 4.03510E‐04 ‐1.24145E‐04

Number of Property Damage Only Crashes 6.73197E‐04 5.16133E‐04 ‐1.57064E‐04

Improvement

0.8568 0.1028

Vehicle Hours of Travel

Facility Performance

Baseline

Override

Improvement

Override

Baseline

Override

Improvement

Override
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 40

Figure 6-9. TOPS-BC Default Speed/Flow Relationship Table (Based on Highway Capacity 

Manual 2010 Formulas)7

 

Source: FHWA. 

 

 

7

 Note: The default speed-flow relationship is based on relationships from the 2010 Highway Capacity Manual 

(HCM), Chapter 25. Volume/Capacity (V/C) ratios are allowed to exceed one, as baseline capacities typically 

represent LOS E assumed capacity levels. Formulas from the HCM, particularly Equation 25-1, were used to 

calculate the speed reduction factor related to each possible V/C ratio presented in the table. The speed 

reduction factor is then applied to the free flow speeds you provided in the model to estimate congested 

speeds. These base speed reduction factors were calculated using an assumed typical segment analyzed 

using Equation 25-1 (e.g., the freeway example assumes an urban freeway with an unadjusted free flow speed 

of 65 mph). The Capacity Adjustment Factor was not applied as no incidents or inclement weather conditions 

were assumed. Relative capacities and volumes were then manipulated in the assessment to represent the 

various levels of V/C ratios used on the Parameters page. The resulting proportional change in speed from the 

original free flow speed was used to populate the table for each V/C ratio. You may wish, however, to instead 

use parameters customized to your own region. You may choose to adjust the input assumptions used with the 

HCM methods to estimate new factors (to represent speed/flow conditions during inclement weather conditions, 

for example), replace the factors with values representing values/relationships from the Bureau of Public Roads 

(BPR) methodology, or replace the values with customized relationships from an existing regional model. To 

implement the replacement curves, calculate the Speed Factor for the V/C ratios presented on the Parameters 

table using the desired equation and parameters. Use the resulting values to replace the default Speed Factors 

in the “Parameters” table. 

Speed/Flow Relationships

V/C Ratiod Factor

Freeways 0.2 0.9878

0.3 0.9781

0.5 0.9471

0.7 0.890

0.8 0.8442

0.9 0.7825

1 0.6984

1.1 0.5838

1.2 0.4276

1.4 0.300

1.6 0.123

1.8 0.090

2 0.084

2.5 0.072

3 0.043

4 0.01

5 0.008

6 0.004

12 0.001
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 41

The values in the Facility Performance section (Figure 6-8) such as change in volumes and speeds 

are used to estimate other benefits included in the sections that follow on the worksheet, including 

travel time, travel time reliability, energy and safety. Once all the benefits estimated by the 

methodology are calculated on a per period basis, (in the ramp metering example, each period 

represents a single 3-hour peak period), TOPS-BC multiplies the per period benefit with the factor for 

“Number of Periods Per Year” as presented at the bottom of the analysis sheet. The default value is 

pulled forward from the “Parameters” sheet. This factor represents the number of times per year the 

system is anticipated to be operational. In the case of the ramp metering example, it is assumed that 

the strategy will be operational on all non-holiday weekdays (or 250 days per year). Other strategies 

targeted at non-recurring conditions such as special events or inclement weather events might be 

expected to be activated only several times per year and this should be reflected in the Number of 

Analysis Periods per Year value entered. 

As noted in a previous discussion, there are often possible benefits of strategies that are not explicitly 

captured within the base TOPS-BC analysis. If you have estimates of other benefits not captured in 

the analysis, you may enter the value of these benefits as a line item in the “User Entered Benefit” 

row, as shown near the top of Figure 6-10. Note: this entry must be an annualized estimate of the 

benefit value. 

Figure 6-10. Display of User Entered Benefit, Number of Periods per Year, and Total Average 

Annual Benefit Values 

Source: FHWA. 

TOPS-BC then displays the TOTAL AVERAGE ANNUAL BENEFIT (the sum of calculated benefits 

plus any user entered benefits) as also shown in Figure 6-10. 

Scenario 2 – Robust Data Approach 

This sample analysis is identical to Scenario 1, except that you have more detailed performance 

information (particularly updated speed data) available to conduct the analysis from a recently 

completed microsimulation model analysis of the corridor. The centrally controlled ramp metering 

strategy will be operated during the same 3-hour afternoon peak period in a 4-mile study corridor and 

all other parameters of the analysis will be entered identically as in Scenario 1. 

Since you have estimates of corridor speeds both with and without the improvement from the 

microsimulation analysis, you do not need to rely on the TOPS-BC estimation of these performance 

metrics. Instead, override the calculated value by entering your own data in the facility characteristics 

section of the worksheet. 

User Entered Benefit (Annual $'s)

$      2,592,911

Number of Analysis Periods per Year 250

TOTAL AVERAGE ANNUAL BENEFIT
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 42

Proceed with the analysis identically to what was done in Scenario 1. Enter all the required user input 

specified near the top of the Ramp Metering strategy worksheet. TOPS-BC will automatically use this 

data to calculate all subsequent performance measures and benefit estimations as you enter the data. 

Unlike Scenario 1, however, you will use different estimates for speeds obtained from the 

microsimulation model. In this situation, you would locate the row entry for Congested Speeds and 

enter the simulation output speed in the green cell in the Override column, directly to the left of the 

calculated value you want to replace. Figure 6-11 shows where a user has replaced the congested 

speed value for the Baseline with a new speed of 46 mph, and replaced the default calculated value 

for the improvement with a value of 54 mph obtained from the simulation model. Make sure to use the 

same units as the default value. Even though you have not directly overwritten or deleted the 

calculated speed estimate displayed in the blue cell for that data item, your input value will replace the 

calculated value in all subsequent analysis performed for the strategy. The value in the blue 

calculated cell remains displayed to provide the opportunity for comparison between the calculated 

value and the user input. 

Figure 6-11. Example Replacement of Default Calculated Congested Speeds with Data From 

a Simulation Model 

Source: FHWA. 

TOPS-BC will automatically calculate the benefits estimations based on the speed data that you input. 

In the ramp metering example scenarios, this replacement of the TOPS-BC calculated speeds with 

the user defined speeds from the simulation model resulted in an increase in the recurring travel time 

benefit and an overall increase in the average B/C ratio. This methodology may be used whenever 

you have data that more closely matches the actual or likely operating conditions. 

The User Input data or Override columns can also be used to provide a quick sensitivity check to any 

of the parameters used in the analysis. Simply enter a value in the user input column for any given 

line item (that is greater or less than the default or the calculated value) and immediately observe the 

results of this parameter change. To go back to using the original default or calculated value, delete 

the value entered in the user input column. 

Fuel consumption (Gallons)

Congested Speed 34.117

Vehicles Miles Traveled (VMT) 750.0000 0.0000

30.985 ‐3.131

3577.4775 357.7477

‐6.01920E‐07

1652.1739 1407.4074

750.0000

‐244.7665

Ramp Link Volume (during the time period of analysis) 3000

Baseline

Change

3219.7297

0.013824568 0.010705745 ‐0.003118823

Number of Fatality Crashes 5.01600E‐06 4.41408E‐06

Baseline Improvement

48.735 50.826 8.000

Vehicles Miles Traveled (VMT) 76000.0000 76000.0000 0.0000

Congested Speed

V/C 0.9596

V/C 0.6250 0.9615 ‐0.3365

24.2051

Freeway Link Volume (during the time period of analysis) 19000

Vehicle Hours of Travel 21.9834

Incident Related Delay (hours) per vehicle per mile

2.2217

Change

Number of Injury Crashes 5.27655E‐04 4.03510E‐04 ‐1.24145E‐04

Number of Property Damage Only Crashes 6.73197E‐04 5.16133E‐04 ‐1.57064E‐04

46.00

Improvement

0.8568 0.1028

Vehicle Hours of Travel

Facility Performance

Baseline

Override

Improvement

Override

54.000

Baseline

Override

Improvement

Override
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 43

Summary of Analysis Inputs and Outputs 

Although sample analyses are presented in previous sections, each analysis will differ depending on 

the strategy, or combination of strategies, deployed and on the type and source of data available for 

input. Below is a summary of the minimum data inputs required for each strategy included in the 

Benefits Estimation module.8

 Data beyond this minimum data may often times be used to override 

default or calculated values in the analysis, as highlighted in the Scenario 2 discussion above; 

however, the Summary of Analysis Inputs and Outputs presents the minimal data needed to fulfill the 

analysis requirements. 

Also identified are the benefits that are monetized in the analysis and included in the B/C comparison, 

and the methodologies for estimating these benefits. As noted earlier in this Chapter, the benefits 

estimated by TOPS-BC may not represent a full accounting of all possible benefits associated with a 

particular strategy due to various technical and practical limitations; however, you are always able to 

add in these “Other Benefits that May Be Considered” if there is data or methods to support their 

inclusion. Likewise, only methodologies are presented for benefits that are actually monetized in the 

TOPS-BC analysis. Many additional measures of effectiveness (e.g., change in speed, change in 

VMT, changes in the number of trips) are often generated within the individual analyses, but are used 

as inputs to the calculation of other (monetized) benefits. 

Summary of TOPS-BC Minimal Data Inputs and Benefits Measures 

Arterial Traffic Signal Coordination 

Data Inputs: 

Length of Analysis Period 

Average Volume 

Number of Lanes 

Roadway Capacity 

Free Flow Speed 

Arterial Link Length 

Level of Timing Sophistication 

 Preset Timing 

 Traffic Actuated 

 Central Control 

Default Benefit Calculation:

Travel Time 

Crashes 

Fuel Use 

Methodology: 

Travel Time, Crashes and Fuel Use are the primary benefits calculated by TOPS-BC for this traffic 

signal coordination strategy. 

