Glossary of Transportation Terms (Highlighted in Yellow)

The following glossary of terms explains some of the terminology associated with transportation and
its various departments. If you do not see a definition for a word, or if you would like further
clarification on a word that is listed below, please feel free to contact the El Paso County Department
of Transportation at: dotweb@elpasoco.com
A

Abutment A support of an arch or bridge, etc., which may carry a horizontal force as well
as weight.

Acceleration Lane A traffic lane used to increase speed before entering the main lane of traffic.

Aggregate Gravel, sand, slag, crushed rock or similar inert materials which form a large
part of concretes, asphalts or roads including macadam.

Alternative One of a number of specific proposals, alignments, options, design choices,

etc. in a study.

American Association An association of state departments of transportation, the AASHTO advocates

of State Highway multimodal transportation by providing technical services, information, and
Officials (AASHTO) policy advice to member departments, the U.S. Department of Transportation,
and Congress. The AASHTO is influential in national transportation policy
decision-making.

American Automobile A nonprofit federation of 116 motor clubs providing travel, insurance, financial
Association and auto-related services; publishes various reports on issues such as fuel
prices, motoring and travel conditions, and automobile expenses.

Americans with The legislation defining the responsibilities of and requirements for
Disabilities Act ( ADA) transportation providers to make transportation accessible to individuals with
disabilities.

Arterial Highway Arterial highways serve major traffic movements or major traffic corridors.
While they may provide access to abutting land, their primary function is to
serve traffic moving through the area.

Avenue A road that, in the USA, usually runs north-south, the word street being
reserved mainly for east-west directions. Both streets and avenues are
numbered in a logical way from which the position of each number can be
closely estimated.

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Average Daily Traffic Average Daily Traffic is defined as the total traffic volume during a given
Volume (ADT) period (from 1 to 364 days) divided by the number of days in that period.
Current ADT volumes can be determined by continuous traffic counts or
periodic counts. Where only periodic traffic counts are taken, ADT volume can
be established by applying correction factors such as for season or day of
week. For roadways having traffic volumes in two directions, the ADT includes
traffic in both directions unless specified otherwise.

Back Cutting Additional excavation required to make up an embankment (or railway, road or
canal) where the original amount of cut was insufficient.

Backhoe A backacter attached to the rear of a loader; small versions are used in tunneling,
Loader hung from a monorail or the shield. A backhoe can dig below its wheels
economically, including short trenches. If the backhoe is on the machine center-line
it is a “center-post backhoe,” others are “offset backhoes.”

Base Course In a road the surfacing layers other than the wearing course, but particularly in the
California bearing ratio method of designing flexible pavements, a layer of chosen
and compacted soil which is covered with a thin layer of asphalt.

Bicycle Path A bikeway physically separated from motorized vehicular traffic by an open space or
(Bike Path) barrier and either within the highway right-of-way or within an independent right-of-
way.

Boulevard In the USA a wide road which in cities is usually planted with shade trees, sometimes
also on the central strip.

Box Culvert A culvert of rectangular or square cross-section.

Bridge A FHWA program that inventories and inspects the condition of all bridges in the
Inspection Federal-Aid Highway system. An evaluation of each bridge's load-carrying capacity is
Program (BIP) performed to determine if any deficiencies exist, and if necessary, appropriate action
such as warning signs, bridge closing, rehabilitation or replacement, is taken.

Bulldozer A tractor usually on crawler tracks, with a wide blade, the moldboard, mounted in
front of it, at right angles to the tracks. The moldboard is adjustable in height, angle
and tilt. It normally moves material by pushing.

By-pass A pipe, conduit or road for directing flow of traffic around, instead of through,

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 another pipe, conduit or road.

CAD (Computer-aided design and draughting) – A CAD unit can help engineers,
architects or other designers to work quickly and efficiently. It usually
includes two VDUs, a small and large (the graphics display terminal), as
well as the microcomputer generally hidden in a “black box.”

