7.5.3 Analysis Tools and Performance Measures

A corridor planning project involves evaluating and comparing different alternatives to determine how closely they meet the study goals and objectives. lists objectives for a typical corridor planning project. The performance measures quantify how objectives perform when compared to existing or future conditions. Note that the table does not include all objectives, performance measures, sources of data, or tools for analyzing a corridor planning project.
is provided as a first step and guide for establishing basic objectives and how to measure them. The table provides sources of data as well as tools that can be used to evaluate the performance measures. Scoring metrics are generally developed to rank the different performance measures based on stakeholder feedback, public involvement, and the goals and objectives of the study.
In addition to the performance measures listed in , other evaluation criteria could be considered, such as ROW availability, environmental impacts, and public input.
Table 7-1: Corridor Planning Performance Measures
Objectives
Performance Measures
Sources and Types of Data
Tools
1
Mobility
  • LOS and Delay
  • Travel time
  • Free flow speed vs. peak period speed
  • Travel time reliability
  • V/C Ratio
  • INRIX, StreetLight, Replica, Wejo, NPMRDS, American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), and Geotab
  • Traffic counts
  • Aerial imagery
  • Online database
  • Travel demand model outputs
  • Deterministic analysis
  • CAP-X
    • HCM analysis
Safety
  • Number of fatal or serious injury crashes
  • Crash rate compared to statewide average for a similar facility type
  • Number of pedestrian and bicycle related crashes
  • Number of similar types of crashes
  • CRIS
  • Aerial Imagery
  • As-builts
  • GIS software
  • HSM spreadsheets
  • IHSDM
  • ISATe
  • HSS
  • TxDOT HSM Spreadsheet Tools
Pedestrians and Bicyclists
  • Number of marked crossings within a corridor
  • Width of bike lane or sidewalk
  • Length of crosswalks
  • Crosswalk lighting
  • Big Data
  • Field visit
  • Aerial imagery
  • Strava
  • HCM analysis
  • Pedestrian and bicycle assessment inventory
Transit
  • Person throughput versus vehicular throughput
  • Number and spacing of transit stops on corridor
  • Service frequency
  • Ridership
  • On-time service (reliability)
  • Transit agency
  • Aerial imagery
  • Microsimulation
  • Travel demand modeling
Freight
  • Vehicle classification and percentage
  • Truck flows into and out of areas
  • Commodity Flow Surveys (CFS)
  • Vehicle Travel Information System (VTRIS)
  • Transearch
  • Geotab
  • Freight Analysis Framework (FAF)
  • Sketch Level or Macroscopic analysis
  • Travel demand modeling
  • Transearch
Access Management
  • Driveway spacing and access density
  • Number of median openings
  • Conflicting driveways on a two-way left turn lane
  • As-builts, CAD drawings, and survey files
  • Aerial imagery
  • Microsimulation
  • HCM analysis
Economic Analysis and Development
  • Providing connectivity
  • Population
  • GDP
  • Total Employment
  • Industries Served
  • Agency GIS database
  • U.S Census Bureau
  • IHS Markit
  • Texas Demographic Center
  • US Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • US Bureau of Economic Analysis
  • GIS software
  • Travel demand modeling
1
The tools presented here are general tools used for various levels of analysis. Depending on the level of analysis, different tools could be needed. Individual analysis chapters have more information regarding the type of tool to use for different levels of analysis.