 

8

 Note: Inputs for the “Year of Deployment” and the “Number of Periods Per Year” are common to all strategies 

and are not listed among the minimal data inputs in Table 6-1. 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 44

Travel Time – is calculated in TOPS-BC based on estimated link speeds in the corridor. By default, 

speeds are estimated using the speed-flow relationship shown on the Parameters page. This speedflow relationship is based on the Highway Capacity Manual and provides a speed factor (to be applied 

to free flow speed) for varying degrees of congestion (as measured by volume/capacity ratio). Speed 

is estimated for the baseline (without improvement) scenario by determining the correct speed-flow 

factor to apply based on your inputs for capacity and volume and applying the factor to the free flow 

speed you provided. For the with improvement scenario, average capacities are adjusted based on 

default impact percentages (or user supplied impact values if available). The default impact values 

are sensitive to the Level of Timing Sophistication. The adjusted capacity value is used to determine 

an adjusted volume/capacity ratio used to look up the speed-flow factor from the Parameters sheet. 

The estimated speeds for the baseline and with improvement scenarios are used to estimate link 

travel time based on your inputs for link length and average volumes. The difference between the two 

scenarios in hours of travel time is monetized as the travel time benefit. 

Crashes – an analysis is available to estimate the additional benefit of a reduction in crashes resulting 

from the deployment of Traffic Signal Coordination strategies. A relatively small rate factor is supplied 

due to the highly variable ranges in the available research of this impact. If you have additional 

information to support this impact, a factor can be entered in the User Input cell for this impact to override 

the default. This entry will reduce the crash rates applied to all crash severities (applied to corridor 

VMT). Dollar values will be applied to the change in the number of crashes to estimate this benefit. 

Fuel Use – is estimated by applying a standard fuel economy rate to the VMT on the facility. The 

impact of the strategy is the reduction in the fuel use rate to represent fuel savings due to the 

smoothing of traffic and reduction in the number of stops. 

Other Benefits – Other benefits that are often associated with Traffic Signal Coordination strategies, 

but are not currently included in the benefits calculated by TOPS-BC include Customer Satisfaction, 

Agency Efficiency, and Emissions. The first two of these benefits are difficult to valuate in B/C 

analysis. The Emissions benefits are inherently difficult to estimate within a spreadsheet based model 

(e.g., spreadsheet based models are generally incapable of estimating the vehicle 

acceleration/deceleration profiles to accurately assess these impacts). You are free to modify the 

analysis framework to include these benefits, or simply to add the estimated value of these benefits to 

the “User Entered Benefit” if you have data to support their inclusion. 

Ramp Metering Strategies 

Data Inputs:

Length of Analysis Period 

Freeway Volume 

Freeway Number of Lanes 

Freeway Capacity 

Freeway Free Flow Speed 

Freeway Link Length 

Number of Metered Ramps 

Average Ramp Volume 

Average Ramp Capacity 

Ramp Free Flow Speed 

Average Ramp Link Length 

Level of Metering Sophistication 

 Preset Timing 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 45

 Traffic Actuated 

 Central Control 

Default Benefit Calculation:

Travel Time 

Travel Time Reliability 

Crashes 

Methodology: 

Three primary benefits are calculated by TOPS-BC for this strategy: Travel Time, Travel Time 

Reliability, and Crashes. 

Travel Time – is calculated in TOPS-BC based on estimated link speeds in the corridor – both for the 

freeway and ramp links. By default, speeds are estimated using the speed-flow relationship shown on 

the Parameters page. This speed-flow relationship is based on the Highway Capacity Manual and 

provides a speed factor (to be applied to free flow speed) for varying degrees of congestion (as 

measured by volume/capacity ratio). Speed is estimated for the baseline (without improvement) 

scenario by determining the correct speed-flow factor to apply based on your inputs for capacity and 

volume and applying the factor to the free flow speed you provided. These analyses are performed 

separately for the freeway and ramp links. For the with improvement scenario, average capacities are 

adjusted based on default impact percentages (or user supplied impact values if available). These 

default impact values are sensitive to the Level of Timing Sophistication. The adjusted capacity value 

is used to determine an adjusted volume/capacity ratio used to look up the speed-flow factor from the 

Parameters sheet. The estimated speeds for the baseline and with improvement scenarios are used 

to estimate link travel time based on your inputs for link length and average volumes. The difference 

between the two scenarios in hours of travel time is monetized as the travel time benefit. 

Travel Time Reliability – is calculated in TOPS-BC based on the non-recurring delay estimation 

methodology developed for the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2 projects L03 and 

L05).9

 The approach uses factors (applied to VMT) representing the expected amount of incident 

related delay based on the number of lanes on the facility, the length of the analysis period, the facility 

volume and the facility capacity. This analysis is only performed on the freeway links. The impact of 

the ramp metering strategy on incident related delay is two-fold – it is impacted by the change in 

facility capacity (discussed under the Travel Time impact above) and by a reduction in the number of 

crashes (discussed in the Crashes section below). The change in capacity results in a different 

volume/capacity ratio (between the without improvement and with improvement scenarios) being used 

to look up the incident related delay factors on the Parameters page. The look-up incident related 

delay factor is multiplied with the VMT estimated for the facility. Further, the resulting estimated 

number of hours of incident related delay for the with improvement scenario are further reduced by the 

percentage decrease in the default crash rate. Additionally, according to the SHRP 2 research, the 

resulting recurring delay and incident delay values are applied in an additional algorithm, along with 

the volume/capacity ratio to factor total non-recurring delay for the facility. The incremental change in 

hours of non-recurring travel time delay between the baseline and with improvement scenario is 

assigned a dollar value from the Parameters page to calculate the benefit. 

 

9

 Strategic Highway Research Project (SHRP 2) Project L05: Guide to Incorporating Reliability Performance 

Measures into the Transportation Planning and Programming Processes – Technical Reference, Section 5.0, 

Prepublication Draft, March 2013. 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 46

Crashes – represent the benefit in the reduction in crashes resulting from the smoothing of traffic 

conflicts in the merge area. A default crash rate factor is supplied; however, if you have local data to 

support this impact, enter a factor in the “Reduction in Freeway Crash Rate (%)” cell. This impact 

factor will reduce the crash rates applied to all crash severities. Dollar values will be applied to the 

change in the number of crashes to estimate this benefit. The reduction in the number of crashes is 

also fed back into the calculation of incident related delay, producing a greater benefit level for Travel 

Time Reliability. 

Other Benefits – Other benefits often associated with Ramp Metering strategies, but are not currently 

included in the benefits calculated by TOPS-BC are Emissions and Fuel Use. These two benefits are 

inherently difficult to estimate within a spreadsheet based model (e.g., spreadsheet based models are 

generally incapable of estimating the vehicle acceleration/deceleration profiles to accurately assess 

these impacts). You are free to modify the analysis framework to include these benefits, or simply to 

add the estimated value of these benefits to the “User Entered Benefit” cell if there is data to support 

their inclusion. 

Traffic Incident Management 

Data Inputs:

Length of Analysis Period 

Average Volume 

Number of Lanes 

Roadway Capacity 

Free Flow Speed 

Link Length 

Default Benefit Calculation:

Travel Time Reliability 

Fatality Crashes 

Secondary Crashes (Optional) 

Fuel Use (Optional) 

Methodology: 

Two primary benefits are calculated by TOPS-BC for this strategy: Travel Time Reliability and 

Fatality Crashes. There are also options for you to estimate a reduction in all Crashes due to a 

reduction in secondary crashes and estimate a change in Fuel Use. 

Travel Time Reliability – is calculated in TOPS-BC based on the incident related delay estimation 

methodology originally developed as part of the SHRP 2 research. The approach uses factors 

(applied to VMT) representing the expected amount of incident related delay based on the number of 

lanes on the facility, the length of the analysis period, the facility volume and the facility capacity. The 

impact of the TIM strategy is applied as a percentage reduction in the incident response time – the 

default impacts are sensitive to the level of TIM sophistication. The response time factor is applied to 

the baseline incident related delay estimate to calculate the delay value with the strategy. The change 

in hours of incident related delay is used to represent non-recurring travel time delay and is assigned 

a dollar value to calculate the benefit. 

Fatality Crashes – A reduction in Fatality Crashes is calculated to represent the reduced severity of 

some crashes due to the improved response time of critical care providers. The number of crashes is 

estimated by applying the crash rates (by severity) to facility VMT. A default fatality crash rate 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 47

reduction factor is applied to the crash rate before calculation of the improvement condition. The 

change in the number of fatality crashes between the baseline and the improvement scenario is 

added to the number of injury crashes estimated to represent the reduction in the severity of the crash 

(i.e., a potential fatality crash has now become an injury crash). The change in the number of fatality 

and injury crashes is assigned a dollar value to estimate the benefit. Note: the change in injury 

crashes will often be displayed as a disbenefit; however, the net benefit (fatality plus injury) will be 

positive. 

Secondary Crashes (Optional) – an optional analysis is available to estimate the additional benefit 

of a reduction in secondary crashes resulting from the deployment of TIM strategies. No default crash 

rate factor is supplied due to insufficient consensus in the available research of this impact. If you 

have information to support this impact, you may enter a factor in the “Reduction in Non-Fatality 

Crash Rate” cell. This entry will reduce the crash rates applied to all non-fatality crash severities. 

Dollar values will be applied to the change in the number of crashes to estimate this benefit. When 

available, you can enter a factor “Reduction in Crash Duration” cell. The reduction in the number and 

duration of crashes is also fed back into the calculation of incident related delay, producing a greater 

benefit level for Travel Time Reliability. 

Fuel Use (Optional) – a placeholder analysis capability is provided to allow you to enter a reduction 

factor on the fuel use calculated on the facility; however, due to a lack of consensus on research 

associated with this impact, the default is set to zero. You may override this default if you have better 

supporting data. 