Capacity The maximum number of vehicles that can reasonably be expected to pass
over a lane or a roadway during a given time period under prevailing
roadway and traffic conditions. Typically, the maximum expressway
capacity for automobiles is 2,000 vehicles per lane per hour.
Capacity
The maximum rate at which persons or vehicles can be reasonably
expected to traverse a point or uniform segment of a lane or roadway
during a specified time period under prevailing roadway, traffic and
control conditions; usually referred to as vehicles per hour or persons per
hour. This is the standard used to determine when additional lanes need
to be added.
Centerline Miles
Miles of roadway measured without regard to the number of lanes or
functional classification of the road.

Capital Improvement Refers to higher-cost transportation improvements, typically involving

Projects major infrastructure construction such as adding travel lanes to existing
roads and building new roadways, interchanges, or railroads.

Categorical Exclusion (CE) An action that does not individually or cumulatively have a significant
impact on the human environment. This Categorical Exclusion does not
require an Environmental Assessment or an Environmental Impact
Statement.

Central Business District The downtown retail trade and commercial area of a city or an area of
(CBD) very high land valuation, traffic flow, and concentration of retail business
offices, theaters, hotels and services.

Citizens Advisory Representative stakeholders that meet regularly to discuss issues of

Committee common concern, such as transportation, and to advise sponsoring agency
officials. These groups effectively interact between citizens and their

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 government.

Clean Water Act (CWA) Federal legislation enacted in 1972 to protect water quality in the United
States.

Collector Highway Collector highways are those highways that link local highways to arterial
highways.

Collectors In rural areas routes serving intra-county, rather than statewide, travel. In
urban areas, streets providing direct access to neighborhoods as well as
direct access to arterials.

Comprehensive Plan The general, inclusive, long-range statement of the future development of
a community. The plan is typically a map accompanied by description and
supplemented by policy statements that direct future capital
improvements in an area.

Concrete Spreader, A road-building machine that may be part of a slipform or fixed-form

asphalts paving train. It uniformly spreads concrete or asphalt poured into it or
dumped in front of it. Apart from the roller, the mixer and the trucks, it is
the main unit needed for rolled concrete.

Congestion Mitigation Federal money contained in TEA-21 for projects and activities that reduce
and Air Quality congestion and improve air quality.
Improvement Program
(CMAQ)

Controlled Access Partial access restriction that gives preference to through traffic. Also
provides for connections to selected public routes and to certain other
adjacent locations where vehicles can enter or leave a roadway safely
without interfering with through traffic.

Corridor Land between two termini within which traffic, transit, land use,
topography, environment, and other characteristics are evaluated for
transportation purposes.

Cracking in Concrete Cracking is always expected in reinforced concrete, since it has such a high
shrinkage on hardening. Additional cracks will occur on the stretched side
of a beam but reinforcement should be inserted sufficient in quantity and
closeness to make the cracks invisible to the naked eye and very close
together. If a contraction or expansion joint is inserted, this will also
reduce cracking near it. Rusting reinforcement also causes cracks in

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 concrete.

Culvert A covered channel up to about 4 m width or a large pipe for carrying a

watercourse below ground level, usually under a road or railway. It is
usually laid by cut and cover.

Cut-and-Cover Trenching to excavate a tunnel and then relaying the earth over it.
Originally in UK cities this was the only feasible method because tunneling
under a house was allowed only if it was one's own.

Deceleration Lane A traffic lane used to reduce speed before turning onto a different roadway or
business entrance.

Demand Transportation services that are flexible in terms of schedule and locations, such
Responsive as taxis.
Transportation

Design Standards
Those conditions that should be met when a new road is constructed or when a
deficient section is improved. Standards include all relevant geometric and
structural features required to provide a desired level of service over the life of
the project -- generally 20 years beyond completion.

