 |
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
transportation system performance; ADOT
Purpose
Adds requirements and restrictions for the development, measurement and delivery of transportation system performance factors that include modified variables and prescribed weights.
Background
The Arizona Department of Transportation's (ADOT's) Transportation Planning Division must develop standard transportation system performance factor variables and weights to present to the State Transportation Board (Board) that include, at minimum, system preservation, congestion relief, accessibility, integration and connectivity with other mode, economic benefits, safety, air quality and other environmental impacts, cost-effectiveness of a project or service, operational efficiency and project readiness. ADOT and the Board use transportation system performance factor variables and weights to: 1) select projects and services for the Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program and Long-Range Statewide Transportation Plan; and 2) allocate state and federal financial resources among ADOT's major program categories (A.R.S. ยง 28-505).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Adds mobility as a transportation system performance factor variable.
2. Modifies the following transportation system performance factor variables:
a) congestion reduction, rather than congestion relief; and
b) safety improvements, rather than safety.
3. Bifurcates the transportation system performance factor variable of integration and connectivity with other modes, into:
a) connectivity; and
b) integration with other modes.
4. Requires the Transportation Planning Division (Division) to:
a) develop methods to quantitatively measure each performance factor using any relevant and available data to the extent practicable; and
b) consider technologies, new innovations, data and market solutions to optimize the delivery of performance factors.
5. Requires the Division to use the following weights for highway projects:
a) 40 percent for congestion reduction;
b) 40 percent for increase in mobility; and
c) 20 percent for safety improvements, reduction in the number of fatalities on regional roadways.
6. Requires the Division to use weights for transit projects that prohibits ridership on each route from being lower than 70 percent of the system average.
7. Allows the ridership minimum for transit projects to be lowered to 50 percent of the system average if the lines are contracted out to a private operator.
8. Prohibits the Division from considering or adopting a motor vehicle travel mile reduction target or any other demand management policy or project.
9. Prohibits performance factors from being applied in a manner that promotes differential treatment of or special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color or ethnicity.
10. Defines the following terms related to transportation system performance and planning:
a) accessibility as with consideration for individuals who are elderly or have physical disabilities;
b) air quality as federal air quality and emissions standards;
c) congestion reduction as alleviating recurrent travel impediments that diminish free flow speeds;
d) connectivity as numerous direct and indirect linkages in the system that maximize the flow of passengers and freight travel;
e) cost-effectiveness as the gains in mobility relative to the financial subsidization to plan, construct, operate and maintain;
f) economic benefits as all the net gains that can be quantified in monetary terms;
g) environmental impacts as changes to the natural and built environment from a project;
h) integration as a seamless combination of different transportation modes that preserves the capacity of the highway system and major arterials;
i) mobility as the ability to move freely, easily and efficiently;
j) operational efficiency as optimizing resource allocation for maximizing the performance criteria relative to cost-effectiveness;
k) project readiness as the fewest impediments present to implement a project;
l) safety improvements as projects that are proven to reduce the number of fatalities or serious injuries based on an analysis of crash data; and
m) system preservation as the recurring maintenance of the federal highway system.
11. Makes technical and conforming changes.
12. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
January 27, 2025
KJA/slp