Other Benefits – Other benefits that are often associated with TIM strategies, but are not currently 

included in the benefits calculated by TOPS-BC are Customer Satisfaction, Agency Efficiency, and 

Emissions. The first two of these benefits are difficult to valuate in B/C analysis. The Emissions 

benefits are inherently difficult to estimate within a spreadsheet based model (e.g., spreadsheet based 

models are generally incapable of estimating the vehicle acceleration/deceleration profiles to 

accurately assess these impacts). You are free to modify the analysis framework to include these 

benefits, or simply to add the estimated value of these benefits to the “User Entered Benefit” cell if 

there is data to support their inclusion. 

Pre-Trip Traveler Information 

Data Inputs:

Length of Analysis Period 

Average Number of Travelers Accessing the Information (per period) 

% of Travelers that Access the Information that Act on the Information 

Average Time (Minutes) Saved by Travelers Acting on the Information 

Default Benefit Calculation:

Travel Time Reliability 

Methodology: 

Travel Time Reliability is the primary benefit calculated by TOPS-BC for this strategy: 

Travel Time Reliability – is calculated in TOPS-BC based on the average amount of time saved by 

travelers that access and act on the information provided by the Pre-Trip Traveler Information system. 

The Number of People Accessing the Information (per period) is multiplied with the Percent of the 

People Acting on the Information to estimate the number of travelers benefiting from the information 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 48

provision. The resulting figure is multiplied with the Average Time (Minutes) Saved by Drivers Using 

the Information. The sum of this travel time calculation is assigned a dollar value from the Parameters 

worksheet to calculate the monetized benefit. 

Other Benefits – Other benefits that may often be associated with pre-trip traveler information 

strategies, but are not currently included in the benefits calculated by TOPS-BC are Crash, Fuel Use 

and Emission reductions caused by individuals changing modes or foregoing trips, thus reducing 

VMT, Customer Satisfaction and Agency Efficiency are also benefits that are difficult to capture for this 

strategy and are not included in TOPS-BC. 

En-Route Traveler Information – Dynamic Message Sign (DMS) and Highway Advisory 

Radio (HAR) 

Data Inputs:

Length of Analysis Period 

Average Number of Vehicles Passing DMS/HAR Location(s) (per period) 

% of Time DMS/HAR is Communicating Information 

Average Time (Minutes) Saved by Drivers Acting on the Information 

Average Time (Minutes) Saved by Drivers Not Acting on the Information 

Type of Information Being Communicated 

 Comparative Travel Times 

 Congestion Warning 

 Alternative Route/Mode Recommendations 

Default Benefit Calculation:

Travel Time Reliability 

Methodology: 

The benefits for both En-Route Traveler Information strategies – DMS and HAR – are estimated using 

a similar methodology. The factors and default values in the analysis may vary depending on the 

strategy and the type of information communicated. Travel Time Reliability is the primary benefit 

calculated by TOPS-BC for this strategy. 

Travel Time Reliability – is calculated for this strategy based on the average amount of time saved 

by travelers that access and act on the information provided by the various types of En-Route Traveler 

Information systems. An optional analysis is available to assess secondary impacts to travelers not 

acting on the communicated information. The average number of travelers passing by the DMS or 

HAR location (per period) you supply is multiplied with % of the time that the DMS or HAR is 

communicating information. The Percent time device is disseminating useful information (per period) 

is multiplied with the Percent of Drivers Acting on the Information to estimate the number of travelers 

benefiting from the information provision. The resulting figure is multiplied with the Average Time 

(Minutes) Saved by Drivers Acting on the Information. The sum of this travel time calculation is 

assigned a dollar value from the Parameters worksheet to calculate the monetized benefit. 

Other Benefits – Other benefits that are often associated with En-Route Traveler Information 

strategies, but are not currently included in the benefits calculated by TOPS-BC are Customer 

Satisfaction, Agency Efficiency, Emissions and Fuel Use. The first two of these benefits are 

difficult to valuate in B/C analysis. The second two benefits are inherently difficult to estimate 

within a spreadsheet based model. You are free to modify the analysis framework to include 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 49

these benefits, or you may simply add the estimated value of these benefits to the “User Entered 

Benefit” if data is available. 

ATDM – HOT Lanes 

Data Inputs:

Length of Analysis Period 

Freeway General Purpose Volume 

Freeway General Purpose Number of Lanes 

Freeway General Purpose Capacity 

Freeway Free Flow Speed 

Freeway Link Length 

Freeway HOV Volume 

Freeway HOV Number of Lanes 

Freeway HOV Capacity 

Freeway HOV Speed 

Change in HOT Lane Volume 

Percent Change in HOT Lane Volume from General Purpose Volumes 

Average Vehicle Occupancy General Purpose Lanes 

Average Vehicle Occupancy HOV Lanes 

Default Benefit Calculation:

Travel Time 

Travel Time Reliability 

Crashes 

Methodology: 

Three primary benefits are calculated by TOPS-BC for this strategy: Travel Time, Travel Time 

Reliability, and Crashes. 

Travel Time – is calculated in TOPS-BC based on estimated link speeds in the corridor – both for the 

freeway general purpose and HOV links. By default, speeds are estimated using the speed-flow 

relationship shown on the Parameters page. This speed flow relationship is based on the Highway 

Capacity Manual and provides a speed factor (to be applied to free flow speed) for varying degrees of 

congestion (as measured by volume/capacity ratio). Speed is estimated for the baseline (without 

improvement) scenario by determining the correct speed flow factor to apply based on the user 

supplied inputs for capacity and volume and applying the factor to the user provided free flow speed. 

These analyses are performed separately for the freeway general purpose and HOV links. For the 

with improvement scenario, average volumes for the HOT lane are adjusted by default to reflect the 

baseline level of available capacity in the HOV lane. This is primarily intended only as a target value, 

as the user is encouraged to carefully adjust the HOT lane volume to reflect the proposed change in 

operating parameters. The volume change for the general purpose lane is also adjusted depending 

on the HOT volume impact supplied by the user multiplied with the default Percent Change in HOT 

Lane Volume from General Purpose Volumes (or your input for impact values, if available). The 

resulting volume change is subtracted from the general purpose lane volumes for the improvement 

scenario. The adjusted volumes are used to determine an adjusted volume/capacity ratio used to look 

up the speed flow factor from the Parameters sheet. The estimated speeds for the baseline and with 

improvement scenarios are used to estimate link travel time based on link length and average 

volumes. The difference between the two scenarios in hours of travel time is monetized as the travel 

time benefit. 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 50

Travel Time Reliability – is calculated in TOPS-BC based on the non-recurring delay estimation 

methodology developed for the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2 projects L03 and 

L05). The approach uses factors (applied to VMT) representing the expected amount of non-recurring 

related delay based on the number of lanes on the facility, the length of the analysis period, the facility 

volume and the facility capacity. This analysis is only performed on the freeway links. The impact of 

the HOT lane strategy on incident related delay is two-fold – it is impacted by the change in facility 

volumes (discussed under the Travel Time impact above) and by a change in the number of crashes 

(discussed in the Crashes section below). The change in capacity results in a different 

volume/capacity ratio (between the without improvement and with improvement scenarios) being used 

to look up the non-recurring related delay factors on the Parameters page. The look-up incident 

related delay factor is multiplied with the VMT estimated for the facility. Additionally, according to the 

SHRP 2 research, the resulting recurring delay and incident delay values are applied in an additional 

algorithm, along with the volume/capacity ratio to factor total non-recurring delay for the facility. The 

incremental change in hours of non-recurring travel time delay between the baseline and with 

improvement scenario is assigned a dollar value from the Parameters page to calculate the benefit. 

Crashes – represent the benefit from the change in the number of crashes resulting from changing 

facility volumes and thus VMT. Crash rates will be applied to the change in VMT for both the HOT and 

general purpose facilities to estimate the change in the number and type of crashes. Dollar values will 

be applied to the change in the number of crashes to estimate this benefit. 

Other Benefits – Other benefits often associated with HOT lane strategies, but not currently included 

in the benefits calculated by TOPS-BC are Emissions and Fuel Use. These two benefits are 

inherently difficult to estimate within a spreadsheet based model (e.g., spreadsheet based models are 

generally incapable of estimating the vehicle acceleration/deceleration profiles to accurately assess 

these impacts). You are free to modify the analysis framework to include these benefits, or simply to 

add the estimated value of these benefits to the “User Entered Benefit” cell if there is data to support 

their inclusion. 

ATDM – Hard Shoulder Running 

Data Inputs:

Length of Analysis Period 

Freeway Volume 

Freeway Number of Lanes 

Freeway Capacity 

Freeway Free Flow Speed 

Freeway Link Length 

Default Benefit Calculation:

Travel Time 

Travel Time Reliability 

Crashes (Optional) 

Methodology: 

Two primary benefits are calculated by TOPS-BC for this strategy: Travel Time and Travel Time 

Reliability. An optional analysis is provided for assessing Crashes. 

Travel Time – is calculated in TOPS-BC based on estimated link speeds in the corridor. By default, 

speeds are estimated using the speed-flow relationship shown on the Parameters page. This speed-
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 51

flow relationship is based on the High way Capacity Manual and provides a speed factor (to be 

applied to free flow speed) for varying degrees of congestion (as measured by volume/capacity ratio). 

Speed is estimated for the baseline (without improvement) scenario by determining the correct speed 

flow factor to apply based on your inputs for capacity and volume and applying the factor to the free 

flow speed your provided. For the with improvement scenario, average capacities are adjusted based 

on default impact percentages (or user supplied impact values if available) based on the addition of a 

lane (or portion of a lane). The adjusted facility capacity value is used to determine an adjusted 

volume/capacity ratio used to look up the speed flow factor from the Parameters sheet. The 

estimated speeds for the baseline and with improvement scenarios are used to estimate link travel 

time based on user supplied link length and average volumes. The difference between the two 

scenarios in hours of travel time is monetized as the travel time benefit. 