Design Criteria Established state and national standards and procedures that guide the
establishment of roadway layouts, alignments, geometry, and dimensions for
specified types of roadways in certain defined conditions. The principal design
criteria for roadways are traffic volume, design speed, the physical
characteristics of vehicles, the classification of vehicles, and the percentage of
various vehicle classification types that use the roadway.

Drive In the USA a dedicated street or road, but in Britain an access to a private house.

Dump Truck (Hauler) – Like a dumper, dump trucks are usually four-wheeled and move earth
or other bulk loads, but the driver sits in front and the machine may be very
large and not used on public roads. A large dump truck carrying 250 tons of earth
has a 3000 hp electrical generator supplying the electrical power to each of the
separate motors on the six driving wheels.

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E

Elevating Grader A grader equipped with a disc or plough collector and a belt elevator at right
angles to its direction of travel. It digs earth or loose materials and discharges it
to a height. It is very suitable for excavating road or railway cuttings or wide
trenches.

Enhancements Activities that assist communities reach social, cultural, aesthetic and
environmental goals as well as help harmonize the transportation system with
the community. Enhancements are part of the mitigation for project impacts
and can include bike and pedestrian trails, renovating streetscapes, and scenic
beautification.

Environmental A document prepared early in a planning process that evaluates the potential
Assessment (EA) environmental consequences of a project or activity. An assessment includes
the same topical areas as an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), but only
assesses the effects of a preferred action, and in less detail than an EIS. An EA
results in a decision, based on an assessment of the degree of impact of an
action, that an EIS is necessary, or that an action will have no significant effect
and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) can be made.

Environmental An EIS is a full disclosure, detailed report which, pursuant to Section 102(2)C of
Impact Statement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), establishes the need for the
(EIS) proposed action, identifies alternatives with the potential to meet the identified
need, analyzes the anticipated environmental consequences of identified
alternatives, and discusses how adverse effects may be mitigated. An EIS is
prepared in two stages: a draft statement which is made available to the public
for review and a final statement which is revised on the basis of comments
made on the draft statement.

Environmental A beginning inventory or summary assessment of environmental features in a

Overview study area, usually performed during systems planning or preliminary
environmental activities. From this preliminary information, the environmental
impacts of the study alternatives will be determined. This overview may
sometimes be referred to as Environmental Screening.

Environmental The federal agency charged with developing and enforcing national
Protection Agency environmental policies. The EPA oversees federal policy regarding air and water
(EPA) pollution, among other topics.

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F

Federal Aid Project An activity, study, survey, project, or other work related to transportation
authorized in advance by the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit
Administration, or other federal agency, and which is paid for either partially or
fully by public funds.

Federal Highway A branch of the United States Department of Transportation that administers
Administration the Federal Aid Highway Program, providing financial assistance to states to
(FHWA) construct and improve highways, urban and rural roads, and bridges. The FHWA
also administers the Federal Lands Highway Program (FLHP) that provides
access to and within national forests, national parks, Indian reservations and
other public lands. The FHWA is headquartered in Washington, DC, with field
offices across the country, including one in each state.

Federal Transit A branch of the United States Department of Transportation that is the principal
Administration source of Federal financial assistance to America's communities for the
(FTA) planning, development, and improvement of public or mass transportation
systems. FTA provides leadership, technical assistance, and financial resources
for safe, technologically advanced public transportation to enhance mobility
and accessibility, to improve the nation's communities and natural
environment, and to strengthen the national economy. The FTA is
headquartered in Washington, DC, with regional offices in Atlanta, Boston,
Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and
Seattle.

Finding of No A statement indicating that a project was found to have no significant impacts
Significant Impact on the quality of the human environment and for which an environmental
(FONSI) statement will therefore not be prepared.

Free Access The lowest condition of access control on state highways that allows an
unlimited number of private driveway connections, intersections at grade, field
entrances, or other land service linkages that give vehicles or pedestrians access
to the highways.

Freeway In the USA a road for fast through-traffic to which abutting owners have no
automatic right of access.

