Project Prioritization: Case Study: North Carolina Develops Statewide Performance-based Prioritization Process

In 2009, under direction from the new governor, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) commenced efforts to launch the state’s strategic prioritization process.  NCDOT’s Strategic Planning Offce of Transportation (SPOT) was charged with developing a data-driven, transparent process.  The process would ultimately result in a 10-Year Work Program and the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).  The three-member SPOT team designed a new process around three primary NCDOT goals: Safety, Mobility, and Infrastructure Health (Condition).  The new process, according to Alpesh Patel, SPOT Senior Transportation Engineer, “formalizes the use of data to determine project need” around these three goals.  Local planning partners also contributed to the development of the new process through webinars and regional meetings. (6)

The ranking process works as follows: projects are sorted by goal and then by transportation tier—statewide, regional, and subregional—within each goal.  A project’s total score combines quantitative data, qualitative data, and multimodal points.  For the first version of Prioritization (referred to as “P1.0”), quantitative data points accounted for the majority of a project’s total score and were based on crash rates, capacity/traffic counts, and pavement conditions.  Qualitative points were assigned based on a top 25 ranking by each MPO, RPO, and NCDOT Division Office (Figure 13 shows the state’s 17 MPOs and 20 RPOs; 14 NCDOT field or Division offices work with the regional partners).  In this manner, the new process, says Patel, “provides a balanced picture of projects scores reflecting both data and local interest throughout the state.”

Finally, SPOT awards multimodal “bonus” points to highway projects that encourage efficient connections between transportation modes.  The three tiers within each goal category address the different transportation needs and interests of urban and rural areas.  Quantitative data points are weighed more heavily for higher-tier statewide projects, and decrease for regional and subregional tier projects.  Local input points are weighed more heavily for subregional tier projects, and decrease for regional and statewide projects.

According to Patel, in P1.0 the state and regional/local partners found their priorities were generally in alignment.  Patel says that the majority of MPOs and RPOs support the new statewide prioritization process; however, some of the larger MPOs found the exercise a burden due to the challenge of satisfying a large number of municipalities within a top 25 ranking process.  Following the qualitative input of MPO and RPO partners, SPOT finalized project rankings and published results for both partner and public consumption.  These results are also forwarded to a separate NCDOT division for programming projects based on funding allocations and eligibility.  This input helps drive the creation of NCDOT’s 10-Year Work Program and STIP.

Within the last year, SPOT has continued to reach out to its partners to improve the project prioritization process. According to Patel, the initial selection of quantitative criteria for Prioritization 1.0 flowed easily from NCDOT’s goals.  A work group (consisting of MPOs, RPOs, and other governmental agencies) was convened in 2010 and contributed to the enhancement of this criteria and helped shape the second version of Prioritization (P2.0).

In response to the input of MPO and RPO partners, Prioritization 2.0 will incorporate new criteria, including benefit/cost (measured by travel time savings) and economic competitiveness.  P2.0 will also include criteria to address modernization issues identified by partners, including sight distances and deficiencies in lane and shoulder widths.  The strategic prioritization process will formally engage planning partners every two years and will continue to be improved and refined over time.

Elements of the new process are also being employed for purposes outside of STIP preparation.  MPOs and RPOs in North Carolina prepare regional transportation improvement programs.  These processes are separately developed at the local level.  Patel says that some MPOs and RPOs have revised their regional processes to incorporate elements of the new statewide prioritization process.

North Carolina’s transportation reforms, which resulted in a new statewide project prioritization process, have been well received.  According to Patel, MPOs and RPOs are comfortable with the openness and transparency of the new process.  SPOT has heard positive feedback on the process from board members at the state level and division leadership alike.  Says Patel: “It’s a success story.” For more information, visit www.ncdot.gov/performance/reform, or view the 2012 National Rural Transportation Peer Learning Conference presentation by Alpesh Patel and Bjorn Hansen (Centralina COG/Lake Norman RPO).

Return to Report Overview | Next >> Case Study: North Central Pennsylvania’s Project Prioritization Process

Search NADO.org

Applications cannot be saved and returned to at a later time. It is recommended you compile all of your information in advance in a word processor and cut and paste into the application below.

2023 Impact Awards

The primary applicant must be a NADO member. Project partners, both NADO and non-members, can be recognized under "Project Partners" below.

Primary Project Contact:
This person will be the designated point of contact for all future awards-related correspondence.

Organization Address

Project Location (if different from Organization Address)

Executive Director

Additional Organizational Information
Please upload your organization's logo which will be included on the winning project award certificate.

Project Information
This title will be printed on the award certificate for winning projects and in all 2022 NADO Impact Award materials and cannot be changed.

Project Summary & Questions
Please craft clear, thoughtful, and engaging responses to the following questions. Use the following sections to tell us how your project has made an impact, such as its use of creative funding mechanisms, efforts to create efficiencies or reduce costs, unique partnership models, and emphasis on building resilience and/or enhancing your region's quality of life.

For award-winning projects, the information provided below may be used verbatim to inform project descriptions that will be published in the 2023 NADO Impact Awards materials and included on the NADO website.

Please submit at least one photo showing your project in action. Please keep file size to a minimum (<2Mb) and use JPEG format. If uploading multiple files, ZIP files prior to submitting. If you have trouble uploading images they can be directly emailed to Brett Schwartz at [email protected] Include the project title they correspond to in the subject line of your email.

Note: Submitted photos may be used in NADO Impact Awards materials and in other NADO published materials with credit to your organization. Please also consider submitting photos for NADO's 2023 Photo Contest, which will be held this summer.


CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION - PLEASE BE PATIENT! IF YOU DO NOT SEE A CONFIRMATION, YOUR APPLICATION WAS NOT RECEIVED.
Your application is not submitted until you are directed to a confirmation page. If you have any questions or are unsure if your application has been submitted, please contact Brett Schwartz at [email protected]

Contact Melissa Levy

Contact Krishna Kunapareddy

Contact Andrew Coker

Contact Laura Gale

Contact Katie Allison

Contact Jack Morgan

Content Questions Form

Registration Questions Form

Hotel Questions Form

New Speaker Inquiry

Job Listing Inquiry

Joe McKinney serves as Executive Director of the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO). Headquartered in Washington DC, NADO provides advocacy, education, research, and training for the nation’s 500+ regional planning and development organizations.

Joe has thirty-one years of experience having served in city, county, regional, national association, and government management since 1991. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Analysis from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a candidate for a master’s degree in Public Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill.

McKinney has provided congressional testimony on numerous occasions regarding the importance of regional development organizations in helping shape the nation’s economic growth. He is nationally recognized for promoting innovative solutions in areas such as planning and economic development, workforce development, transportation and transit, and aging services.

Contact Danny Tomares

Contact Dion Thompson-Davoli

Contact Ciara Ristig

Contact Bret Allphin

Contact Brett Schwartz

Contact Carrie Kissel

Contact Scott Brown

Contact Jamie McCormick

Contact Joe McKinney

Contact Krystal De Leon

Contact Brittany Salazar

Contact Laurie Thompson

Contact Mirielle Burgoyne