Travel Time Reliability – is calculated in TOPS-BC based on the non-recurring delay estimation 

methodology developed for the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2 projects L03 and 

L05). The approach uses factors (applied to VMT) representing the expected amount of non-recurring 

related delay based on the number of lanes on the facility, the length of the analysis period, the facility 

volume and the facility capacity. This analysis is only performed on the freeway links. The impact of 

the shoulder running strategy on incident related delay is two-fold – it is impacted by the change in 

facility volumes (discussed under the Travel Time impact above) and by a change in the number of 

crashes (discussed in the Crashes section below). The change in capacity results in a different 

volume/capacity ratio (between the without improvement and with improvement scenarios) being used 

to look up the non-recurring related delay factors on the Parameters page. The look-up incident 

related delay factor is multiplied with the VMT estimated for the facility. Additionally, according to the 

SHRP 2 research, the resulting recurring delay and incident delay values are applied in an additional 

algorithm, along with the volume/capacity ratio to factor total non-recurring delay for the facility. The 

incremental change in hours of non-recurring travel time delay between the baseline and with 

improvement scenario is assigned a dollar value from the Parameters page to calculate the benefit. 

Crashes (Optional) – an optional analysis is available to estimate the additional benefit of a reduction 

in crashes resulting from the deployment of Hard Shoulder Running strategies. No default crash rate 

factor is supplied due to insufficient consensus in the available research of this impact. If the user has 

information to support this impact, a factor can be entered in the “Reduction in Crash Rate” and/or 

“Reduction in Crash Duration” cell. These entries will reduce the crash rates applied to all crash 

severities. Dollar values will be applied to the change in the number of crashes to estimate this 

benefit. The reduction in the number and duration of crashes is also fed back into the calculation of 

incident related delay, producing a greater benefit level for Travel Time Reliability. 

Other Benefits – Other benefits often associated with hard shoulder running strategies, but not 

currently included in the benefits calculated by TOPS-BC are Emissions and Fuel Use. These two 

benefits are inherently difficult to estimate within a spreadsheet based model (e.g., spreadsheet based 

models are generally incapable of estimating the vehicle acceleration/deceleration profiles to 

accurately assess these impacts). You are free to modify the analysis framework to include these 

benefits, or simply to add the estimated value of these benefits to the “User Entered Benefit” cell if 

there is data to support their inclusion. 

ATDM –Speed Harmonization 

Data Inputs:

Length of Analysis Period 

Freeway Volume 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 52

Freeway Number of Lanes 

Freeway Capacity 

Freeway Free Flow Speed 

Freeway Link Length 

Default Benefit Calculation:

Travel Time Reliability 

Crashes 

Travel Time (Optional) 

Methodology: 

Two primary benefits are calculated by TOPS-BC for this strategy: Travel Time Reliability and 

Crashes. An optional analysis exists to evaluate recurring Travel Time. 

Travel Time Reliability – is calculated in TOPS-BC based on the non-recurring delay estimation 

methodology developed for the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2 projects L03 and 

L05). The approach uses factors (applied to VMT) representing the expected amount of incident 

related delay based on the number of lanes on the facility, the length of the analysis period, the facility 

volume and the facility capacity. This analysis is only performed on the freeway links. The impact of 

the speed harmonization strategy on non-recurring delay is primarily related to a reduction in the 

number of crashes (discussed in the Crashes section below). The resulting estimated number of 

hours of incident delay, used in the calculation of total non-recurring delay, is reduced by the 

percentage decrease in the default crash rate. The incremental change in hours of non-recurring 

travel time delay between the baseline and with improvement scenario is assigned a dollar value from 

the Parameters page to calculate the benefit. 

Crashes – represent the benefit in the reduction in crashes resulting from the smoothing of traffic 

conflicts in the queue formation areas. A default crash rate factor is supplied; however, if you have 

local data to support this impact, a factor can be entered in the “Reduction in the Crash Rate (%)” 

and/or “Reduction in Crash Duration” cells. These impact factors will reduce the crash rates applied to 

all crash severities. Dollar values will be applied to the change in the number of crashes to estimate 

this benefit. The reduction in the number and duration of crashes is also fed back into the calculation 

of incident related delay, producing a greater benefit level for Travel Time Reliability. 

Travel Time (Optional) – You have the ability to enter an impact for a change in speed if they have 

data to support this impact for this strategy. The default impact is set to zero. 

Other Benefits – Other benefits often associated with speed harmonization strategies, but not 

currently included in the benefits calculated by TOPS-BC are Emissions and Fuel Use. These two 

benefits are inherently difficult to estimate within a spreadsheet based model (e.g., spreadsheet based 

models are generally incapable of estimating the vehicle acceleration/deceleration profiles to 

accurately assess these impacts). You are free to modify the analysis framework to include these 

benefits, or simply to add the estimated value of these benefits to the “User Entered Benefit” cell if 

there is data to support their inclusion. 

Road Weather Management 

Data Inputs:

Length of Analysis Period 

Freeway Volume 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 53

Freeway Number of Lanes 

Freeway Capacity 

Freeway Free Flow Speed 

Freeway Link Length 

Default Benefit Calculation:

Travel Time 

Travel Time Reliability 

Crashes 

Methodology: 

Three primary benefits are calculated by TOPS-BC for this strategy: Travel Time, Travel Time 

Reliability and Crashes. 

Travel Time – is calculated in TOPS-BC based on estimated link speeds in the corridor. By default, 

speeds are estimated using the speed-flow relationship shown on the Parameters page. This speedflow relationship is based on the Highway Capacity Manual and provides a speed factor (to be applied 

to free flow speed) for varying degrees of congestion (as measured by volume/capacity ratio). Speed 

is estimated for the baseline (without improvement) scenario by determining the correct speed flow 

factor to apply based on your inputs for capacity and volume and applying the factor to the free flow 

speed you provide. You are encouraged to override the default speed based on typical conditions if in 

order to more effectively analyze conditions for a particular inclement weather condition (e.g., rain, 

snow, fog, ice). The speed entered to override the default speed should be reflective of speeds during 

these conditions. For the with improvement scenario, average speeds are adjusted based on default 

impact percentages (or impact values you provide, if available) based on an increase in speeds 

representing the restoration of speed lost to the inclement weather conditions. The adjusted facility 

speed value is used to determine an adjusted speed. The incremental change in the estimated 

speeds between the baseline and with improvement scenarios is used to estimate link travel time 

based on the link length and average volumes you provide. The difference between the two scenarios 

in hours of travel time is monetized as the travel time benefit. 

Travel Time Reliability – is calculated in TOPS-BC based on the non-recurring delay estimation 

methodology developed for the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2 projects L03 and 

L05). The approach uses factors (applied to VMT) representing the expected amount of non-recurring 

related delay based on the number of lanes on the facility, the length of the analysis period, the facility 

volume and the facility capacity. This analysis is only performed on the freeway links. The impact of 

the road weather management strategy on non-recurring related delay is impacted by a change in the 

number of crashes (discussed in the Crashes section below) and the duration of incidents. The 

incremental change in hours of non-recurring travel time delay between the baseline and with 

improvement scenario is assigned a dollar value from the Parameters page to calculate the benefit. 

The sum of this travel time calculation is assigned a dollar value from the Parameters worksheet and 

added to the monetized benefit. 

Crashes – represent the benefit in the reduction in crashes resulting from Road Weather 

Management. A default crash rate factor is supplied; however, if you have local data to support this 

impact, a factor can be entered in the “Reduction in the Crash Rate (%)” and/or “Reduction in Crash 

Duration” cells. This impact factor will reduce the crash rates applied to all crash severities. Dollar 

values will be applied to the change in the number of crashes to estimate this benefit. The reduction 

in the number and duration of crashes is also fed back into the calculation of incident related delay, 

producing a greater benefit level for Travel Time Reliability. 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 54

Work Zone Systems 

Data Inputs:

Length of Analysis Period 

Freeway Volume 

Freeway Number of Lanes 

Freeway Capacity 

Freeway Free Flow Speed 

Freeway Link Length 

Default Benefit Calculation:

Travel Time 

Travel Time Reliability 

Crashes 

Methodology: 

Three primary benefits are calculated by TOPS-BC for this strategy: Travel Time, Travel Time 

Reliability, and Crashes. 

Travel Time – is calculated in TOPS-BC based on estimated link speeds in the corridor. By default, 

speeds are estimated using the speed-flow relationship shown on the Parameters page. This speedflow relationship is based on the Highway Capacity Manual and provides a speed factor (to be applied 

to free flow speed) for varying degrees of congestion (as measured by volume/capacity ratio). Speed 

is estimated for the baseline (without improvement) scenario by determining the correct speed flow 

factor to apply based on your inputs for capacity and volume and applying the factor to the free flow 

speed you provided. It is recommended for work zone systems analysis that the baseline capacity be 

reduced to reflect the loss due to construction/maintenance activities, or alternatively the Congested 

Speeds could be altered if the data exists to support this entry. For the with improvement scenario, 

average congested speeds are adjusted based on the default impact percentages (or user supplied 

impact values if available) based on an increase in travel speed representing the restoration and 

smoothing of traffic flow due to the reduction in stop-and-go conditions. The estimated speeds for the 

baseline and with improvement scenarios are used to estimate link travel time based on user supplied 

link length and average volumes. The difference between the two scenarios in hours of travel time is 

monetized as the travel time benefit. 

Travel Time Reliability – The impact of the work zone strategy on non-recurring related delay is twofold – it is impacted by a smoothing of the traffic flow (discussed under #1 below) and by a change in 

the number of crashes (discussed under #2 and in the Crashes section below). 

