Measuring Quality


Book Description

The University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will soon enter its sixth program year. Program goals have been refined, center capabilities to meet goals have grown, and program funding has been reauthorized through federal fiscal year 1997 by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). To solidify these gains, DOT program staff has requested the assistance of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Research Council in developing a formal evaluation process and implementation plan to measure the progress of the centers on an ongoing basis. The recommendations of the study committee convened to carry out this task are presented in this report. The primary goal of the review process should be to provide feedback to centers and DOT on the quality of center programs and opportunities for their improvement. A key component of the review is to assess the extent to which the expected synergy, or value added, from funding centers instead of individual research and education projects is being realized.




Evaluation of Methodologies for Visual Impact Assessments


Book Description

"TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 741: Evaluation of Methodologies for Visual Impact Assessments evaluates visual impact assessment (VIA) procedures, methods, and practices that satisfy or exceed National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other requirements. The report documents VIA methodologies and approaches used in the United States and other countries, describes the decision making framework used to select specific VIA techniques for a given project, includes VIA best practice case studies from state departments of transportation, and highlights promising new developments in the field."--pub. desc.




Department of Transportation


Book Description




Highway Needs


Book Description




Community Impact Assessment


Book Description

This guide was written as a quick primer for transportation professionals and analysts who assess the impacts of proposed transportation actions on communities. It outlines the community impact assessment process, highlights critical areas that must be examined, identifies basic tools and information sources, and stimulates the thought-process related to individual projects. In the past, the consequences of transportation investments on communities have often been ignored or introduced near the end of a planning process, reducing them to reactive considerations at best. The goals of this primer are to increase awareness of the effects of transportation actions on the human environment and emphasize that community impacts deserve serious attention in project planning and development-attention comparable to that given the natural environment. Finally, this guide is intended to provide some tips for facilitating public involvement in the decision making process.