CE 4361

Transportation Engineering

Lecture #2: Transportation Systems and

Organizations

January 26, 2016

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 Learning Objectives

• Understand how transportation systems are created and developed.

• Explain the use of a supply-demand concept for revenue analysis.
• Discuss comparative advantages of both passenger and freight
transportation modes.
• Understand how highway projects are developed and their funding
sources.

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 Transportation System

• A system consisting of the means and equipment necessary

for the movement of people or goods

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Components of the Transportation System

• Physical facilities
• Control systems
• Operating procedures

In the US, this system has evolved over time as a

reaction to various actions and emerging technologies.

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 Transportation System

• Is a system that grew over time as economically efficient as

one that is analytically developed?
• No, but each mode involved has unique advantages.

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 Evolution of US Transportation System

• Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) formed in 1887

• By 1940, power to regulate water, highway, and rail
• Abolished in 1996
• USDOT formed in 1967
• Provided focus for national transportation activities and policies
• State DOTs formed shortly afterwards. (Texas Highway Department
was established in 1917, State Department of Highways and Public
Transportation in 1975, Texas Department of Transportation in 1991)

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 Primary Transportation Modes
in the United States

• Highway

• Railway

• Airway

• Waterway

• Pipeline

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Comparative Advantages of Transportation
Modes
• Each mode has inherent advantages of cost, travel time, convenience
and flexibility.
o Automobile – reliable, comfortable, flexible, ubiquitous
o Air – quick
o Trucks – flexibility, door-to-door service
o Waterways – heavy commodities at low cost
o Railroads – variety of commodities at low cost

• Trends toward intermodalism – combining the capabilities of various

modes

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 Modes of Transportation

• What measures do we use to compare different modes?

• Cost
• Energy
• Efficiency
• Connectivity
• Safety
• Other?

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 Comparison of Modes Example

• An individual is planning to take an 800-mile trip between two large

cities. Three possibilities exist: air, rail, or auto. The person is willing
to pay $25 for every hour saved in making the trip. The trip by air
costs $600 and travel time is 8 hours, by rail the cost is $450 and
travel time is 16 hours, and by auto the cost is $200 and travel time is
20 hours. Which mode is the best choice? What factors other than
cost might influence the decision regarding which mode to use?

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 Transportation System
Interaction of Supply and Demand

• Transportation system – a product of two factors that act on each other

o The state of economy: produces the demand.
o The extent and quality of the system in place: constitutes the supply of
transportation facilities and services.

• What causes demand to increase?

- Affordable new modes, improved economy, increased supply, etc.

• What causes demand to decrease?

- Unemployment, high fuel costs, etc.

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 Relationship of Supply and Demand

• As cost decreases, traffic volume increases

• As volume increases on a highway, cost of travel increases
• Eventually supply and demand will reach an equilibrium

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Forces that Change Transportation System
• Market forces
• State of economy
• Competition
• Costs
• Prices of service
• Government actions
• Regulation
• Subsidy
• Promotion
• Transportation technology
• Speed
• Capacity
• Range
• Reliability

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 Supply and Demand Example

• A toll bridge carries 5,000 vehicles per day. When the toll is increased
by 25 cents, traffic volume decreases by 500 vpd. The current toll is
$2. Determine the toll that should be charged such that the revenue
is maximized. How much additional revenue will be received?

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Modes of Transportation
Freight and Passenger Traffic

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Percent Share of Domestic Freight Ton Mileage
for Each Transport Mode

40

20

0
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Air Truck Rail Water Pipeline

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Percent Share of Domestic Passenger-Miles
by Transport Mode
100

80

60

40

20

0
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Air Highway Transit Rail

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 Modes of Transportation
Public Transportation
• Transit Modes
o Mass Transit: fixed routs, published schedule
o Paratransit: flexible & personalized service, taxi, car rental
o Ridesharing: carpool, vanpool

• Role and Future of Public Transportation

o Can provide high-capacity, energy-efficient movement in densely travelled
corridors
o Many unforeseen changes that could alter the balance between public and
private transportation

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 Modes of Transportation
Public Transportation
• Factors bad for transit
o Growth of suburbs
o Industry and employment moving from the central city
o Increased suburb-to-suburb commuting
o Migration of the population to the south and west
o Loss of population in “frost-belt” cities
o Growth in private vehicle ownership
o Increased density in vehicle types such as SUVs, RVs
o High cost per mile to construct fixed-rail transit lines
o High labor costs

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 Modes of Transportation
Public Transportation
• Factors good for transit
o Emphasis by the federal government on air quality
o Higher prices of gasoline
o Depletion of energy resources
o Trends toward higher-density living
o Legislation to encourage “livable cities” and “smarter growth”
o Location of mega-centers in suburbs
o Need for airport access and circulation within airports
o Increased number of seniors who cannot or choose not to drive

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 Highway Transportation
Highway Project Development Process

• Planning (6 to 24 months)
• Design (15 to 24 months)
• Environment (9 to 36 months)
• Right of Way (6 to 21 months)
• Construction (12 to 36 months)
• ~ 4 to 12 years

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 Highway Transportation
Highway Project Development Process

• Step 1 – Select Project.