1) Corridor travel time typically is calculated in TOPS-BC based on estimated link speeds in the 

corridor and used to represent recurring travel time. However, since any change in travel 

time due to work zone systems is anticipated to result in a reduction in the amount of nonrecurring delay experienced by drivers in the work zone, this calculation is included under 

travel time reliability for this particular strategy. By default, speeds are estimated using the 

speed-flow relationship shown on the Parameters page. This speed-flow relationship is 

based on the Highway Capacity Manual and provides a speed factor (to be applied to free 

flow speed) for varying degrees of congestion (as measured by volume/capacity ratio). 

Speed is estimated for the baseline (without improvement) scenario by determining the 

correct speed flow factor to apply based on your inputs for capacity and volume and applying 

the factor to the free flow speed you provided. It is recommended for work zone systems 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 55

analysis that the baseline capacity be reduced to reflect the loss due to 

construction/maintenance activities, or alternatively the Congested Speeds could be altered if 

the data exists to support this entry. For the with improvement scenario, average congested 

speeds are adjusted based on the default impact percentages (or impact values you entered, 

if available) based on an increase in travel speed representing the restoration and smoothing 

of traffic flow due to the reduction in stop-and-go conditions. The estimated speeds for the 

baseline and with improvement scenarios are used to estimate link travel time based on user 

supplied link length and average volumes. The difference between the two scenarios in 

hours of travel time is monetized as the travel time benefit. 

2) Travel time reliability is calculated in TOPS-BC based on the non-recurring delay estimation 

methodology developed for the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2 projects L03 

and L05). The approach uses factors (applied to VMT) representing the expected amount of 

non-recurring related delay based on the number of lanes on the facility, the length of the 

analysis period, the facility volume and the facility capacity. This analysis is only performed 

on the freeway links. The additional impact of the work zone strategy on non-recurring 

related delay is related to any change in the number of crashes (discussed in the Crashes 

section below). The amount of non-recurring related delay attributable to incidents is 

calculated for the baseline and improvement scenarios. The identified reduction in crashes 

factor is applied to the improvement scenario to assess change in incident related delay. This 

is added to the non-recurring delay identified in #1 above. The sum of this travel time 

calculation is assigned a dollar value from the Parameters worksheet and added to the 

monetized benefit. 

Crashes – represent the benefit in the reduction in crashes resulting from Work Zone Systems. A 

default crash rate factor is supplied; however, if you have local data to support this impact, a factor can 

be entered in the “Reduction in the Crash Rate (%)” and/or “Reduction in Crash Duration” cells. 

These impact factors will reduce the crash rates applied to all crash severities. Dollar values will be 

applied to the change in the number of crashes to estimate this benefit. The reduction in the number 

and duration of crashes is also fed back into the calculation of incident related delay, producing a 

greater benefit level for Travel Time Reliability. 

Comparing Benefits and Costs of Different Combinations of 

Strategies Using the My Deployment Page 

The My Deployment sheet is used to view the results of the analysis. This is true whether you want to 

view the B/C results from a single strategy or view results from different combinations of strategies. 

You are given the ability in this sheet to select different strategies that they have analyzed and 

combine them in order to quickly calculate the total combined B/C for that combination of strategies. 

Figure 6-12 shows a portion of the My Deployments screen showing the available strategies for 

analysis. In this example, the user has selected several strategies, indicated by the checked boxes, to 

combine into a total B/C ratio. By selecting only particular strategies, you can quickly view the 

combined B/C ratios of different strategies, assuming you have previously entered the required data 

into the individual benefit estimation sheet for each strategy you want to compare. The My 

Deployments sheet will display the individual B/C results for each strategy you selected for viewing, as 

well as a combined B/C analysis for all selected strategies. 
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 56

Figure 6-12. Selecting Strategies to Combine for Viewing in the My Deployments Sheet 

Source: FHWA. 

The My Deployments page also provides the opportunity to conduct quick sensitivity tests of may 

common input values used in B/C analysis, such as the value of travel time or crash reductions. 

At the top of the sheet, many commonly used benefit values are displayed, as shown in Figure 6-

13. Defaults for these values are pulled from the Parameters page and will be applied unless you 

input a value into the green shaded User Input cell. If you enter values in the User Input cells it 

will override the default value for all instances where that value is used on the My Deployments 

sheet. This provides the opportunity to quickly modify global values and view the results without 

having to toggle back and forth between the My Deployments sheet and the Parameters sheet. 

Note that entering a new user defined value on the My Deployment page will not alter the 

underlying default on the Parameters page, nor impact the benefits results displayed on benefit 

worksheets for individual strategies. 

Choose the active strategies:

0 Link Based Generic 0

0 Signal CSignal‐ASignal C 0

0 Ramp MRM‐PreRamp M 0

1 TIM TIM‐FSPTraffic I 1

1 DynamiATIS‐DMDynam 2

0 HighwaATIS‐HAHighwa 0

0 Pre TripATIS‐51 Pre Tri 0

0 HOT ATDM‐HHOT Lan 0

1 Hard ShATDM‐SHard Sh 3

0 Speed ATDM‐SSpeed H 0

0 WeatheWeatheRoad W 0

Generic Link Analysis

Signal Coordination: Traffic Actuated

Ramp Metering: Preset Timing

Traffic Incident Management

Dynamic Message Sign

Highway Advisory Radio

Pre Trip Traveler Information

HOT Lanes

Hard Shoulder Running

Speed Harmonization

Road Weather Management

Work Zone Systems

Traffic Management Center

Loop Detection

CCTV
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 57

Figure 6-13. Viewing the Value Parameters in the My Deployments Sheet 

Source: FHWA. 

Using the Corridor Based Analysis in TOPS-BC to Evaluate 

Regional Projects 

For most strategies, TOPS-BC is designed to analyze performance on a single corridor; however, you 

may have a need to analyze strategies deployed on multiple corridors or even regionwide. These 

types of analyses are typically best performed using more robust traffic analysis tools. In situations 

where the analysis resources do not allow for full modeling or data collection on all the regional 

facilities impacted by the deployments, you may want to consider the use of representative corridors 

for analysis. In this approach, one or more representative corridors are selected for detailed analysis, 

and the results are then extrapolated to other regional facilities. For example, if you were considering 

deploying more advanced traffic signal coordination throughout a region, but didn’t have the resources 

to apply a travel demand model analysis or to individually model all the regional corridors in TOPSBC, you might consider this representative corridor approach. 

Using this approach, you would first select several representative corridors that signify different arterial 

types (e.g., 2 lanes vs. 4 lanes), settings (e.g., urban vs. suburban), or other operational conditions 

(e.g., average spacing of signalized intersections). Each of the representative corridors would be 

analyzed separately in TOPS-BC; then the resulting measures of effectiveness could be extrapolated 

to a region wide basis by weighting the amount of regional travel that proportionately occurs on each 

of the different representative corridor types. More information on the use of representative corridors 

is provided in Chapter 5 of the Desk Reference. 

Conducting Sensitivity Analysis 

Given the sketch planning nature of TOPS-BC and the order of magnitude results it produces, it is 

recommended you conduct a sensitivity analysis to gain a better understanding of the impact of input 

$ Value of Vehicle Hour (per hour) Truck 28.00 $                    

$ Value of Person Hour (per hour of Delay ) "On‐the‐Clock" Auto 28.00 $                    

$ Value of Person Hour (per hour) "On‐the‐Clock" Auto 28.00 $                    

$ Value of Person Hour (per hour) Other Auto 14.00 $                    

Average cost per gallon of fuel (excluding taxes) 3.67 $                      

$ Value of Person Hour (per hour of Delay ) Other Auto 14.00 $                    

$ Value of Vehilce Hour (per hour of Delay ) Truck 28.00 $                    

$ Value of a Fatality Crash 6,500,000 $           

$ Value of a Injury Crash 67,000 $                 

$ Value of a Property Damage Crash 2,300 $                    
Chapter 6. Conduct Simple Spreadsheet-Based B/C Analysis for Selected TSM&O Strategies 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 58

assumptions. Fortunately, the spreadsheet based analysis framework within TOPS-BC provides for 

relatively easy sensitivity analysis with near immediate results. 

You are encouraged to review and scrutinize all the input assumptions regarding their analysis, 

including: 

 All required input data; 

 Assumptions regarding impacts of particular strategies; 

 Default rate data included on the Parameters worksheet; and 

 Benefit valuation data included on the Parameters worksheet. 

You may perform sensitivity analysis on any input assumption; however, the focus of the analysis 

should be on any input or default data in which the you have less confidence. You can gain a better 

understanding of the impact that particular input variables have on the results of the analysis by 

modifying selected input variables after the initial analysis has been completed and comparing the 

changes in output results. 

To conduct a sensitivity analysis in TOPS-BC, you may simply enter a value in the User Input column 

of the individual strategy worksheet for any given line item (that is greater or less than the default or 

the calculated value) and immediately observe the results of this parameter change. Alternatively, 

inputs can be modified in the appropriate cell on the Parameters worksheet if you want to test the 

sensitivity simultaneously across several strategy analyses. You may change any single input 

variable or multiple variables at once to gauge the impact on the results. 

Sensitivity analysis is useful for enhancing the your understanding of how the results are 

influenced by the input data, providing greater confidence in the analysis results, thereby 

providing the ability to answer critical questions such as, “What would be the results if traffic 

levels were 10 percent greater?”. 
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 59

Chapter 7. Customizing and 

Maintaining TOPS-BC 

Overview 

TOPS-BC provides a framework for analysis that is adaptable to many analysis needs. It is not 

designed to be a rigid, inflexible tool that forces users to follow the default methodology or input data 

according to a formally prescribed format. Instead, TOPS-BC has been developed in an open format 

to encourage practitioners or researchers (anyone with a reasonably firm understanding of 

spreadsheet analysis) to customize the tool to their individual needs and improve the tool as more and 

better data become available. 

