Companion Guide to Video May 2015

www.fhwa.dot.gov/federal-aidessentials

When we build transportation projects, how 

do we know the project is going to improve 

the system? Or what is the right type or size 

of a transportation project? 

Modeling and analysis is a step in the 

transportation planning process that 

provides objective information about the 

performance of the transportation network. 

Transportation planners use modeling and 

analysis to make better decisions about how 

to improve and operate the transportation 

system. Models help planners answer 

questions about how a transportation 

system may operate in the future as an area 

grows, or as new investments are made in 

the system. 

These planning-related questions may 

include the total volume of trucks and 

passenger vehicles on the transportation 

system, the location of bottlenecks, and the 

average time travelers spend sitting in 

traffic. Ultimately, modeling and analysis 

can help planners describe transportation 

system performance and suggest the best 

alternatives for decisionmakers to consider 

in funding decisions. 

Models may be used to evaluate 

transportation alternatives that improve 

roadway efficiency by using different toll 

rates for high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) 

lanes at rush hour, decrease congested 

intersections through signalization 

improvements, reduce vehicle use in 

congested areas by encouraging carpooling 

and other forms of ride-sharing, provide 

improved park-and-ride services from fringe 

areas to the central business district, 

improve internal transit management 

efficiency by developing information 

systems, and encourage individual 

decisions that can help optimize system 

performance. 

Models use information about households, 

employment, and transportation networks to 

predict travel preferences over time as 

conditions change. For example, some 

travelers may decide to choose an 

Federal-aid Program Overview

Transportation Planning

Modeling and Analysis Fundamentals

Modeling and analysis tools provide valuable information to improve 

transportation decisionmaking
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

alternative route, change the time they 

leave for work, or switch from a private 

vehicle to transit to avoid congestion. 

Models help predict the range of likely 

traveler responses to changes in the 

transportation system. 

Planners select the most appropriate tool 

based on the information requirements and 

the stage of the planning process. The three 

primary categories of tools are: sketch-level, 

travel demand, and microanalysis. 

Sketch-level tools can be applied quickly 

and at relatively low cost, to answer basic 

questions and get an estimate of the total 

demand under different conditions. These 

tools are useful to quickly examine several 

alternatives. 

Travel demand models help planners 

evaluate alternatives in greater detail than 

sketch tools and often span regions or 

states. For example, planners use travel 

demand models in mid- to long-range 

planning to predict the number of vehicles 

that will use a new HOV lane, or the routes 

that travelers may avoid when using the 

new, less congested HOV lane. 

Microanalysis tools are the most detailed of 

the modeling and analysis tools. Planners 

and other transportation professionals use 

microanalysis to provide a detailed account 

of short-term impacts during construction 

and the general operation of roadways. 

These models are useful for identifying 

conflict points between vehicles as lanes 

merge or the effectiveness of signalized 

intersections. For example, microanalysis 

tools can reveal the improved travel speed 

that may result from efficient traffic signal 

coordination. 

To illustrate these points, let’s consider the 

fictional City of Brightdale, where travelers 

experience frequent traffic jams on the 

freeway as they enter town. Residents 

complain that traffic queues on the freeway 

off-ramp stretch back onto the freeway 

mainline. 
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

Brightdale staff assessed many proposed 

alternatives and prepared a plan that 

outlined several layers of analysis. First, 

planners used a sketch-planning tool to 

evaluate the high-level impacts of adding a 

lane, improving bus service and adding 

housing to existing retail development to 

encourage shorter trips. The sketch tool 

gave a rough estimate of miles traveled by 

cars and the average trip distance. Planners 

used the sketch tool information to eliminate 

the least effective alternatives. 

Planners then applied a regional demand 

model to look at the remaining alternatives 

in greater detail. Common measures 

produced by regional models included traffic 

volumes during the most congested times of 

the day and travel times to work and nonwork locations. 

After identifying the preferred alternative, 

project staff used microanalysis tools to 

fine-tune the project design to ensure that 

the solutions achieved operational and 

safety measures, such as reducing crash 

rates or decreasing congestion during peak 

travel periods. 

Planners communicated the impacts of the 

preferred alternative based on modeling and 

analysis. The preferred alternative is a 

blended strategy of ramp metering and 

improved traffic signal coordination at key 

freeway access and egress points. 

Modeling and analysis helps make datadriven decisions that meet your 

community’s transportation needs. Modeling 

tools help evaluate alternatives, prioritize 

projects, improve design, and allocate 

limited funds to the most effective projects. 

For more information about modeling and 

analysis, contact your State department of 

transportation, metropolitan planning 

organization, or the FHWA division office in 

your State.
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

The content of this 

document is not a 

substitute for 

information obtained 

from State departments 

of transportation,

appropriate FHWA 

Division Offices, and 

applicable laws. 

Scenarios have been 

simplified for emphasis 

and do not necessarily 

reflect the actual range of 

requirements applicable 

to the scenario or this 

topic. This document

was created under 

contract number 

DTFH61-13-F-00059 by 

the Federal Highway 

Administration, U.S. 

Department of 

Transportation, and is 

offered to the public to 

heighten and focus 

awareness of Federal-aid 

requirements within the 

local public agencies 

community and 

reinforces the 

importance of these 

necessary policies, 

procedures, and 

practices.

This Companion Resource 

is the script content for 

the video production of 

the same name. 

Additional Resources

• Link to FHWA's Traffic Analysis Tools Program

http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficanalysistools/index.htm

• 23 CFR Part 450 is the regulation that requires FHWA planning assistance 

and denotes standards of practice 

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/textidx?SID=e187b6b4137fb932aa538ff2ae606243&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title23

/23cfr450_main_02.tpl

• TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 

765: Analytical Travel Forecasting Approaches for Project-Level Planning 

and Design describes methods, data sources, and procedures for 

producing travel forecasts for highway project-level analyses. 

http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/170900.aspx

• Interim guidance on the application of travel and land use forecasting for 

use in environmental (NEPA) studies

http://environment.fhwa.dot.gov/projdev/travel_landUse.asp

• Certification checklist for travel forecasting methods

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/certcheck.cfm

• Access portal to FHWA's Travel Model Improvement Program (TMIP)

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/tmip/

• Electronic version of 40CFR Part 93 - determining conformity of Federal 

actions to State or Federal implementation plans

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/textidx?SID=b7cc2d159608c0190532eca3260e8bad&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title4

0/40cfr93_main_02.tpl

• Link to travel forecasting resource Web site

http://tfresource.org/Travel_Forecasting_Resource

• Link to TRB's Online Travel Survey Manual

http://www.travelsurveymanual.org/