2013 Session: 412

• Public Service Assessment of Proposed Road Construction Projects
  Abstract: A public service based assessment of alternative road construction projects was designed by Bernalillo County, New Mexico, from 2006 to 2008. The purpose of the initiative was to assess and prioritize road projects for capital investment that would independently advise policy decisions. The research phase of the initiative included benchmarking national and international practice. The development phase addressed alternative ways of assessing and prioritizing completed as well as proposed road reconstruction and construction projects. Public service based assessment was successfully deployed in 2008 to advise allocation of bond revenue. Distinguishing characteristics of the public service evaluation are: 1) criteria used to indicate how well a road project would address public needs are measurement based, 2) other non-quantifiable observations are separately noted, and 3) the process involves the public and the results are transparent to the public within and across bond cycles. As of November 2012, the technical evaluation has been successfully deployed in three successive bond cycles. Public service assessment of road projects has been integrated into ongoing operations, has been extended to other types of capital improvements, and retains its technical integrity.
  Authors: Miller, Stephen Robert
  Authors: Miller, Stephen Robert
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting
  Session: 412
  Paper Number: 13-0759
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Logic Scoring of Preference (LSP) Application to Transportation Investment Portfolio Optimization: A Case Study in Colorado Springs
  Abstract: The evaluation and prioritization of transportation investments at the portfolio level presents a complex decision-making problem for state and regional planning organizations. Historically, transportation investment decisions have been dealt with as a series of stand-alone problems that could be resolved using straight-forward engineering solutions. In this context, improvement needs and project solutions were identified based on simple criteria, such as traffic congestion levels. Investment portfolio optimization was accomplished by listing projects in order of most to least congestion reducing, and then allocating funding to projects by rank until funding is exhausted. Recently, increasing awareness of the complex interdependencies among transportation, land-use, social, economic and ecological systems has fostered implementation of multi-criteria analysis (MCA) investment prioritization approaches that incorporate increasingly more complex goals and metrics. The simplest MCA decision model is the Weighted Sum Model (WSM). More rigorous methods, such as the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Technique for Ordered Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), provide increased functionality, and support prioritization that is driven by asset performance and financial return in addition to engineering criteria. This paper examines the suitability of alternative decision models for the optimization of transportation investment priorities across full programs/portfolios. A Logic Scoring of Preference (LSP) approach is contrasted to the WSM approach that is currently used by the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG), as well as to an enhanced linear programming optimization (OPT) algorithm approach. Functionality, advantages, disadvantages of each method are discussed, and potential enhancements for each approach are identified.
  Authors: Casper, Craig T.; Paz de Araujo, Carlos; Paz de Araujo, Maureen
  Authors: Casper, Craig T.; Paz de Araujo, Carlos; Paz de Araujo, Maureen
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting
  Session: 412
  Paper Number: 13-1830
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Public Service Assessment of Proposed Road Construction Projects
  Authors: Miller, Stephen
  Authors: Miller, Stephen
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting
  Session: 412
  Paper Number: 13-0759