Consistent with this objective, many of the analyses conducted by TOPS-BC are structured in a 

manner that allow you to easily modify the tool – adding rows or columns to the structure to add in 

new analysis methods and data, or simply making minor modifications to existing formulas. Further, 

knowing that you may want to configure the tool to your region’s needs by incorporating your local 

data, and knowing that more data and new strategies may need to be added to the tool over time to 

maintain the usefulness of the tool, TOPS-BC has been developed with a number of innovative 

automated processes for updating and modifying the tool. 

This Chapter highlights several of these customization and maintenance capabilities, including: 

 Adding new rows to a spreadsheet; 

 Adding new data or strategies to the Impact Look Up capability; 

 Adding new capabilities or tools to the Methodology Mapping capability; 

 Modifying equipment or adding new strategies to the Cost Estimation capability; and 

 Adding new strategies to the Benefit Estimation capability. 

Adding New Rows to a Spreadsheet 

In order to customize TOPS-BC to individual situations, you may have the need to add rows to 

particular worksheets to add new cost elements or enhance benefit estimation capabilities. Rows may 

be added to any of the individual cost estimation and benefit estimation sheets for the various 

presented strategies. 

When inserting a row into a sheet, it is important to always insert a complete row, not a partial one, by 

highlighting the row by clicking on the row number on the far left of the screen, performing a right 

mouse click and selecting “Insert.” After one or more rows are added, the Navigation Menu will 

temporarily contain a gap showing blanks where the new rows were inserted. However, the 

Navigation Menu will automatically correct itself to the new configuration once you visit another 
Chapter 7. Customizing and Maintaining TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 60

worksheet and then return to the modified sheet. This feature keeps the Navigation Menu identical 

across all of the worksheets. 

Note that if you are inserting rows in a cost estimation sheet to add new equipment, additional 

processes may be required as detailed in a subsequent section and also in Chapter 5. 

Adding New Data or Strategies to the Impact Look Up 

Capability 

New data on the impacts and benefits of TSM&O strategies is constantly emerging as more agencies 

deploy and evaluate these strategies and as new technologies are tested and implemented. 

Likewise, new strategies are constantly emerging. Therefore, there is the likely need to be able to 

update the impact data and the strategies that are included in the Impact Look Up capability to ensure 

the information does not become stale. 

Automated capabilities have been provided within TOPS-BC to easily update and maintain this data 

within the tool. These capabilities may be used to simply update the tool with new data points, add a 

new strategy, or to wholesale reconfigure the data look up to customize the capability to your agency’s 

needs (i.e., only include selected data which your agency is interested). The capability to update the 

impact database is provided on a hidden worksheet titled “ImpactData,” as shown in Figure 7-1. You 

can access the ImpactData worksheet by right-clicking on any worksheet tab, selecting “unhide” and 

then selecting “ImpactData” from the list of hidden worksheets. 

Figure 7-1. Partial Screen View of the ImpactData Worksheet 

Source: FHWA. 

Information on the ImpactData worksheet drives the structure and provides the data available for the 

Impact Look Up capabilities provided by TOPS-BC. Columns A-C in the body of the worksheet define 

the name and sophistication of strategies to be included in the look up capabilities. Column A 

provides the highest level identification of the strategy. Any strategy named in Column A will have a 

separate look up worksheet created to organize impact data regarding this category. If data is present 

in Columns B-C, additional subcategories or levels of sophistication will be listed for the strategy in the 

pull-down strategy menu shown on the IMPACT LOOKUP worksheet, as illustrated in Figure 7-2. 

Clicking on "Go" will activate a 

macro that will populate the 

individual formatted impact display 

sheets based on the information 

currently displayed in this 

consolidated database. This 

process may take some time to 

complete. Travel Time and Speed

Impact Comment 1

ATMS - Signal Coordination Signal Coordination Traffic Actuated - Isolated Typical Range of Expected Impacts Expected travel time reductions range between 10% - 20%. Expected delay reductions r

National studies/statistics No Data Available from Transportation Research Record #1572

U.S. state, regional, local studies/statistics PATH (Berkeley) - Floating car studies obta from Benjamin Coifman, Michael Cassidy, C

PATH (Berkeley) - Floating car studies obtained for 76 projects in California showed dela

Default Impact Values from Existing B/C Tools SCRITS suggests a 20% improvement in average speeds

SCRITS suggests a 17% reduction in travel time

Simulation Results Simulation - 15% reduction in delay compared with pre-timed signals

Simulation - Wide-area controller reduced delay by 30% on two-way streets

Simulation - Wide-area controller reduced delay by 50% on one-way streets

TRANSYT (Berkeley PATH) - 13.8 % reduction in delays

TRANSYT (Berkeley PATH) - 7.7% reduction in travel time

International and Misc. No Data Available from Benjamin Coifman, Michael Cassidy, C

Go
Chapter 7. Customizing and Maintaining TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 61

Figure 7-2. Pull Down Menus on the IMPACT LOOKUP Worksheet 

Source: FHWA. 

Column E in the ImpactData worksheet provides the opportunity to categorize the impact data 

according to the source or type of data (e.g., National versus international results). By default, 

consistent categories are used for all strategies, regardless of whether there is data available to 

support that category. You are free, however, to delete or add categories according to your needs and 

available data. All data listed to the right of Column E on the ImpactData worksheet represents the 

impact data organized according to impact category. Every third column represents the name of an 

Impact Category that will be displayed in the pull-down menu on the IMPACT LOOKUP worksheet as 

shown in Figure 7-2. Two Comment columns are provided to the right of each Impact Category 

column to provide you the opportunity to add reference data on the source of the impact information 

and/or other useful information. 

Data is entered in rows on the ImpactData worksheet. If you wish to add new impact data regarding a 

particular strategy, you should first check to see if an existing empty cell exists in the target location for 

the data. If yes you should enter the information in the target location. If no, you should: 

 Add an entire row of data to the worksheet under the appropriate strategy heading; 

 Enter the impact data under the appropriate impact category; 

 Enter any relevant source or reference data in the comments column immediately to the 

right of the newly added data; and 

 Leave other cells in the row empty (TOPS-BC will ignore empty cells in this database). 

When all data in the ImpactData worksheet has been modified, you should select the “Go” button 

located at the top of Column B, which will activate a macro to update TOPS-BC with the new 

data. Note: this activity may take some time to complete. The macro will update the pull-down 

menus on the IMPACT LOOKUP worksheet according to any changes made in the data on the 

ImpactData worksheet. Further, this macro will format the data into individual strategy impact 

worksheets according to the strategy categories supplied. The formatting of the individual 

strategy worksheets is based on another hidden worksheet titled “ImpactTemplate.” Any changes 

made to this ImpactTemplate worksheet will modify the format in which the data is organized on 

the individual worksheets. 

Adding New Capabilities or Tools to the Methodology 

Mapping Capability 

TOPS-BC provides the capability to map different B/C methodologies to an organization’s needs. This 

capability is based on a list of existing methodologies along with information regarding the 

appropriateness of each methodology in addressing several potential criteria regarding B/C analysis. 
Chapter 7. Customizing and Maintaining TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 62

Over time, the capabilities of the existing tools are likely to change, new tools and methods may come 

on-line, and even the criterion that defines which tools are most appropriate may change. TOPS-BC 

has several automated features to adjust to these future changes and keep the tool up to date. 

Data driving the methodology mapping capability is provided on a hidden worksheet titled 

“MethodData” as partially shown in Figure 7-3. 

Figure 7-3. Partial Screen View of the MethodData Worksheet 

Source: FHWA. 

The data on this worksheet is generally organized with the various analysis criteria presented across 

the vertical axis (rows) and the available methodologies listed across the horizontal axis (columns). 

Column A titled “Topic” presents the questions that will be asked regarding the analysis needs. Entries 

listed in Column B (Category) in subsequent rows form the multiple choice answers that will be 

associated with each “Topic” question. You may modify both the “Topic” questions and the “Category” 

answers may to customize the analysis to your needs. 

Within the entry for each “Topic” question, one of two specific phrases, presented in parenthesis, is 

required to instruct TOPS-BC how to collect data on the question from the user. These phrases 

include: 

 (Select 1) presented as radio buttons (allowing only one selection to be made at a time; 

or, 

 (Choose Multiple) presented as multiple selection allowing the user to select any 

number of answers simultaneously. 

The available analysis tools and methods are arranged in columns starting in Column E. Note that by 

default, tools listed further to the left will be listed first when the prioritized lists are displayed. For each 

tool, the first row of data presents the tool name as it will appear on the METHOD SELECTION 

worksheet lists. The second row of data presents a web link for the tool. If no web link is available, 

this cell may be left blank. The remaining rows of data under an individual tool provide a yes (Y) or no 

(N) response to whether that tool meets the specific criteria presented in that row. If capabilities are 

added to a particular tool in the future, you may easily reflect this change by modifying the Y or N entry 

in any given cell. 

You may modify the criteria (“Topic” questions asked) or modify the list of available tools simply 

by adding the appropriate information to complete the mapping within the matrix. This 

Topic Category SubCategory Item TOPS‐BC * BCA.net CAL‐BC

What is the geographic scope of the analysis? (Select 1) http://www. http://www

No Preference Y YY

Statewide N NN

Regional N NN

Corridor Y YY

Isolated Location Y YY

Other Y YY

What is the desired level of confidence of the analysis results?  (Select 1)

No Preference Y YY

High (extremely accurate) N N N

Medium Y YY

Low (order of magnitude) Y Y Y

What TSM&O strategy(ies) do you want to analyze?  (Choose Multiple)

No Preference Y YY

Arterial Corridor Traffic Signal Coordination Strategies Y YY
Chapter 7. Customizing and Maintaining TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 63

information is automatically updated to the METHOD SELECTION worksheet each time that 

particular worksheet is accessed. 

Modifying Equipment or Adding New Strategies to the 

Cost Estimation Capability 

The COST ESTIMATION worksheet provides the gateway to the individual cost estimation sheets 

related to individual TSM&O strategies. The life-cycle cost estimation analysis is driven off default 

assumptions regarding: 

 Equipment packages associated with each strategy; 

 Unit costs of capital and O&M costs associated with each piece of equipment; and 

 Useful life expectancy of each piece of equipment. 

