Connecting Texas 2050 - Unique elements of TxDOT’s in-progress Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan update

- Inform transportation planners across Texas about the qualitative scenario planning and statistically valid transportation survey that are helping to inform Connecting Texas 2050. 
- Provide information on how planners can use this analysis in future plans

Session Title:
Connecting Texas 2050 - Unique elements of TxDOT’s in-progress Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan update

Session Description:
This presentation will inform transportation planners across Texas about the qualitative scenario planning and statistically valid transportation survey that are helping to inform Connecting Texas 2050. The presentation will also provide information on how planners can use this analysis in future plans.

TxDOT is currently updating the Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan. Connecting Texas 2050 is the cornerstone of the planning process at TxDOT.
•Planning Horizon: 2050
•Updated: Every four years
•Purpose: Establish the vision, objectives, performance measures, and strategic recommendations for the state’s transportation system through 2050 for all modes

Specific elements are incorporated into this update to improve on the contributions of this plan and incorporate latest best practices. This proposed presentation will highlight two of these elements:
•qualitative scenario planning, and
•a statewide statistically valid transportation survey

Preparing a statewide long-range plan that addresses all modes of transportation poses some unique challenges.
•Uncertainty of forecasts out to 2050, particularly with the rising tide of population growth
•Captivating the interest of the public to provide substantive input specific to the plan
•Compounding factors of uncertainty and public interest when conglomerating all transportation modes into one plan
•Aggregating across a diverse geography and demography to encompass all of Texas

This presentation will discuss approaches, benefits, and lessons learned to date as we address these challenges in preparing Connecting Texas 2050. Specific approaches include the use of qualitative scenario planning and the state’s first statistically valid transportation survey. 

The qualitative scenario planning approach included a diverse group of stakeholders participating in a series of activities culminating with a day-long workshop where the group evaluated uncertainties, and varying orders of effects caused by a select list of drivers of change. Through collaborative engagement, this workshop produced analysis on implications, threats and opportunities, and specific actions to take regarding specific scenarios. 

The statistically valid survey ensured that public input came from a representative sample population. The public’s interest might be minimal for a long-range statewide plan. This can lead to a limited number of public comments, and the small sample size can potentially be an unrepresentative sample of the state’s population. The statistically valid survey process resulted in over 4,000 completed surveys. The sample population was evaluated to ensure an adequate number of responses to ensure statistically valid results at the TxDOT District scale of analysis.

The outcomes of both the scenario planning and the survey provide a foundation of analysis that not only informs Connecting Texas 2050, but also provides a useful foundation for any entity in Texas doing transportation planning. This presentation will describe how these elements will be accessible and how transportation planning professionals can use this analysis in their planning efforts.
 
Session Presenters:
Giacomo Yaquinto, AICP, Planner, Statewide Planning Branch, Systems Planning Section, TxDOT

Giacomo Yaquinto rejoined the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in March 2023. He works closely with the Statewide Planning Branch Manager, the Systems Planning Section Director, and district and division staff on statewide planning efforts. 

As the Project Manager on Connecting Texas 2050, the update to the statewide long-range transportation plan, Giacomo is collaborating with internal and external stakeholders in all 25 TxDOT districts, TxDOT’s modal divisions, and the public to develop a comprehensive and cohesive vision for the multimodal transportation network in 2050 and to identify the strategies needed to begin achieving that vision. 

Giacomo previously served as an International Trade and Border Coordinator in the Freight, Trade, and Connectivity Section. As the Deputy Project Manager on the Texas-Mexico Border Transportation Master Plan, adopted by the Texas Transportation Commission in March 2021, Giacomo collaborated with binational stakeholders throughout the 1,254-mile-long border region to identify policies, programs, and projects to improve the movement of people and goods across the border both now and in the future. 

Giacomo is a member of the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Jim Meyer, AICP, Transportation Planning Manager, AECOM
Jim Meyer is a Senior Transportation Planner with responsibilities in long range transportation planning, corridor studies, transit planning, and non-motorized planning. Jim has prepared over 40 LRTPs/MTPs and serves as a project manager, deputy project manager, and multimodal task leader. Jim has experience in highway capacity analysis, transportation modeling, and project prioritization and financial planning/fiscal constraint analysis. He is also actively involved in public and stakeholder activities to support the LRTP development process.