7.2 Define Scope and Effort

7.2.1 Scoping Elements

When scoping out corridor planning projects, it is important to understand that the nature of corridor planning makes it hard to apply a “one size fits all” solution. Instead, it is important to have a set of guiding principles and understanding of general content needed for each type of study when approaching the three types of corridor planning projects.
Feasibility studies
 are performed when the project is in the early stages of development. The study helps determine whether the project can move forward to more in-depth schematic design, environmental analysis, public involvement, and ROW mapping. General contents of a feasibility study include but are not limited to:
  • Potential alternative alignments for a corridor;
    • General ROW footprint of alternative alignments
  • High-level safety analysis and traffic analysis;
    • Recommendations for improving safety and mobility
  • High-level construction costs; and
  • Feasibility study report:
    • Purpose and need
    • Alternative alignments graphics and maps
    • Summary of stakeholder engagement and public outreach
    • Summary of traffic and safety analysis
Route studies
 are performed to identify build option(s) for further detailed schematic design and/or environmental impact analysis. Route options may include construction of roadways on new alignments or providing improvements along existing facilities to increase capacity, enhance mobility, and improve safety. General contents of a route study include but are not limited to:
  • Summaries of meetings with stakeholders and public;
  • Feasibility studies previously performed on the route;
  • Maps and graphics that show study area limits, environmental features, route options, etc.; and
  • Technical memoranda related to:
    • Traffic analysis methodology, existing and future traffic conditions, crash analysis (crash rate, concentrated areas)
    • Engineering considerations, including design criteria, typical section(s), route option evaluation, and preliminary cost estimates (construction, ROW acquisition, utility relocations and adjustments)
    • Other subject matter as warranted
  • Route study report
    • Purpose and need;
    • Correspondence/resolutions from coordination with public agencies (cities, counties, metropolitan and rural planning organizations);
    • Summary of stakeholder engagement and public outreach;
    • Inventory of existing transportation infrastructure and conditions (traffic operations, safety, and geometric);
    • Environmental features and land use – Water resources, natural resources, historical landmarks, parks, schools, first responder facilities, future land uses;
    • Summary of traffic and safety analysis;
    • Route options and evaluation process and results; and
    • Findings based on the overall process, which could include recommending a route option(s) or course of action
Corridor studies
 are typically conducted along a State system route that is analyzed from a regional or statewide perspective. The general contents of a corridor study include but are not limited to:
  • Maps and graphics that show study area limits, environmental features, and conceptual plans;
  • Summaries of meetings with stakeholders, public, and other groups/individuals; and Traffic and Safety Analysis Procedures Manual | 2024 7-4
  • Technical memoranda related to:
    • Traffic analysis methodology, existing and future traffic conditions, crash analysis (crash rate, concentrated areas)
    • Engineering considerations, including design criteria, typical section(s), route option evaluation, preliminary cost estimates (construction, ROW acquisition, utility relocations and adjustments)
    • Other subject matter, as warranted
  • Traffic analysis methodology, existing and future traffic conditions, crash analysis (crash rate, concentrated areas) o Engineering considerations, including design criteria, typical section(s), route option evaluation, preliminary cost estimates (construction, ROW acquisition, utility relocations and adjustments) o Other subject matter, as warranted
    • Background information such as previous studies conducted on the corridor;
    • Purpose and need;
    • Inventory of existing transportation infrastructure and conditions (traffic operations, safety, and geometric);
    • Correspondence/resolutions from coordination with public agencies (cities, counties, metropolitan and rural planning organizations);
    • Environmental features and land use – Water resources, natural resources, historical landmarks, parks, schools, first responder facilities, future land uses;
    • Description, development process, and evaluation of alternatives;
    • Implementation plan of prioritized projects; and
    • Other findings and recommendations, as warranted

