Capacity solutions integrate economic, environmental, community, and mobility needs in the planning and design of new transportation projects. The solutions included in the Capacity focus area were designed to bring greater collaboration to decision making to improve project delivery times.

They can:

• Expedite project delivery through:
  • Greater input, earlier in the process
  • Better, more predictable permitting
  • More accurate modeling techniques
• Improve decision making
• Build greater public trust through more transparency
• Incorporate more multi-modal alternatives into planning at earlier stages

Most of the initial capacity solutions developed through SHRP2 have been bundled together and have their own “product pages” that can be accessed through the links provided. If no separate product page exists, the link provided will be to a factsheet that offers general information.

SHRP2 Capacity Solutions Retrospective Workshop Report – This report summarizes the SHRP2 Capacity Solutions Workshop, held in conjunction with the 2019 AASHTO Spring Meeting, on May 20-21, 2019 in Park City, Utah. The goals of the workshop were to engage agencies involved in SHRP2 implementation activities; discuss experiences and opinions regarding the SHRP2 Program, Capacity Focus Area products, and current disposition of the products; and identify potential next steps.

• Report
• Presentation

PlanWorks (C01) provides information at the key decision points in long-range planning, programming, corridor planning, and environmental review to show when and how to engage partners and stakeholders. This system can help streamline decisions throughout these phases by assisting practitioners to engage the right people at the right time with the right information.

Planning Process Bundle (C02/C08/C09/C12/C15) This bundle is a related group of SHRP2 products that addresses elements of transportation planning, programming, and project development, thereby requiring collaboration with entities outside the primary transportation planning agency in order to achieve success. These products, which are tied to the DecisionGuide in PlanWorks (C01), are designed to facilitate a collaborative process by providing case studies and step-by-step guidance on when and how to consider performance measures, visioning, greenhouse gas emissions, public-private partnerships, and freight during the transportation planning, programming, and decision-making processes.

EconWorks is a bundle of economic analysis tools including web-based sketch planning tools, statistical models, case studies, and a practitioners’ handbook, combining Transportation Project Impact Case Studies (C03) and Tools for Assessing Wider Economic Benefits of Transportation (C11).

Implementing Eco-Logical(C06) contains a process and information on how to operationalize FHWA’s Eco-Logical approach; offering a structured nine-step process, tools, and templates that can guide transportation agencies as they work to meet both ecosystem and transportation goals.

The TravelWorks bundle (C10/C04/C05/C16) provides approaches for developing integrated travel analysis models that include traveler decision inputs to better align the outcomes with real-world conditions. Transportation agencies will be able to estimate travel demand in a way that integrates activities, networks, and the environment.

Expediting Project Delivery (C19) provides innovative approaches to the planning process to produce better projects and environmental outcomes while addressing the common constraints encountered during project implementation.

The Freight Demand Modeling and Data Improvement (C20) product offers a road map that will lead to improved freight data sets and freight modeling practices.

Resources for Using State-of-the-Art Travel Demand Models (C46) – Resource for advanced integrated models to track alternatives for addressing congestion.