Functional Roadway The organization of roadways into a hierarchy based on the character of service
Classification provided. Typical classifications include arterial, local, and collection roadways.

Frontage Road A road that parallels the interstate to relieve traffic congestion caused by local trips.

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G

Geographic A computer-based system that links the geographic location of map features to
Information text information or databases.
System (GIS)

Geometric Design that deals with the dimensions of a facility and the relationships of its
Design features such as alignment, profile, grades, widths, sight distances, clearances, and
slopes as distinguished from structural design which is concerned with thickness,
composition of materials, and load-carrying capacity.

Grader, Motor A self-propelled machine usually now with three axles and an engine of up to 300
Grader hp with a wide, hydraulically adjustable blade for cutting, and moving and
spreading soil smoothly to the shape required. In modern machines the driver is
able to sit. The grader is more efficient than the bulldozer in smoothing rough
ground for road building but it also makes ditches or windrows, or backfills
trenches.

Gravel Untreated or only slightly washed, rounded, natural building aggregate, larger
than 5mm (for concrete 10mm).

Hazardous Waste An environmental impact category encompassing all types of permitted and
unregulated materials, sites, and substances that require prudent handling and
treatment to prevent harm or danger.

High-Occupancy A lane designated exclusively for vehicles carrying two or more persons, such as
Vehicle (HOV) Lane buses, carpools, and vans.

Historic Resource A building, structure, site, district, or object that is significant in American
history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture.

Impacts Positive or negative effects upon the natural or human environment

resulting from transportation projects.

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Indirect Effects (see Effects that can be expected to result from a given action and that occur
Secondary Effects) later in time or further removed in distance, yet are reasonably foreseeable
in the future; for example, induced changes to land use patterns,
population density, or growth rate.

Intelligent Refers to the use of advanced technologies (such as traffic sensors and
Transportation Systems communications equipment) to improve transportation operations.
(ITS)

Intermodal A mode is a particular form of transportation, such as automobile, transit,

carpool, ship and bicycle. Intermodal refers to connections between modes.

Intermodal Surface Federal legislation that mandated the way transportation decisions were to
Transportation be made and funded. This landmark $155 billion federal legislation signed
Efficiency Act of 1991 into law in December 1991, called for broad changes in transportation
(ISTEA) decision-making, and included major revisions to metropolitan and
statewide planning processes. ISTEA emphasized diversity and balance of
modes, as well as the preservation of existing systems over construction of
new facilities. The law expired in September 1997, and was followed by
TEA-21.
Interchange
A highway intersection allowing traffic to move freely from one road to
another without crossing another lane of traffic.

J   K   L

Lane A relatively narrow way or track.

Level of Service A rating system used by traffic engineers to determine a roadway's ability to
provide adequate capacity for the volume of traffic (number of vehicles) using the
road.

Limited-Access A highway that has access to it restricted to designated points such as

highway interchanges.

Loader A self-propelled, wheeled (occasionally tracked) machine that may steer on all
four wheels or be front-wheel or rear-wheel steered. In front a loading bucket,
four-in-one-bucket, pallet fork or even a bulldozer can be fitted. Usually the
engine is behind the driver but some loaders have the engine in front and an air
compressor built in behind the driver. An excavator can slew 360 ° without its
tracks. Loaders cannot slew more than about 250 ° with their rear-end equipment

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 and very little if at all with their front-end equipment. When using the backhoe,
the weight of the machine should not be carried on the wheels but on the two
stabilizers (out-riggers) and on the lowered loading bucket to give rock-steady
stability. Tires in good condition on average ground need about 65% more weight
on them to produce the same pull or push as crawlers.

Long-Range A document resulting from a regional or statewide process of collaboration and

Transportation consensus on a region or state's transportation system. This document serves as
Plan the defining vision for the region's or state's transportation systems and services.
In metropolitan areas, the plan indicates all of the transportation improvement
scheduled for funding over the next 20 years.
Level of Service
A qualitative measure of traffic conditions generally described as speed and travel
time, freedom to maneuver, traffic interruptions, comfort and convenience, and
safety.

