Evaluation of the ADOT small area transportation studies and planning assistance for rural areas programs.

PDFTech ReportFHWA-AZ-14-716SPR 000-1(181) 716Rural areasMultimodal transportationTransportation planningStakeholdersDatabasesSurveysInterviewingEvaluationFederal assistance programsArizonaArizona. Dept. of Transportation. Research CenterWemple, ElizabethWu, DanielCambridge SystematicsUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUS Transportation CollectionThe Planning Assistance for Rural Areas (PARA) program, sponsored by the Arizona Department of Transportation\ue2\u20ac\u2122s(ADOT) Multimodal Planning Division (MPD), dedicates funding and staff to conduct multimodal transportation planningstudies for local jurisdictions. This research study\ue2\u20ac\u2122s goal was to evaluate and refine ADOT\ue2\u20ac\u2122s PARA program to better meetthe goals of both ADOT and its local jurisdictional partners. This study had four phases: database development andevaluation of PARA studies from 2002 to 2012, peer state interviews and assessment of similar programs, in\ue2\u20ac?state surveysand interviews with key stakeholders, and PARA program evaluation and recommendations. The study found that overall,PARA stakeholders were satisfied with the PARA program. Stakeholders stated that PARA programs provided resources foridentifying needs and addressing issues that were not otherwise readily available to small communities with budgetconstraints. Based on the stakeholder assessment, this study made recommendations to strengthen ADOT\ue2\u20ac\u2122s ability toaddress diverse transportation planning issues, streamline the PARA study process, and improve MPD\ue2\u20ac\u2122s interaction withPARA stakeholders