• Step 2 – Investigate Alternates.
• Step 3 – Obtain Final Approvals.
• Step 4 – Develop Project Design.
• Step 5 – Prepare for Construction.
• Step 6 – Construct the Project.

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 Highway Transportation
Sources of Funds for Highways

• Highway users are the primary source of funds.

o Gasoline tax
o Exercise tax – sales of auto, batteries, tires,,,,,
o License and registration fees
o Tolls
• Funding shortage issues
o Improved fuel efficiency
o The way gasoline tax was established
o Use of alternative energy
o Shift to public transportation

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Highway Transportation
Federal Highway System

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 Best Source for Transportation Data

• http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/

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 US Transportation System

• 4 million miles of paved roads

• 95,000 miles of Class 1 railroads
• 20,000 airports
• 25,000 miles of inland waterways
• 1.8 million miles of pipeline

From RITA National Transportation Statistics 2015

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US Department of Transportation

http://www.dot.gov/about 28
US Railroad Mainlines

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US Navigable Waterways

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US Oil Pipeline System

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 TxDOT Transportation System

http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/gpa/pocket_facts.pdf
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TxDOT Transportation System

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 Transportation in Texas

• Public Road Length in Texas

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From the Texas Transportation Profile from RITA
 Transportation in Texas

• Bridge Condition in Texas vs. US

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From the Texas Transportation Profile from RITA
 Transportation in Texas

• Rail Transit in Texas

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From the Texas Transportation Profile from RITA
 Transportation in Texas

• Freight Rail in Texas vs. US

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From the Texas Transportation Profile from RITA
 Transportation in Texas

• Airports in Texas

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From the Texas Transportation Profile from RITA
 Transportation in Texas

• Water Ports in Texas

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From the Texas Transportation Profile from RITA
 Transportation in Texas

• Inland Waterways in Texas vs. US

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From the Texas Transportation Profile from RITA
Maximum Speed Limits in US

http://www.iihs.org/laws/mapmaxspeedonruralinterstates.aspx
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 Other Sources of Transportation Information

• Federal Highway Administration

• http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/

• Transportation Research Board

• http://www.trb.org/Main/Home.aspx

• Fedstats- Transportation Statistics

• http://www.fedstats.gov/key_stats/index.php?markup=XHTML&pageType=program
&id=transportation

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U.S. Petroleum Production & Consumption:
1975–2006

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 Transportation’s Share of
U.S. Petroleum Use: 1975–2006

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 Transportation Related Deaths in 2013
• Pipeline 9 (0.03 %)
• Aviation 429 (1.23 %)
• Waterborne 642 (1.85 %)
• Railroad 706 (2.03 %)
• Transit 266 (0.77 %)
• Highway 32,719 (94.10 %)
• Total 34,509

http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_02_01.html
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 Distribution of Transportation Fatalities
(Highway): 2013
• Passenger car occupants: 11,977 (36.6 %)
• Motorcycles: 4,668 (14.3 %)
• Truck occupants, light: 9,155 (28.0 %)
• Truck occupants, large: 691 (2.1 %)
• Bus occupants: 48 (0.1 %)
• Pedestrians: 4,736 (14.5 %)
• Pedalcyclists: 743 (2.3 %)
• Other incident: 702 (2.1 %)

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 Transportation Pollution

• Emissions
• Noise Pollution
• Construction Runoff

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 U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions from
Energy Use: 1990–2013

http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/Downloads/ghgemissions/US-GHG-Inventory-2015-Main-Text.pdf
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CO2 Emissions from Fossil Fuel Combustion

Transportation activities account for 33% of CO2 emissions

from fossil fuel combustion in 2013!
US GHG Inventory-EPA.gov
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New Passenger Car and Light Truck Sales:
Model Years 1985–2007

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 Transportation Organizations

• Seven types of organizations

• Private companies
• Regulatory agencies
• Federal agencies
• State and local agencies
• Trade associations
• Professional societies
• Organizations of transportation users

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 Summary

• Because transportation is driven by economics, transportation in any

country is a matter of goods and services.
• Each mode has inherent advantages of cost, travel time, convenience
and flexibility.
• Transportation system is a product of two factors that act on each
other – demand and supply.
• Highway users are the primary source of funds.
• A nation’s transportation system evolves over time.

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