Major Investment The MIS is an evaluation of the effectiveness (such as level of use and ability to
Study (MIS) meet the mobility needs of the public) and cost-effectiveness of alternative
transportation investments in attaining local, state, and regional goals and
objectives for the metropolitan or rural area. The study uses a cooperative
process that leads to a decision on the design concept and fiscal scope of an
investment(s). The recommended design concept(s) may result in additional
development as a transportation project(s).

Median A strip of land between the two carriageways of a motorway, sometimes with
shrubs or a crash barrier along its center line.

Metropolitan A planning group designated for each urban area with a population of 50,000 or
Planning more. Members include both private citizens and local government officials. An
Organization MPO addresses federal aid planning mandates by producing local area
(MPO) transportation plans or transportation improvement programs on an annual or
biannual basis, or by employing other strategies that make existing systems
more efficient.

Milling Removing shavings from a surface by pushing it past a rotating toothed cutter.

Milling Machine A machine tool for milling invented by E. Whitney in 1818. It can be an

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 extremely complicated machine used for making drills and gears as well as for
cutting channels and making plane surfaces.

Mitigation Specific design commitments made during the environmental evaluation and
Measures study process that serve to moderate or lessen impacts deriving from the
proposed action. These measures may include planning and development
commitments, environmental measures, right-of-way improvements, and
agreements with resource or other agencies to effect construction or post
construction action.

Modal Split The proportion of trips made on the roadway versus other modes of travel such
as the public transit system.

Multimodal Facilities serving more than one transportation mode or a transportation

network comprised of a variety of modes.

Multimodal Facility A transportation facility built to accommodate two or more types of

transportation modes (e.g. bus/rail terminal).

Multiple Use/Joint The use of transportation facilities and highway rights-of-way and corridor areas
Development for purposes additional to and compatible with the designed movement of
transportation conveyances (such as vehicles on the traveled way of a roadway).
Examples include recreation and park areas, public art, scenic and wildlife
resource enhancement, non-residential developments, and parking facilities.

National Environmental Established by Congress in 1969, NEPA requires that federal agencies
Policy Act (NEPA) consider environmental matters when considering carrying out federal
actions. This could include the preparation of Environmental Assessments
(EAs) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for projects with the
potential to result in significant effects on the environment.

National Historic Established by Congress in 1966, the NHPA sets a national policy for the
Preservation Act protection of historic and archeological sites and outlines responsibilities for
(NHPA) federal and state governments to preserve the nation's history.

National Pollutant Part of the Clean Water Act that deals with point discharges such as those
Discharge Elimination from wastewater treatment plants, factories and storm sewers.
System (NPDES)

No-Build Alternative Option of maintaining the status quo by not building transportation

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(also known as “No- improvements. Usually results in eventual deterioration of existing
Action Alternative”) transportation conditions. Serves as a baseline for comparison of “Build”
Alternatives.

Origin-Destination A survey conducted of the traffic using the study area roadway system to
Survey determine/document current traffic patterns.
Overpass
An elevated roadway that crosses over another thoroughfare.

Para transit Transit service for individuals with disabilities who are unable to use the fixed route
Service public transit system.

Park and Ride A transportation option whereby commuters park their cars in designated lots and
complete their trips using public transportation or joining other commuters in a
high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) (e.g. buses, subways, and carpool/vanpool).

Parkway In the USA a freeway which passes through a park and is administered by a local
authority, often a park authority. It is not open to commercial traffic.

The whole construction of a road or airstrip including stabilized soil and the surface,
whether asphalt, concrete, wooden or stone blocks, etc. Rigid pavements are of
Pavement
reinforced concrete. A flexible pavement may be of any other material including
lean concrete. The first part of a pavement is the sub grade (soil) it is built on, and
then comes the sub-base if any, then the base and finally the wearing course.

