Collaborative Funding to Facilitate Airport Ground Access
Project Number: 2503
Research Project:The proposed research will identify and explore the constraints that current funding program limitations place on developing and funding solutions to airport ground access problems and the potential role of collaborative strategies in addressing these limitations. The research will address the current lack of relevant guidance material on how to define and implement such strategies by developing guidance material targeted at planners developing airport ground access projects, as well as recommend potential changes to funding program rules and regulations that could facilitate the development of effective intermodal solutions to improving airport ground access.
Principal Investigator: Dr.Geoffrey D. Gosling, Principal, Aviation System Consulting
Team Members: Dr. Wenbin Wei, Assistant Professor, Department of Aviation and Technology, San José State University; Richard W. Lee, Ph.D., Urban and Transportation Planning Consultant, Berkeley, Calif.
Institution:
Mineta Transportation Institute
Telephone Number:
(408) 924-7560
Email Address: mti@mti.sjsu.edu
Project Objective:
The objectives of the research are to identify and document existing sources of funding for airport ground access projects and the associated constraints on how they can be used, together with guidance on how to develop collaborative funding arrangements for such projects within these constraints. The research will also examine and document past experience on collaborative funding of airport ground access projects and develop recommendations for changes to policies and funding allocation procedures at the federal and state levels in order to improve the ability to make use of different funding sources to facilitate interconnectivity between transportation modes, including projects to improve airport ground access.
Project Abstract:
The research will explore the limitations on funding airport ground access projects imposed by the rules on eligible projects for funding allocations for the various programs administered by the FAA, FHWA, and FTA, as well as constraints from state and local statutes in California. The first goal of the research is to identify specific policies and regulations that limit collaborative or cross-jurisdictional funding and the reasons for these limitations. The second goal is to define proposed strategies to overcome these limitations and to develop recommendations for ways to amend the relevant statutes and regulations in a manner that would facilitate intermodal connectivity without undermining the intent of the existing limitations.
The proposed research will address these goals by undertaking a review and analysis of pertinent literature and funding program regulations and guidelines, in conjunction with interviews with relevant agency officials. This will be supplemented by a case study analysis of recent or planned airport ground access projects that have been able to successfully overcome the limitations of current funding programs through developing collaborative funding arrangements.
Milestones Dates:
Task 1: Literature Review
Review recent literature on funding airport ground access and intermodal projects. Assemble regulatory and guidance information on relevant funding programs for airport ground access and intermodal projects and summarize limitations and restrictions of each.
Task 2: Agency Discussions
Hold discussions with funding agency staff as well as appropriate staff of local, state and federal agencies and consulting firms involved in airport ground access planning in order to clarify how limitations and restrictions of various funding programs are applied, and identify potential case study projects.
Task 3: Summary of Funding Programs
Prepare draft summary of the current funding programs and their associated restrictions and limitations and distribute to selected agency personnel for review and comment.
Task 4: Select and Plan Case Studies
Based on the literature review in Task 1 and agency discussions in Task 2, develop a list of potential case study projects. Contact relevant agencies and identify availability of information, extent of collaborative funding, and site-specific issues. Select six case studies in consultation with Caltrans staff and plan case study analysis
Task 5: Perform Case Studies
Assemble relevant information for each case study in conjunction with discussions with relevant agency staff. Conduct field visits to gather additional information as necessary. Review materials and prepare a summary for each case study project, identifying the extent of collaborative funding involved, the funding issues that arose in each case and how these were addressed.
Task 6: Assemble Guidance Document
Revise draft summary of current funding programs prepared in Task 3 to address agency comments and combine with case study summaries to prepare a draft guidance document on funding strategies for intermodal airport ground access projects. Distribute to relevant Caltrans staff and funding agency personnel for review and comment and revise to address comments.
Task 7: Develop Recommendations
Based on the findings of the literature review, analysis of the funding program regulations, and the results of the case studies, develop recommended changes to applicable program rules and regulations, and associated legislative requirements, that could better facilitate collaborative funding of airport ground access projects. Distribute to relevant agency staff for review and comment.
Task 8: Prepare Final Report
Revise the recommendations for changes to applicable program rules and regulation, including associated legislative requirements, to respond to agency comments on the proposed recommendations developed in Task 7, and incorporate in a final report documenting the findings and conclusions of the research.
Total Budget:$58,926
Student Involvement:
Student Research Assistant, San Jose State University TBA
Technology Transfer Activities:
Upon publication, pdf and html versions will be available on the Mineta Transportation Institute web site. The project experience and data will be available for community meetings. Authors are encouraged to submit articles based on the research to relevant journals and to present the information to end-users at conferences,
Potential Benefits of the Project:
It is anticipated that the research will result in two products:
1. A guide to collaborative funding of intermodal airport ground access projects that will document the various funding programs available to support project planning and implementation, review their current limitations, and identify collaborative strategies to overcome these limitations, as well as present case studies of successful efforts to develop collaborative funding strategies for airport ground access projects.
2. A final report that will present an analysis of the past experience with collaborative funding of airport ground access projects and present recommendations for changes to policies and funding allocation procedures at the federal and state levels
TRB Keywords:Airport planning; Transportation policy; Intermodal facilities; Ground transportation
Primary Subject:
Transportation/Land Use/ Environment
Goals:
To increase interest in the benefits of transit capital improvements, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s research objective of examining issues relating to mobility.
Enabling Research:
Literature review, case studies
Modal Orientation:
Air |
