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FHWA Releases Timeline, Memo on Performance Management Requirements

FHWA Releases Timeline, Memo on Performance Management Requirements

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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has developed a timeline (PDF) to transparently communicate required deadlines for state departments of transportation and MPOs to develop performance targets, report on performance for required measures, and any other required actions.  Although rural planning agencies do not have requirements for performance management at the federal level, they may be interested stakeholders in the process.  Additional information and resources on performance management are available on FHWA’s Transportation Performance Management website.

FHWA has also released a memo with an overview of performance management requirements for planning agencies.  The text of the memo is below:

“The purpose of this message is to remind [planning stakeholders] that the May 27, 2016 Final Planning Rule requires that a written agreement be developed cooperatively by MPO(s), State(s), and transit provider(s) describing their mutual responsibilities for carrying out performance based planning and programming in metropolitan areas (23 CFR 450.314(h)).  The agreements are to include written provisions for cooperatively developing and sharing information related to transportation performance data, the selection of performance targets, the reporting of performance targets, the reporting of performance to be used in tracking progress toward attainment of critical outcomes for the region of the MPO, and the collection of data for the State asset management plan for the NHS.

“The written procedures may be included as part of the metropolitan planning agreement or documented in some other means outside of the metropolitan planning agreements as determined cooperatively determined by the MPO(s), State(s), and transit provider(s) for a metropolitan area.  To the extent possible, a single agreement between all responsible parties should be developed for each metropolitan area.

“In regards to the development and implementation of the written procedures, the Final Planning Rule outlines a two‐year phase‐in period based on the effective date of the associated performance measures rule. This means that on or after two‐years from the effective date of each performance measures rule, States and MPOs can only adopt an update, amendment, or conformity determination for a long‐range plan, STIP, or TIP, if it has been developed according to the provisions and requirements of the Final Planning Rule.   Two years from the effective date of each rule establishing performance measures, FHWA/FTA will only determine the conformity of, or approve as part of a STIP, a TIP that is based on a metropolitan planning process that meets the performance based planning requirements of the final planning rule (23 CFR 450.340(e)).

“With respect to FHWA safety performance measures written provisions are due on or afterMay 27, 2018 (2 years after the publication date of the planning rule).  With respect to FHWA’s pavement and bridge performance measures (PM-2 rule) and system performance measures (PM-3 rule), written provisions are due on or afterMay 20, 2019 (2 years after the effective date of those rules).  With respect to the greenhouse gas performance measure, written provisions are due on or afterSeptember 28, 2019 (2 years after the effective date of the Federal Register Notice that implements the GHG measure).

“The jointly written provisions to address FTA’s Transit Assessment Management/State of Good Repair (TAM/SGR) performance measures must be completed by October 1, 2018 (two years after the effective date of the TAM rule).  As information on transit asset conditions as reported by providers of public transportation to the National Transit Database (NTD) will not be available until October 2019, transit providers will need to provide this information directly to their MPO.  The schedule to address FTA’s transit safety performance measures will be provided once the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan Final Rule is published.

“The FTA has provided similar information to their Regional Offices.  The FHWA Division Office and the FTA Regional Office will work with the MPOs, State DOTs, and transit providers individually to assure that the transportation planning process and jointly written provisions on performance based planning and programming meet the requirements as noted above.”

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