Strategies
UDOT has a variety of strategies to address transportation needs across the state of Utah. Some of these strategies include programs that support various transportation needs. In addition to the strategies below, UDOT has identified strategies in other plans linked from the LRP Connection section.
Program Strategies
The following are UDOT programs to work with partners and the public regarding strategies that improve the functionality of the transportation system.
TravelWise
TravelWise is an initiative that invites Utahns to rethink their trip. By driving less and traveling smarter, individuals, businesses, and communities can help improve air quality, optimize mobility, improve health, and conserve energy in Utah.
MoveUtah
Move Utah is a walking, biking, and community planning program operated by UDOT. The program is a collaboration with partner agencies, including the Utah Department of Health, Department of Public Safety, Utah Transit Authority, and organizations like Bike Utah. UDOT engages and empowers local communities to consider and embrace walking, biking, and other active modes through planning, events, education, and infrastructure development.
Additional Planning
Many locations may benefit from more detailed planning studies through UDOT's Solutions Development Process. This process helps to identify a more specific community context and values that results in collaborative solutions to solving problems. UDOT also helps to facilitate the Technical Planning Assistance program to assist communities with planning resources.
Transit Operations
There are numerous transit providers across the state of Utah and their operations plans can be found at their websites. Additional transit within the rural area is challenging due to long distance, low demand, low density development patterns, and land use. However, there are transit needs for certain populations that need to be met until demand can show a greater return on investment. To address these needs, mobility management strategies are in development including the Evoucher Program, which will provide access to individuals in areas with limited or no transit service. This program provides reimbursement for individuals assisting others with transportation needs. In addition, the AOGs across the state have mobility programs and services that can be found through their websites. Private transit service providers are also key in filling certain gaps within the transportation system, especially between major destinations.
Capital Investments
Project strategies include investing in the physical transportation infrastructure and building highway, transit, or active transportation facilities, or investing in transit vehicles. Where detailed area plans or local plans have not been developed, strategies have been identified by local governments and transportation planners and applied by context and efficacy to address transportation needs. These project strategies are identified and fiscally constrained in this project map and list and presented for public comment and local government input. Although project strategies have been applied to specific needs identified, it is important to note that the environmental process and potentially further planning studies will take place before implementation to identify and evaluate alternatives, and solicit public feedback regarding specific actions to be taken. The specific project may vary from the currently identified strategy.
These capital investments have been evaluated for performance within the Utah travel models. With the proposed statewide LRP in place, the mileage of rural roadways identified as needing capacity improvements reduces from 568 miles to 60 miles – a reduction of nearly 90%.
Disruptive Trends and Scenarios
Changes in society over time have influenced the way people, goods, and services are moved through the transportation system. In the context of the 2023-2050 Statewide Rural Long Range Transportation Plan (“Plan”), innovations or changes in the way people and goods use the transportation system are called disruptive trends. These trends can be societal – for example, between 1950 and 2000 there was a shift downward in average household size, more suburban growth, and an increase in women entering the workforce, which contributed to a steady increase in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per capita over this time. Disruptive trends are also technology-driven, including computing and internet advances that have made teleworking and telecommuting much more practical; app-based ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft that provide cost-effective transportation; and electric vehicles that are slowly gaining a share of the vehicle fleet.
The Long Range Transportation Plan focuses on three potentially disruptive trends – telecommuting, E-commerce, and connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs):
Telecommuting represents jobs where the employee can perform their job duties outside of a traditional office setting, therefore eliminating or reducing the need for a work commute.
E-commerce is the buying and selling of goods over the internet instead of at traditional retail establishments.
CAVs are vehicles equipped with advanced technologies that can increase safety, efficiency, and convenience by connecting with the surrounding vehicles and transportation infrastructure.
Disruptive trends were analyzed statewide, to compare how needs on the statewide roadway network might be affected if these disruptive trends were to transpire. The disruptive trend parameters leaned towards a positive view of the future, with a combined effect of less overall travel due to work-from-home jobs and more E-commerce, with roadways operating more efficiently due to CAVs. This is demonstrated in the level of service on state roadways, as shown below.
Roadway Miles by Level of Service
The analysis indicated that if the disruptive trends come to fruition as modeled, they will eliminate a significant portion of the identified needs on state roads. A further review of the Long Range Transportation Plan’s proposed projects to be built by 2050 showed that the proposed projects improved conditions to an LOS D or better for 98% of identified needs under the baseline scenario and essentially 100% of identified needs under the disruptive trends assumptions (only ten miles of roadway with LOS E or F remained after the impacts of proposed projects and disruptive trends were assessed).
These inputs anticipate one version of the future, and the very nature of disruptive factors means that they involve radical change and are difficult to predict. It is possible that disruptive trends may cause a higher or lower degree of change than assumed here, or change in a different direction. It is also possible that other disruptive trends not yet analyzed may substantially impact travel. For example, people could turn increasingly towards online socializing, with less travel to in-person events; migration trends away from urban areas could continue to shift population towards rural areas; and induced travel may negate any benefits seen in the models. UDOT staff will continue monitoring these trends and considering how travel needs may be impacted, in order to best serve the traveling public well into the future.
