According to FHWA, performance management is a strategic approach that uses system information to make investment and policy decisions to achieve performance goals.  While FHWA and federal legislation has emphasized performance management in recent years, HRTPO has based its planning and programming process on performance management for many years. 

The HRTPO performance management process is comprised of the following efforts:

1. Regional Performance Measures and Targets

A key feature of MAP-21 (and continued under recent federal legislation) is the establishment of national performance goals in the areas of safety, infrastructure condition, congestion reduction, system reliability, freight movement and economic vitality, environmental sustainability, and reduced project delivery delays.  Federal legislation also requires Metropolitan Planning Organizations to prepare and set targets for the following federally-established performance measures:

• Pavement Condition
• Roadway Performance
• Bridge Condition
• Roadway Safety
• Freight Movement
• Transit Asset Management and Safety
• On-road mobile source emissions and traffic congestion for CMAQ Program

The HRTPO Board approves regional targets in each of these areas, based on cooperation with HRTPO staff, the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC), and a Regional Performance Measures Working Group established by the TTAC.

The HRTPO annually prepares a System Performance Report on these regional performance measures and targets. This report includes a description of the methodology used to calculate each measure, historical data trends for each of the areas, information on statewide targets, a description of the targets that have been established by the HRTPO, and the progress being made towards meeting the established targets. The first version of the Regional Performance Measures – System Performance Report was approved by the HRTPO Board in April 2019, and updates to the report were released in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

2. Annual System Performance Reports

 a.  Annual State of Transportation in Hampton Roads Report

Each year, HRTPO staff produces the State of Transportation in Hampton Roads report.  The report details the current status and recent trends of all facets of the transportation system in Hampton Roads, including air, rail, water, and highways.  Many aspects of the highway system are highlighted, including roadway usage, pavement condition, bridge conditions, congestion levels, commuting characteristics, roadway safety, transit usage, and active transportation (such as biking and walking).  Comparisons are made between Hampton Roads and similar large metropolitan areas.

b.  HRTPO Annual Roadway Performance Report

Each year, HRTPO staff produces a report documenting the volumes, speeds, and congestion levels of each segment of the CMP roadway network.  Staff analyzes congestion levels using travel time data collected by INRIX.

3. Congestion Management Process

The Congestion Management Process (CMP) is an on-going systematic process for managing congestion that provides information and analysis on multimodal transportation system performance and on strategies to alleviate congestion and enhance the mobility of persons and goods regionwide.  During this process, HRTPO works with state and local agencies to develop these strategies and mobility options.

More information on the Hampton Roads CMP is available on HRTPO’s Congestion Management page.

4. Special Transportation Studies

HRTPO staff regularly prepares special studies that examine specific topics related to the Hampton Roads transportation system.  A full list of studies completed by HRTPO is available on the Technical Reports page.

5. Performance-Based Project Selection

The FAST Act states that each MPO’s Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) will include a description of the performance measures and performance targets used in assessing the performance of the transportation system. The LRTP will also include a system performance report and subsequent updates evaluating the condition and performance of the transportation system with respect to the established performance targets.

In addition, HRTPO uses a Project Prioritization Tool to evaluate the expected performance of each candidate LRTP project.  Scores are determined based on a number of factors related to the utility, viability, and economic vitality of each project. 

Projects proposed by eligible recipients for Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ), Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP), or Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funding are evaluated by HRTPO staff using a specific set of criteria that have been approved by the HRTPO Board.  The proposed projects are ranked based on the results of the analyses. 

More details on this work are included on HRTPO’s Long Range Transportation Planning and Transportation Improvement Program pages.