Peak Hour Time when a highway carries its highest volume of traffic, usually the morning or
evening “rush” period when commuters travel to and from work.

Preliminary Early phases of technical studies undertaken to determine all relevant aspects of
Engineering transportation location, to identify feasible route alternatives or design options,
and to assess various cost and benefit parameters before advancing the project
into more detailed final design development.

Prime Farmland Land that has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for
producing food, feed, fiber, forage, oil seed, and other agricultural crops with
minimum inputs of fuel, fertilizer, pesticides, and labor and without intolerable soil

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 erosion, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. It does not include land that
is already committed to urban development or storage.

Problem A concise narrative, prepared at the outset of a project or study or as part of a

Statement project needs study, defining the fundamental situation or circumstance to be
solved. A problem statement will generally describe a particular situation in which
an expected level of performance is not being achieved, and will list one or more
important factors that cause or contribute to the unacceptable performance.

Productive Any land used for production, commercial purposes, crops, livestock, and livestock
Agricultural products, including the processing or retail marketing of such crops, livestock, or
Land livestock products if more than 50 percent of such proposed merchandised
products are produced by the farm operator.

Programming A general term to refer to a series of activities carried out by planners, including
data assessment, appraisal of identified planning needs, and consideration of
available or anticipated fiscal resources to result in the drawing up, scheduling, and
planning of a list of identified transportation improvements for a given period of
time.

Project The phase a proposed project undergoes once it has been through the planning
Development process. The project development phase is a more detailed analysis of a proposed
project's social, economic, and environmental impacts and various project
alternatives. What comes from the project development phase is a decision
reached through negotiation among all affected parties, including the public. After
a proposal has successfully passed the project development phase, it may move to
preliminary engineering, design, and construction.

Public Hearing A formal event held prior to a decision that gathers community comments and
positions from all interested parties for public record and input into decisions.

Public Meeting An announced meeting conducted by transportation officials designed to facilitate

participation in the decision-making process and to assist the public in gaining an
informed view of a proposed project at any level of the transportation project
development process. Also, such a gathering may be referred to as a public
information meeting.

Qualitative A general concept that categorizes a process used in certain types of environmental
Analysis or route location studies where multiple factors are compared in a systematic and

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 comprehensive manner on the basis of sound judgment. Factors analyzed by using a
qualitative analysis are such that they cannot be measured in monetary terms, have
no apparent common denominators, and are not readily quantifiable.

Quantitative The process used in certain economic, cost-benefit, engineering, or traffic studies
Analysis where multiple factors, elements, and/or outcomes are evaluated and compared by
the use of measurable data. Certain mathematical models, formulas, numerical
indices, rankings, and value matrices may be used to assist with such a process.

Record of A concise decision document for an environmental impact statement that states the
Decision decision (selected alternative or choice), other alternatives considered, and mitigation
(ROD) adopted for the selected alternative choice.

Resource The group of federal and state agencies or commissions which have various
Agencies regulatory, jurisdictional, and/or administrative responsibilities in a variety of subject
areas that are part of the transportation project development process. These agencies
and commissions are involved in participating in project meetings, reviewing and
evaluating studies, commenting on documents, and granting certain approvals.

Revetment A covering to a soil or rock surface to protect it from scour. It does not withstand
earth thrust. Common revetments include: asphalt, beaching, concrete slabs precast
or cast in place, mattresses, maritime plants, pitching, reinforced grass and rip-rap.

Right-of-Way Land, property, or interest therein acquired or devoted to transportation purposes,

including construction, maintenance, operations, and protection of a facility.
The property for infrastructure including travel lanes, parking, bikeways, sidewalks,
utilities, shoulders, etc.

Rip-rap Stones for revetment from 7 to 70 kg in weight. They protect the bed of a river or its
banks from scour.

Road A concrete, stabilized soil, earth, hoggin, tarred or other surface for vehicles or
animals to travel on.

Rolled A wearing course or base consisting of hard asphalt and coarse aggregate laid hot and
Asphalt rolled until it is nearly free of voids.