7.2.2 Develop Goals and Objectives

Prior to starting any corridor planning process, it is important to develop a set of goals and objectives that serve as guidelines throughout the corridor planning process. Goals and objectives are helpful when trying to decide between alternatives. They aid in selecting the alternative that best aligns with the needs of the client.
When developing goals and objectives, it is important to ask key questions such as,
what are the issues the study is trying to solve?
 Answering open-ended questions helps develop goals and objectives and establishes an overall vision for the project. Examples of potential goals and objectives of a corridor study include:
  • Improving multimodal mobility for passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, railroad, transit, aviation, maritime, and bike/pedestrians;
  • Improving safety for vulnerable users such as pedestrians and bicyclists; and
  • Managing access to provide safety improvements
The goals and objectives set for a corridor planning project are developed and refined based on input from various stakeholders. At first, goals and objectives can be set by the Steering Committee. These goals may be introduced at a public meeting to get input and make sure they align with the interests of other stakeholders and the public. The goals will be updated accordingly, so both the stakeholders 7-5 2024 | Traffic and Safety Analysis Procedures Manual and Steering Committee are working toward the same outcome.
Goals and objectives are recommended to be set in a clear and concise manner. Avoid general statements such as “Improve mobility and safety through this corridor”; rather, use more specific statements such as “Achieve a safe multimodal mobility environment consistent with road to zero principles”. Measurable goals are recommended when performing traffic and safety analysis. Compare each corridor planning alternative to determine how each alternative meets the performance measures for each goal.

7.2.3 Assemble Steering Committee

Depending on the type of study, one of the initial steps for corridor planning could be to assemble a Steering Committee or a team that provides direction from a technical and policy standpoint. This committee may consist of representatives from TxDOT Districts and Divisions, MPOs, active transportation stakeholders cities, transit agency, consultant team, and other agencies that could be part of the corridor planning process. It is important to make sure the group does not become too large, as a large committee may impede efficiency of the planning process. The purpose of this group is to have regularly scheduled meetings to help establish goals and objectives, make sure the project is on track, communicate any outstanding needs and information, and develop solutions. Frequency of these meetings is based on the project scope of work and the committee’s role and involvement. Not all corridor planning projects warrant a Steering Committee.
Note that the Steering Committee is different than the stakeholders. Stakeholders may include the individuals from the Steering Committee as well as residents, business owners, developers, commuters, elected officials, advocacy groups, and whoever else could be applicable or have an interest in the study.

7.2.4 Define Study Limits

The study limits are set based on the issues the corridor planning project is trying to address. It is suggested to consider the overall project location and intersections, interchanges, segments, or other facilities (frontage roads, parallel routes) that will be included in the analysis. The broader study area often includes the corridor/route/parallel routes that are being studied, along with larger demographical areas such as cities, counties, and TxDOT Districts. The purpose of the larger area surrounding the corridor/route is to provide additional context on the characteristics of the area, such as traffic patterns, environmental features, population, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), land use, employment, industries served, freight movement, and other points of interest.

7.2.5 Data Collection

Prior to evaluating existing conditions and conducting any analysis, it is important to determine the type of data needed to perform the corridor study. The data types needed vary from project to project. Some data types are readily available on online sources such as the Traffic and Safety Analysis Procedures Manual | 2024 7-6 TxDOT Open Data Portal, TxDOT Project Tracker, STARS II, Texas Natural Resources Information System (TNRIS), Texas Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Exchange, and others. Other data, such as traffic counts, may need to be collected. Check DCP in the STARS II database for the corridor to determine whether the available data is recent and if it can be used for the corridor study. Historical traffic growth is a strong datapoint to determine future traffic. Traffic counts are necessary for the existing conditions analysis and for traffic projections. It is important to have counts conducted at all the necessary locations where data is not available. A Travel Demand Model output (TDM) is a datapoint to determine future traffic and can be obtained from TxDOT or the MPO. Some data sources that TxDOT has access to needs a signed licensing or non-disclosure agreement with TxDOT before receiving access. More information on how different data types are used for corridor studies is presented under
Section 7.3
.

7.2.6 Stakeholder Engagement and Public Involvement

Active engagement and participation of internal and external stakeholders is critical for the corridor planning process. Depending on the scale of the corridor study, holding multiple rounds of public meetings could be a lengthy process requiring extensive time and resources to conduct. Develop a Public Involvement Plan (PIP) early on to determine how to best involve the stakeholders and the public in providing feedback. More information related to public involvement is presented in
Section 7.4
.

7.2.7 Existing and Future Conditions Analysis

Performing existing and future conditions analysis is a critical part of the corridor planning process. It is recommended that evaluation criteria and MOEs used for the analysis are aligned with the goals and objectives of the project. More information related to Existing and Future Conditions Analysis is presented in
Section 7.5
.