Model Long Range Transportation Plans: A Guide for Incorporating Performance-Based Planning

This Guidebook informs State departments of transportation (DOTs), metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and regional transportation planning organizations (RTPOs), as well as their planning partners such as transit agencies, local governments, and Federal agencies, about effective practices for incorporating performance-based planning into the development of a long range transportation plan. A performance-based plan sets the foundation of goals, objectives, performance measures, and targets that support decisions for long-range investments and policies, and guides programming, as well as shorter-range decisions that move toward achievement of desired system performance outcomes. This document identifies key components present in a “model” transportation plan, as well as process elements that are necessary to reflect the priorities of the community and support attainment of desired performance outcomes for the multimodal transportation system. Examples and case studies illustrate the Guide’s key points.