Strategies For Improving The Project Agreement Process Between Highway Agencies And Railroads

This report from the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2), which is administered by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, examines the procedures that highway agencies and railroads follow to develop agreements for highway projects that cross or lie alongside railways. It provides a comprehensive collection of successful practices and standard processes that promote cooperation between railroads and public agencies and that can help them reduce the time and cost of project reviews. The report also includes a series of model legal agreements.

Examines five broad areas of performance including transportation, environment, economics, community, and cost.

This report from the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2), which is administered by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, examines the procedures that highway agencies and railroads follow to develop agreements for highway projects that cross or lie alongside railways. It provides a comprehensive collection of successful practices and standard processes that promote cooperation between railroads and public agencies and that can help them reduce the time and cost of project reviews. The report also includes a series of model legal agreements.

This guidebook demonstrates how a state transportation agency (STA) can improve its project scoping process (PSP) and practices to produce a project cost estimate and schedule that facilitate programming decision making and accountability. It illustrates the effort needed to develop a robust cost estimate and then manage to a baseline budget and scope throughout the project delivery cycle. The guidebook consists of two parts. Part 1, “Research Results about the PSP,” addresses the following issues: why STAs should formalize the PSP; current practices for PSP; and how agencies can implement an effective PSP. Part 2, “Implementation Guidelines,” provides an easy-to-understand layout and describes how to implement the PSP. The guidelines are divided into three sections. Each section details one of the three major activities of the PSP—develop the project, analyze the alternatives and document findings, and develop the recommended alternative. The guidelines also have two appendices. The first appendix summarizes the tools that can be used while performing different activities in the scope development process. The second appendix is the list of online links to various resources and tools to support the PSP, as referenced in this guidebook.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued joint planning regulations in response to the requirements set forth in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). The joint planning regulations include provisions for major investment studies (MISs) where there are high-cost and high-impact transportation alternatives being considered. MIS regulations have now been in effect for more than two years. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) was asked to convene a conference of State and local planning practitioners involved in MIS activities. The conference focused on the following four topic areas: (1) policy issues; (2) the relation of MISs to the overall planning and project development process; (3) management and institutional issues affecting MISs; and (4) the transportation decision process for the MIS. This Circular contains the conference proceedings.

The Code of Federal Regulations is acodification of the general and permanent rules published in theFederal Register by the Executive departments and agencies of theUnited States Federal Government. Thsi print ISBN is currently the official U.S. Federal Government edition of this product.CFR Title 23 includes payment procedures, credit assistance for surface transportation projects, National Highway Institute, highway systems, transportation infrastructure management, value engineering, bridges, structures and hydraulics, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, national minimum drinking age, use of safety belts, open container laws, and more. Other related products: Surface Transportation Board Reports: Decisions of the Surface Transportation Board of the United States, V. 7, June 2003 to December 2004 is available here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/026-000-01298-8 Code of Federal Regulations, Title 23, Highways, Revised as of April 1, 2016 is available here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/869-084-00078-6 National Traffic Incident Management Responder Training Program: Train-the-Trainer Guide is available here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/050-001-00347-3 United States Code, 2012 Edition, V. 17, Title 23, Highways to Title 25, Indians is available here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/052-001-00634-8"