Roller The main equipment for compaction of soils or roads. Rollers weigh from 500 kg

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 upwards. Pneumatic-tired rollers improve the density in depth as well as on the
surface. Sheepsfoot rollers can compact cohesive soils but the surface remains loose.

Rotary A snowplow with a rotating blade to shoot the snow off the road.
Snowplow

Runoff Water moving over the surface of the ground.

Safety Improvements Roadway maintenance activities and smaller construction projects that
correct conditions occurring on or alongside an existing highway. Typically
involves minor widening, resurfacing, regarding roadsides, hazard or obstacle
elimination, guardrail installation, and miscellaneous maintenance.

Sealing Coat Bitumen, road tar or an emulsion of either, applied as a thin film to a road
surface.

Secondary effects A general term to define impacts which are caused by a specific action and
which take place later in time or further removed in distance but are still
reasonably foreseeable. Secondary effects can be indeterminate, may not be
easily recognized, and can be difficult to identify and evaluate

Service Road A small road parallel to a main road. It is used by traffic stopping at houses
and shops so as to avoid obstruction to through traffic.

Single-Occupancy A car with no passengers.

Vehicle (SOV)

Snowplow A rotary snowplow is a self-propelled vehicle with an air blast or a rotating

blade that throws the snow aside.

State Department of A statewide agency that is responsible for conducting transportation

Transportation (State planning activities in non-metropolitan areas of the state, and assisting MPOs
DOT) in transportation planning for the metropolitan areas. State DOTs are also
responsible for developing, designing, and constructing most of the projects
on major highways in most states.

State-Funded Project The design or construction of an improvement that is funded entirely with
state highway or bridge funds.

Statewide Prepared by the state DOTs, the STIP is a staged, multiyear listing of projects

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Transportation proposed for federal, state, and local funding encompassing the entire state.
Improvement Program It is a compilation of the TIPs prepared for the metropolitan areas, as well as
(STIP) project information for the non-metropolitan areas of the state and for
transportation between cities.

Storm water Water from rain, sleet, hail and snow.

Street A ribbon of land used for a public highway in a town. In the USA the term is
often reserved for east-west highways.

Study (or Project) The physical end points of a proposed project or study, usually designated at
Limits geographic or municipal boundaries, at intersections, at roadway segments
where cross sections change, or at the beginning or end of numbered state
traffic routes.

Study (or Project) A statement of specific transportation problems and/or deficiencies that
Need Statement have resulted in the search for improvements. Study (or project) needs are
typically based on technical information and analyses.

Study (or Project) A broad statement of the overall intended objective to be achieved by a
Purpose proposed transportation improvement.

Study Area A geographic area selected and defined at the outset of engineering or
environmental evaluations, which is sufficiently adequate in size to address
all pertinent project matters occurring within it.

Surface Transportation A transportation-funding program within TEA-21. STP funds may be used for
Program (STP) roadway construction and improvements, operational improvement,
transportation systems, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, transit, ridesharing
programs and facilities and transportation planning and studies.

Tack Coat A thin coat of bitumen, road tar or emulsion laid on a road to improve the
adhesion of a course above it.

Traffic Analysis Zone A subdivision of the project (or study) area for which demographic data are
(TAZ) collected in order to estimate traffic volume. The arrival and departure
pattern of the estimated traffic is also organized by TAZs.

Transit Center (or A transfer facility serving transit buses and other modes, such as automobiles
Transit Station) and pedestrians. In the context of this document, transit centers are either

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 on-line or off-line facilities with respect to the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV)
lane.

Transportation Equity A law enacted in 1998, TEA-21 authorized federal funding for transportation
Act for the 21 st investment for the time period spanning fiscal year 1998 to fiscal year 2003.
Century (TEA-21) Approximately $218 billion in funding was authorized, the largest amount in
history, and is used for highway, transit, and other surface transportation
programs.

