Miami-Dade 2040 LRTP - Oct. 23, 2014

MIAMI-DADE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN UPDATE TO THE YEAR 2040 Chapter 3 | Connecting the Dots EYES ON THE FUTURE | 3-17 Figure 3-6 | Project-Level Measures: 3 Tier Process Project-Level Measures Project level measures are used to prioritize projects and develop a Cost Feasible Plan. These measures are utilized to assess the value of each of the identified needs improvements, which is a necessary process, given that only a portion of needed improvements can be afforded. The three step process of project evaluation is shown in Figure 3-6 . Goal Elements Analysis The first tier analysis involves a goal element project evaluation framework, developed to identify the relationship between proposed improvements and specific elements contained in the plan Goals and Objectives. A detailed analysis of projects relative to the detailed elements contained within the LRTP objectives was completed through the development of a goal elements analysis. There are two categories of elements identified. The first goal element is geographical, which includes elements that can be isolated and represented in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. The second goal element is qualitative, which includes elements that cannot be related to projects geographically, but can be assessed based on qualitative criteria. The goal elements and corresponding measures are listed in Table 3-6 . Needs Plan projects were evaluated against the geographical elements in GIS through a buffer analysis. The geographical relationship between the project buffers and goal elements was used to score projects. An example geographical element is health care facilities, which is referenced in Objective 1.1 to improve accessibility to major health care facilities. A comparison of project locations to a 0.25 mile buffer of all major health care facilities within the County was utilized to determine whether projects addressed that particular element. Projects were evaluated against the qualitative elements by subjecting them to the same scoring process Prioritized List Of Needs Projects. Goal Element Analysis Congestion Coordination Implementing Agency Coordination 3 Step Evaluation that utilizes non-geographical criteria. An example qualitative element is system reliability. The criteria developed for this element is simply whether a project is a managed lane improvement or a fixed guideway (rail) public transit improvement. The logic of these criteria is that managed lanes and fixed improvements are the only types of improvements, in a planning context that can reasonably be assumed to assure reliability. Using a binary or yes/no scoring process, each project is evaluated against each of the two goal elements and the project score against each goal is summed and weighted by the respective goal element. The goal scores are then summed for a total weighted score for each project. Congestion Coordination The second tier of project evaluation involves the analysis of congestion levels on facilities identified for improvements in a minimum investment scenario, or E+C scenario. Whereas the goal element methodology applies a simplified binary tool, the second tier enables a higher degree of resolution and a specific focus on mobility, which in fact represents the highest weighted goal by both the public and the Steering Committee. The relationship of project rankings to the congestion levels on the respective roadways is analyzed relative to the goal element evaluation results. Implementing Agency Coordination The third and final tier involves a consultation process with corresponding implementing agencies on projects in the respective agency’s jurisdiction (e.g. coordination with FDOT for state highway projects). This facilitated the consideration of implementing agency priorities, which is a good indicator of project value and suppport. The process of incorporating congestion and coordination resulted in minor revisions to the ranked order of projects, with maintenance of original evaluation results where possible. The results of this evaluation was a prioritized list of Needs projects.