Performance Based Planning and Programming

Federal surface transportation laws, MAP-21 and the FAST Act, included provisions requiring the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to craft rules for state departments of transportation, transit agencies, and MPOs to collect data and set targets to support performance based decision-making. These Performance-Based Planning and Programming rules require states MPOs to measure, forecast, and set targets to address issues like road safety, bridge condition, the condition of buses and train cars, and many other measures to ensure that states, transit agencies, and MPOs are making and carrying out plans to meet important national goals.

The federal performance measures fall into three main categories—safety, maintenance, and performance. Safety measures track highway and transit deaths and injuries and include transit incidents like fires or crashes. Maintenance measures look at the age of transit fleets or the condition of roads and bridges. System performance measures look at highway congestion and reliability, freight movement, and environmental sustainability including air quality.