 

These default data, as illustrated in Figure 7-4, are generally based on national level averages and 

assumptions. Therefore, you may wish to configure these cost items to your region’s practices and 

experiences. TOPS-BC has been developed to support and encourage this customization. 

Within the individual cost estimation worksheets associated with given strategies, you may modify the 

unit cost figures or the useful life associated with any particular piece of equipment. You may also 

delete pieces of equipment or add pieces of equipment to better match your own anticipated 

equipment mix for the strategy. 

Note that if an additional row(s) is needed in order to add a new piece of equipment, you should insert 

an entire row by first copying an existing row of data. You can do this by highlighting an entire 

row by clicking on the row number at the far left of the page, conducting a right click, and selecting 

“Copy.” Right click on the highlighted row number again and select “Insert Copied Cells.” This will 

create a new row that is properly formatted and contains the cell formulas necessary to maintain the 

integrity of the analysis. (If you simply decide to “Insert” a new row, you will need to manually merge 

cells and copy/paste formulas to match the existing equipment rows.) If you are only interested in 

using the Average Annual Costs in your calculations, no further modifications are needed. If you are 

interested in viewing the Stream of Costs and calculating the Net Present Costs and Net Present 

Benefit, you will additionally need to check and see if the added equipment has been added to the 

Working Calculations Sheet at the bottom of the individual cost estimation sheet [Figure 5-4]. In 

some cases, due to the manner in which the row was added or the version of Excel being used, the 

added equipment may not have automatically been generated in the Working Calculations Sheet. 

Therefore, it is recommended that you check to see that the equipment has been added to the 

Working Calculations Sheet. If the new equipment is not there, simply follow the directions above for 

copying and inserting copied rows within the appropriate section of the Working Calculations Sheet to 

replicate the addition of the new equipment in this Working Calculations Sheet. (Again, you should first 

copy and “Insert Copied Cells” to ensure the formatting and calculations are maintained.) 

As rows are added, the Navigation Menu will temporarily be distorted as gaps will appear in 

the content; however, once you leave the page where the rows have been added and then 

return, the Navigation Menu will once again correctly display. 

When changing data, note that any modification to the default data requires that the modified data 

match the data format of the default data. For example, you may enter a new piece of equipment for 

a particular strategy; however, it must have supporting data on the useful life, capital cost, and annual 

O&M cost to work within TOPS-BC’s estimation structure. 
Chapter 7. Customizing and Maintaining TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 64

Figure 7-4. Sample Screen View of a Cost Estimation Worksheet 

Source: FHWA. 

Further, TOPS-BC maintains a blank cost estimation worksheet that you may use to create cost 

estimation capabilities for new strategies that may not currently be included. A blank cost estimation 

worksheet is provided as a hidden sheet titled COST TEMPLATE, shown as Figure 7-5. This 

worksheet has all the analysis capabilities present in all other strategy worksheets, but lacks any 

default equipment or cost data. You may copy the data in this worksheet in its entirety and paste it 

into a new worksheet. This new worksheet may then be renamed and populated with your 

customized defined equipment and cost data to create new strategies, assuming that the new data is 

entered in the same format (e.g., equipment name, capital cost, useful life, annual O&M costs). 

FHWA Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS‐BC):  Version 1.0

PURPOSE:  Estimate Lifecycle Costs of TSM&O Strategies

WORK AREA 1 ‐ ESTIMATE AVERAGE ANNUAL COST

Ramp Metering Systems: Central Control

Basic Infrastructure Equipment

TMC Hardware for Freeway Control 5

TMC Software/Integration 5

Labor

TOTAL Infrastructure Cost

Incremental Deployment Equipment (per Ramp Location)

Ramp Meter (Signal, Controller) 25

Loop Detectors (2) 25

Communication Line 25

TOTAL Incremental Cost

INPUT Enter Number of Infrastructure Deployments 1

INPUT Enter Number of Incremental Deployments 10

INPUT Enter Year of Deployment 2013

Average Annual Cost

$         250,000

Equipment Useful Life

Capital / 

Replacement 

Costs (Total)

O&M Costs 

(Annual)

Annualized 

Costs

$            22,500 $              2,000 $              6,500

$            99,750 $              2,750 $              6,740

$                  750 $                  250 $                  280

$            88,000 $              2,000 $              5,520

$          ‐ 200,000 $                   $            40,000

$                  ‐ $         250,000

$         296,500

$            67,400

$363,900

$            11,000 $                  500 $                  940

$         222,500 $         252,000 $         296,500
Chapter 7. Customizing and Maintaining TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 65

Unneeded rows may be deleted. You will need to manually modify the navigation capabilities and link 

the new worksheet to the SUMMARY sheet or other worksheets where they intend to use the output 

cost data. 

Figure 7-5. Partial Screen View of the Blank COST TEMPLATE Worksheet 

Source: FHWA. 

FHWA Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS‐BC): Version 1.0

PURPOSE:  Estimate Lifecycle Costs of TSM&O Strategies

WORK AREA 1 ‐ ESTIMATE AVERAGE ANNUAL COST

Strategy: Generic Costs

Basic Infrastructure Equipment and Costs

Infrastructure Item 2

Infrastructure Item 3

Infrastructure Item 4

Infrastructure Item 5

Infrastructure Item 6

Infrastructure Item 7

Infrastructure Item 8

Infrastructure Item 9

Infrastructure Item 10

Infrastructure Item 11

Infrastructure Item 12

Infrastructure Item 13

Infrastructure Item 14

Infrastructure Item 15

Infrastructure Item 16

Infrastructure Item 17

Infrastructure Item 18

Infrastructure Item 19

Infrastructure Item 20

Infrastructure Item 21

Infrastructure Item 22

Infrastructure Item 23

Infrastructure Item 24

Infrastructure Item 25

Infrastructure Item 26

Infrastructure Item 27

Infrastructure Item 28

Infrastructure Item 29

Infrastructure Item 30

Infrastructure Item 31

Infrastructure Item 32

Infrastructure Item 33

TOTAL Infrastructure Cost

Incremental Deployment Equipment

Equipment Item 2

Equipment Item 3

Equipment Item 4

Equipment Item 5

Equipment Item 6

Equipment Item 7

$                  ‐

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                  ‐ $                  ‐

$                  ‐ $                  ‐

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                  ‐

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                   ‐ ‐ $                  

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

Equipment Useful Life

Capital / 

Replacement 

Costs (Total)

O&M Costs 

(Annual)

Annualized 

Costs

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐ $                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐

$                  ‐
Chapter 7. Customizing and Maintaining TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 66

Adding New Strategies to the Benefit Estimation 

Capability 

Similar to the addition of a new strategy within the Cost Estimation capability described in the previous 

section, you may add new worksheets to provide the ability to analyze new strategies by copying an 

existing worksheet. You are given two options for creating a new strategy: 1) you may carefully 

review and consider the various strategies that are available, and select one to copy that most closely 

resembles the analysis capabilities desired for the new strategy; or 2) you may create a new strategy 

from the Generic Link Model worksheet that contains many common analysis methodologies for link 

based analyses, as well as the Navigation Menu, pre-incorporated into the worksheet. Figure 7-6 

shows a partial view of the Generic Link Model sheet. 

Figure 7-6. Partial View of Generic Link Model Sheet 

Source: FHWA. 

To create a new strategy, you should follow these steps; 

1. Navigate to the Generic Link Model worksheet (or other specific strategy worksheet); 

2. Perform a right mouse click on the tab for the sheet to be copied; 

3. Select “Move or Copy” from the pop-up menu; 

4. A second pop-up menu will appear; 

5. Select the “Create a copy” box at the bottom of the menu; 

6. Select a location to place the sheet in the tool by indicating which existing sheet the copy 

should be placed before (note this location should be after the BENEFIT ESTIMATE 

sheet and before the SUMMARY OF MY DEPLOYMENTS sheet); 

7. Rename the new copy of the worksheet with a unique name on that worksheet’s tab; 

8. Change the name of the strategy contained in cell J5. 
Chapter 7. Customizing and Maintaining TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 67

Once the generic (or other) sheet has been copied and renamed, you may add or modify default 

values to the copied worksheet and delete rows of data or impact measures not needed for the 

analysis if desired. 

In these situations, it is your responsibility to configure and modify the new strategy worksheet 

to provide the analysis capabilities and impact data appropriate to the strategy being 

evaluated. You will also need to modify the navigation links (see description of this process in the 

subsequent section) and links to the SUMMARY and cost estimation worksheets if you want to share 

this information with these other sheets. 

Modifying the Navigation Menu 

As noted in previous descriptions of capabilities, TOPS-BC maintains a common Navigation Menu 

that is used on nearly all sheets in the workbook. This Navigation Menu automatically regenerates on 

each page when the sheet is opened; therefore, it can not be directly edited on the individual sheets 

as any changes would be overwritten the next time the sheet is opened. 

It is recommended that the modification of the Navigation Menu be performed by users with a firm 

understanding of Excel and spreadsheet functions, as changes made to the menu will impact all 

sheets in the tool. 

The Master Navigation Menu is maintained on a hidden worksheet named “links.” To modify the 

menu, you should unhide and navigate to this sheet. The Navigation Menu is displayed along the left 

hand side similar to other worksheets, except that the menu is divided into two sections, with many of 

the benefit estimation worksheets listed in a separated section shown below the initial menu listings. 

New strategy worksheets can be added to the Navigation Menu by inserting an entire row in the 

desired location and entering the desired name of the worksheet. You will then need to create a 

hyperlink for the new entry by performing a right mouse click in the cell for the new entry and selecting 

“Hyperlinks” from the pop-up menu. You should ensure that “Place in this document” option is 

selected in the “Link to” setting box as Shown in Figure 7-7. You then select the name of the 

worksheet from the list of worksheets shown near the top of the “Or select a place in this 

document:”box, and then click “OK.” 
Chapter 7. Customizing and Maintaining TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 68

Figure 7-7. Creating a New Hyperlink in the Master Navigation Menu 

Source: FHWA. 

