Expanding Metropolitan Highways

Reviews existing research on the links among highway capacity, traffic flow characteristics, travel demand, land use, vehicle emissions, air quality, and energy use in metropolitan areas; Identifies the conditions most likely to affect emissions and energy use; reviews the reliability of models and analyses that regional and state planning agencies use to forecast travel demand and land use, emission levels, and energy consumption; and recommends research strategies, modeling improvements, and data collection efforts to improve analytic capabilities.

"This synthesis will be of interest to state DOT bridge maintenance and construction engineers; regulators, consultants, and contractors involved with the removal of lead paint from bridges and structures; and structural coatings specialists, chemists, and researchers. This synthesis describes the current state of the practice for the removal of lead-based paint from existing highway steel bridges."--Avant-propos.

TRB Special Report 288, Metropolitan Travel Forecasting: Current Practice and Future Direction, examines metropolitan travel forecasting models that provide public officials with information to inform decisions on major transportation system investments and policies. The report explores what improvements may be needed to the models and how federal, state, and local agencies can achieve them. According to the committee that produced the report, travel forecasting models in current use are not adequate for many of today's necessary planning and regulatory uses.