Better State-of-Good Repair Indicators for the Transportation Performance Index

摘要

The Transportation Performance Index was developed for the US Chamber of Commerce to track the performance of transportation infrastructure over time and explore the connection between economic health and infrastructure performance. This project revisits performance indicators related to state of good repair and safety, and their relative weights to be sure that state of good repair is adequately captured in the transportation performance index (TPI). This includes evaluating the TPI for 2010 and 2011 and understanding the relationship among the estimates, as well as the relationship with economic health. Based on this analysis we concluded that our original data, methods and weights are robust and therefore would not be enhanced by changes at this time. However, the importance of good data and future improvements are emphasized. Modest improvements in the TPI over the last five years come from reductions in both vehicle miles of travel and ton miles of travel, and significant strategic investment focused on state of good repair, intermodal connectivity, mobility and accessibility. Case studies focusing on both prospective and retrospective scenarios to better understand the TPI reinforce the need for comprehensive investments across all modes and holistic policies that focus on all modes and all regions.