Performance Measures

Measuring Success

The United States’ Department of Transportation recognizes that it is important to continuously monitor the performance of the nation’s transportation improvements and programs to determine if the nation is achieving its national goals and objectives related to transportation. Monitoring progress towards achieving these goals and objectives is accomplished through the use of performance measures. Performance measurement provides various transportation agencies with a better ability to identify and mitigate issues with their respective transportation networks.

Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21)

On July 6, 2012, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) was signed into law, creating a streamlined, performance-based, multimodal program in an effort to address challenges facing the U.S. transportation system. In relation to performance management, MAP-21 aims to increase the accountability and transparency of Federal highway programs by improving transportation investment decision-making through performance-based planning and programming. Furthermore, the Act states:

“…Performance management will transform the Federal-aid highway program and provide a means to the most efficient investment of Federal transportation funds by refocusing on national transportation goals, increasing the accountability and transparency of the Federal-aid highway program, and improving project decisionmaking through performance-based planning and programming…”

As a result of MAP-21, 7 national goals were established to address safety, current infrastructure, traffic congestion, efficiency, environment, transportation delays, and project delivery delays;

1. Safety - To achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads.
2. Infrastructure Condition - To maintain the highway infrastructure asset system in a state of good repair.
3. Congestion Reduction - To achieve a significant reduction in congestion on the National Highway System (NHS).
4. System Reliability - To improve the efficiency of the surface transportation system.
5. Freight Movement and Economic Vitality - To improve the national freight network, strengthen the ability of rural communities to access national and international trade markets, and support regional economic development.
6. Environmental Sustainability - To enhance the performance of the transportation system while protecting and enhancing the natural environment.
7. Reduced Project Delivery Delays - To reduce project costs, promote jobs and the economy, and expedite the movement of people and goods by accelerating project completion through eliminating delays in the project development and delivery process, including reducing regulatory burdens and improving agencies' work practices.

Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act

On December 4 2015, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act was signed into law. The FAST Act continues MAP-21’s overall performance approach, and ensures that State DOT’s and MPO’s invest in projects that collectively make progress toward the National Goals that were established by Congress. The FAST Act made few adjustments to the performance management provisions established by MAP-21. These changes included:

1. Requiring that State’s that fail to meet, or make significant progress toward meeting, their freight performance measure targets within two years after the establishment of the targets, to describe the actions they will take to achieve these targets in their next performance report.
2. Adjustments to the timeframe for States and MPOs to make progress toward meeting their performance targets under the National Highway Performance Program and clarifies the timeline for the Highway State Improvement Program performance targets.
3. Adjustments to the timeframe for review for triggering the penalty for a State’s Interstate pavement (excluding bridges) falling below a minimum condition level established by the DOT.

Performance Measures and Targets

Currently, under the FAST Act, State DOT’s and MPO’s are required to establish performance targets and report on the progress made toward achieving each of these performance targets for the following performance measures:

Safety  

1. Total number of traffic related fatalities on all public roads
2. Rate of traffic related fatalities on all public roads per 100 million VMT
3. Total number of traffic related serious injuries on all public roads
4. Rate of traffic related serious injuries on all public roads per 100 million VMT
5. Total number of non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads

Additional MPO Documents

Resolution to Support Safety Performance Measures for the State of Tennessee and the State of Mississippi

TDOT Safety Performance Measures Presentation

MDOT Safety Performance Measures Presentation

Pavement Condition

1. Percentage of pavements on the Interstate System in Good condition
2. Percentage of pavements on the Interstate System in Poor condition
3. Percentage of the non-interstate National Highway System in Good condition
4. Percentage of the non-interstate National Highway System in Poor condition

Additional MPO Documents

(Coming Soon)

Bridge Condition

1. Percentage of National Highway System bridges classified as in Good condition
2. Percentage of National Highway System bridges classified as in Poor condition

Additional MPO Documents

(Coming Soon)

NHS Travel Time Reliability

1. Percent of the Person-Miles Traveled on the Interstate that are reliable
2. Percent of the Person Miles Traveled on the Non-Interstate National Highway System that are reliable

Additional MPO Documents

(Coming Soon)

Freight Reliability

1. Percentage of Interstate System mileage providing reliable truck travel time

Additional MPO Documents

(Coming Soon)

Traffic Congestion

1. Annual hours of peak hour excessive delay per capita
2. Percentage of Non-Single Occupancy Vehicle Travel

Additional MPO Documents

(Coming Soon)

Total Emissions Reduction

1. Total emissions reductions by applicable pollutants under the CMAQ program

Additional MPO Documents

(Coming Soon)

Memphis Urban Area MPO's Role

The Memphis Urban Area MPO is coordinating with our regional, state, and federal partners to establish performance measure targets for the MPO Planning Area. With the exception of performance measures related to traffic congestion, MPO’s have the option to adopt their own performance target(s) or support their State’s target(s). For performance measures related to traffic congestion, State’s and MPO’s must collectively establish 2-year and 4-year targets. The table below identifies the dates in which MPO’s are required to submit their performance target:

Planning Tools

Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act 

Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century 

Transportation Performance Management Homepage 

National Performance Management Measures NPRM Presentation

Previous Performance Measures

The links below contain information regarding performance measures that were used in previous plans and studies developed by the MPO:

Congestion Reduction/System Reliability

Environmental Sustainability

Safety

Economic Vitality/Freight Movement

Infrastructure Condition

Multimodal

Collaboration

Funding

Land Use