Transportation A staged, multiyear (typically three to five years) listing of surface

Improvement Program transportation projects proposed for federal, state, and local funding within
(TIP) a metropolitan area. MPOs are required to prepare a TIP as a short-range
programming document to complement its long-range transportation plan.
TIPs contain projects with committed funds over a multiyear period.

Transportation A collaborative process of examining demographic characteristics and travel

Planning patterns for a given area. This process shows how these characteristics will
change over a given period of time, and evaluates alternatives for the
transportation system of the area and the most expeditious use of local,
state, and federal transportation funding. Long-range planning is typically
done over a period of twenty years; short-range programming of specific
projects usually covers a period of three to five years.

Travel Demand A strategy for reducing congestion and pollution by reducing vehicle volume
Management (TDM) through such techniques as ridesharing and carpooling.

Wetland Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or groundwater at a
s frequency or duration sufficient to support, and under normal circumstances do support, a

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 prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands
generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas.

X   Y   Z

Zoning The division of a land area into districts and the public regulation of the character and
intensity of use of the land and improvements thereon.

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More Terms (all)

1.Transport - is a science that concerns with the efficient movement of people and goods that
isundertaken to accomplish objectives to complete tasks that require transfer from one locationto
another.

2.Transportation Engineering - is concerned with the application of scientific principles to theplanning,

design; operation & management of transportation systems. It is a sub-speciality ofcivil engineering.
However, it is inherently multidisciplinary overlapping diverse fields aseconomics; psychology;
geography; city planning; public administration; political science;industrial & electrical engineering.3.

3.Modal networks - are considered highway, rail, waterway, and pipeline and their
intermodalconnections.4.

4.Airports and airline service networks are deliberately excluded, as air transport is markedlydifferent in
character from the surface transportation modes.5.

5.Transportation system - is made up of links, nodes, and a number of other design variables.Designing a
transportation system is then a matter of assigning values to each variable.6.

6.Contract Carriers - provide service to public under individual contractual arrangement.7.

7.Common Carriers - offer scheduled service and are open to all member of public willing to paythe
posted fare.8.

8.Mass transportation or Mass transit - refer to the common carriage of passengers, taxi, or carrental.9.

9.Water transport - is found within urban areas, it is related to passenger transport.10.

10.Highway system - is used by private vehicles, truck lines, and bus lines. Highway systems
servesintercity passengers; freight transportation; urban passenger transport & distribution of goods.11.

11.Light rail - A term embracing a wide range of electrical powered vehicle running on steel rails(metro).
Passengers board from road surface or low plat form. It operated along street butmaybe provided with
exclusive right of way.12.

12.Rapid rail transit system called metro - is the underground tube operate on exclusive R.O.W
andrelatively high speeds & provide highest line capacity available.13.

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13.Para-transit - A term applies to small passenger vehicles operating informally on fare-payingbasis &
serving in some places as an alternative to regular bus transit services.14.

14.Tram “street car”

- Vehicles received their power from overhead power. They are operating ontracks sharing the roadway
with cars and buses.15.

15.Driving task

 -monitoring and responding to a continuous series of visual and audio cues.16.

16.Operational (Control)

 –vehicle control through second-to-second driver’s actions, speed

17. Tactical (Guidance)

 – vehicle guidance through maintenance of a safe speed and proper path.18. 

18.Strategic (Navigation)

 – the driver obligates in route planning.19.

19.Visual acuity - It refers to the sharpness with which a person can see on object. Visual acuity iseither
static no motion involved and dynamic relative motion involved.20.

20.Sign - should be legible at a sufficient distance in advance so that the motorist gets time toperceive
the sign, its information and perform any required maneuver.21.

21.Kinematic - is the study of motion irrespective of the forces that cause it.22.

22.Kinetic - is the study of motion that accounts the forces that cause it.23.

23.Transportation system - can be defined narrowly as a single driver /vehicle with its second-by-second
interactions with the road and other vehicles

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