These actions will modify the Navigation Menu that is presented on all sheets simultaneously. It is 

recommended that you hide the “links” sheet following modification to the menu to avoid unintended 

editing of the Master Navigation Menu. 

Restore Feature 

As recommended in Chapter 2, you are encouraged to download the latest version of the spreadsheet 

file and save it to the hard drive on their computer. You are subsequently encouraged to make a copy 

of the file and rename it according to your own file keeping structure. You should then use the copied 

file as you move forward with your analysis. This will ensure that a “clean” copy of the file is preserved 

in case you wish to use it as a reference. 

However, there may be an instance when you would like to reset a particular worksheet back to the 

original default settings and conditions. This function has been built into select worksheets and is 

accessible via a gray “Restore” button at the top right of the worksheet. The following worksheets 

have this capability: the Estimate Costs worksheets for each of the individual strategies, the Estimate 

Benefits worksheets for each of the individual strategies, the Parameters worksheet, and the My 

Deployments worksheet. 

When used, the “Restore” feature will completely replace the active worksheet with its default 

worksheet that was originally supplied within TOPS-BC Version 1.0. Any customization you have 

made to that worksheet will be lost. As this function cannot be undone, a pop-up window is provided 

with a warning message, as shown in Figure 7-8. Before using the Restore feature, you can create a 

copy of the worksheet to save it for future reference. This can be accomplished by right-clicking the 

worksheet name tab, selecting “Move or Copy” and then “Create a copy.” Note that the Restore 

button in the copied worksheet will not work, nor will that copied sheet be incorporated into the 

navigation and summary analysis features of the tool. 
Chapter 7. Customizing and Maintaining TOPS-BC 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 69

The Restore button is not intended for frequent use, but rather serves as a safety function should you 

wish to undo changes they made to a worksheet. Again, it is always recommended that a new file be 

created from the preserved “clean” copy when you plan to begin a new analysis scenario. 

Figure 7-8. Restore Feature Pop-up Message 

Source: FHWA. 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 71

Appendix A Frequently Asked 

Questions 

The following represent frequently asked questions regarding TOPS-BC. They are arranged 

according to the four primary capabilities of the tool. This FAQ sheet is meant to provide a quick guide 

to common issues that may be encountered by users, such as the correct format for user entered 

data. Many of these guidance items are also incorporated in the tool itself and may be queried when 

using the tool by clicking on the FAQ hyperlink associated with many data items 

 

1) Investigate the Range of Expected Values Associated with Various 

TSM&O Strategies 

What is the source of the individual impact information listed in the look up table? 

A reference for all data points in the lookup table is included in a hidden column to the 

immediate right of each data item in the table. Unhide the appropriate column to view the 

listing of the data sources. See Chapter 3 of the User’s Manual for more information. 

Can new impact data sources or new strategies be added to the look up table? 

Chapter 7 of the User’s Manual provides guidance on how the user may update the table or 

add new strategies to the look up capabilities. 

2) Map Different B/C Methodologies to Your Organizations Needs 

Do I need to indicate responses to all of the listed criteria? 

No. You may select as few as one criterion to indicate their preferences. 

What happens if I’ve entered my preferences for multiple criteria categories, but now no 

Suggested Methodologies are listed? 

This likely indicates that are no tools that meet all of the criteria supplied by the user. You 

should consider modifying their criteria to focus on a smaller number of high-priority criteria for 

their analysis. Also, you should review their responses for any outwardly incompatible 

responses (e.g., an analysis needing a high level of confidence in the accuracy of the results 

but also a low level of resources available to support the analysis). 

3) Estimate Life-cycle Costs of TSM&O Strategies 

What is the source of cost information? 

The equipment packages comprising each of the strategies is originally based on data in the 

ITS National Infrastructure. Equipment cost and useful life information is based on cost data 

maintained in the U.S. DOT ITS JPO ITS Cost Database [http://www.itscosts.its.dot.gov/] . 

 
Appendix A. Frequently Asked Questions 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 72

Can the list of equipment associated with a strategy be modified? 

Yes. If you have better or more locally configured equipment data you want to use, you may 

replace the default equipment, assuming that the new data is entered in the same format 

(e.g., equipment name, capital cost, useful life, annual O&M costs). Chapter 7 of the User’s 

Manual provides a description of how cost items may be added for new strategies the user 

wants to add to their analysis. 

4) Sketch Planning Benefits Estimation and Comparison with Costs 

What is the appropriate Length of Analysis Period to use? 

The length of analysis period is entered as length in number of hours. In order to provide 

a relevant analysis, the length of the analysis period will match as closely as possible to 

the expected period in which the strategy is intended to be operating. For example, a 

ramp metering deployment that is expected to only be operated during a 3-hour peak 

period should be analyzed using data representing that 3-hour peak period. Once the 

length of the analysis period is determined, other data inputs should be matched to this 

analysis period (e.g., capacities, volumes and speeds should represent totals/averages 

across the entire 3-hour peak period). The length of the analysis data should ultimately 

be matched with the input data. You should not enter 3-hours as the length of the 

analysis period and then enter peak hour or daily data for other required inputs. TOPSBC performs no internal conversion of the entered data, therefore, it is the 

responsibility of the user to correctly match the data. 

What is the appropriate capacity and volume to enter? 

The values entered for capacity and volumes in the individual strategy analysis 

worksheets should represent the average capacity or volume for the entire facility (all 

lanes) for the period being analyzed. For example, if only one direction of a roadway is 

being analyzed, the data should be only for that direction. If both directions are included 

in the analysis, data representing the entire roadway should be used. Likewise, if the 

analysis is being conducted for a 3-hour peak period, the capacity should represent the 

3-hour peak period for all included roadway lanes. Ideally, the period of analysis will 

match the operating characteristics of the strategy (i.e., a ramp metering strategy 

intended to be operated during the 3-hour afternoon peak commute period should use 

data representing the 3-hour PM peak period in the analysis. 

What does the "Number of Periods per Year" entry represent? 

The number of periods per year entry is used to annualize the impact estimated for a single 

day or period to an annual figure. The number entered should be dependent on the analysis 

period used and the expected operating characteristics of the strategy being analyzed. A 

default value of 250 represents that the strategy is anticipated to be utilized on all non-holiday 

weekdays. This entry can be decreased to represent strategies that are anticipated to be 

used on fewer days per year (e.g., special events only), or increased to represent multiple 

periods per day (e.g., a doubling of the default value could be used in conjunction with input 

data from a single peak period to estimate the impacts of multiple peaks per commute day). 

Where do the TOTAL AVERAGE ANNUAL COST figures come from in the benefit/cost 

comparison? 

Life-cycle cost estimates for the individual strategies are pulled from the Life-cycle Cost 

Estimation worksheet for the individual strategy. To estimate costs for an individual strategy, 

visit the appropriate cost estimation worksheet for the individual strategy being analyzed and 
Appendix A. Frequently Asked Questions 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 73

enter the deployment information as directed in the instructions. If you want to use your own 

estimated costs in the analysis, you may enter their estimated average annual cost in the 

green User Input cell for this line item. 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 75

Appendix B List of Acronyms 

AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials 

ATDM Active Transportation and Demand Management 

AVL Automatic Vehicle Location 

B/C Benefit/Cost 

CAD Computer-Aided Dispatch 

CAL-BC Caltrans Benefit Cost Analysis Tool 

CARB California Air Resources Board 

CBA Cost-Benefit Analysis 

CCTV Closed-Circuit Television 

CMAQ Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality 

CMP Congestion Management Process 

CMS Changeable Message Sign 

CO Carbon Monoxide 

CO2 Carbon Dioxide 

CUTR Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida 

DMS Dynamic Message Signs 

DOT Department of Transportation 

EPA Environmental Protection Agency 

FHWA Federal Highway Administration 

FITSEval The Florida ITS Evaluation 

FSP Freeway Service Patrol 

GPS Global Positioning System 

HAR Highway Advisory Radio 

HC Hydrocarbons 

HCM Highway Capacity Manual 

HERS Highway Economic Requirements System 

HERS-ST Highway Economic Requirements System – State Version 

HOT High-Occupancy Toll 

HOV High-Occupancy Vehicle 

HPMS Highway Performance Monitoring System 

ICM Integrated Corridor Management 

IDAS ITS Deployment Analysis System 

ITS Intelligent Transportation Systems 

LED Light Emitting Diodes 

M&O Management and Operations 

MOE Measure of Effectiveness 

MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization 

MTC Metropolitan Transportation Commission 

MTP Metropolitan Transportation Plan 

NOx Nitrous Oxide 

NPV Net Present Value 

O&M Operations and Maintenance 

OKI Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana 
Appendix B. List of Acronmys 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost (TOPS-BC) User’s Manual | 76

PHT Person Hours of Travel 

PM2.5 Fine Particulate Matter 

PM10 Particulate Matter 

RITA Research and Innovative Technology Administration 

ROG Reactive Organic Gases 

RTP Regional Transportation Plan 

SCRITS Screening for ITS 

SHRP Strategic Highway Research Program 

SO2 Sulfur Dioxide 

SOV Single-Occupancy Vehicle 

STEAM Surface Transportation Efficiency Analysis Model 

TDM Travel Demand Management 

TIM Traffic Incident Management 

TIP Transportation Improvement Program 

TOPS-BC Tool for Operations Benefit/Cost 

TRB Transportation Research Board 

TSM&O Transportation System Management and Operations 

TRIMMS Trip Reduction Impacts of Mobility Management Strategies 

V/C Volume-to-Capacity 

VHT Vehicle Hours Traveled 

VMT Vehicle Miles of Travel