Performance measures of operational effectiveness for highway segments and systems

This report of the Transportation Research Board will be of interest to local, regional, state, and federal officials, as well as to other transportation professionals who work with them in examining the use of performance measures for the monitoring and operational management of highway segments and systems. The current state of the practice includes a wide and varied approach to performance measures, with more than 70 performance measures being identified in this synthesis. Those identified as being used the most successfully were those related to conditions experienced by the traveler, such as travel time, speed, and delay. Based on the survey results, the dimensions of operational performance that were the most relevant were the quantity of travel and the quality of travel. This synthesis contains overview information culled from survey responses from state transportation agencies and metropolitan planning organizations. This information was combined with that from recent literature findings and ongoing research to address current practices across the nation.