Development Of Levels Of Service For The Interstate Highway System

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 677: Development of Levels of Service for the Interstate Highway System examines a level-of-service-based approach to describing the performance of Interstate Highway System (IHS) assets. The report also includes a template and process that state departments of transportation (DOTs) may use to implement this approach for managing their IHS assets. The appendices to NCHRP Report 677 were published on a CD-ROM that is included with the report. Titles of the appendices are as follows: Appendix A: State-of-the-Practice Research; Appendix B: Development of Levels of Service for the IHS. The CD-ROM is also available for download from TRB's website as an ISO image.

The research project examined the consequences of the interstate highway system for transit. A literature review and case studies of urbanized areas were done, with each of the case studies representing a different relationship between highways, transit, and urban development.

All phases of road developmentâ€"from construction and use by vehicles to maintenanceâ€"affect physical and chemical soil conditions, water flow, and air and water quality, as well as plants and animals. Roads and traffic can alter wildlife habitat, cause vehicle-related mortality, impede animal migration, and disperse nonnative pest species of plants and animals. Integrating environmental considerations into all phases of transportation is an important, evolving process. The increasing awareness of environmental issues has made road development more complex and controversial. Over the past two decades, the Federal Highway Administration and state transportation agencies have increasingly recognized the importance of the effects of transportation on the natural environment. This report provides guidance on ways to reconcile the different goals of road development and environmental conservation. It identifies the ecological effects of roads that can be evaluated in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of roads and offers several recommendations to help better understand and manage ecological impacts of paved roads.

Aims to encourage transportation agencies to address strategic questions as they confront the task of managing the surface transportation system. Drawn form both national and international knowledge and experience, it provides guidance to State Department of Transportation (DOT) decision makers, as well as county and municipal transportation agencies, to assist them in realizing the most from financial resources now and into the future, preserving highway assets, and providing the service expected by customers. Divided into two parts, Part one focuses on leadership and goal and objective setintg, while Part two is more technically oriented. Appendices include work sheets and case studies.