2023 Transportation Performance Measures Report

Performance-based planning is a systems-level approach to measuring performance that sets goals, tracks data related to those goals, and uses the results to inform future planning. As part of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) is required to establish targets related to safety, infrastructure condition, system performance, transit safety and transit asset management. MARC has also defined a set of voluntary measures to help us assess progress toward additional regional goals identified in the Kansas City region’s long-range Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP),  Connected KC 2050.  This report assesses how well each federally required measure is performing compared to targets set for 2022 and examines trends for other voluntary measures. Performance-based planning is tied to the Kansas City region's MTP and is intended to inform future planning decisions such as how federal funding may be allocated within the Kansas City region.

The graphic below shows if the region has met 2022 targets for federally-required performance measures related to safety, as well as 2022 targets for voluntary environmental performance measures. Although none of our safety measures met their 2022 targets, the number of fatalities decreased from 2021 to 2022 for the first time since 2015.

Not all performance measures have annual targets. For example, infrastructure condition and system performance measures require 2- and 4-year targets, for which MARC has established 2023 and 2025 targets. Therefore, the MARC region does not have 2022 targets for these particular measures to compare to this year's data, but we can still observe whether we are on track to achieve 2023 targets, as shown in the graphic below.

Fatalities had previously been increasing from 2015 to 2021, but this trend reversed in 2022 with a decrease to 219 fatalities on a five-year rolling average. This is still in excess of the 2022 target of 197 fatalities, but if the trend continues, it is possible to close the gap or meet the 2023 target of 207 fatalities.

Serious injuries have been increasing since 2018, with the number of serious injuries increasing more between 2021 and 2022 than any other recent year since 2019. Serious injuries in 2022 were nearly 300 more than the adopted target of 900.

Non-Motorized fatalities and serious injuries have seen a steady incline in the past six years, rising to a high this year of 145, over the 2022 target of 100.

In addition, neither the fatality rate nor serious injury rate targets were met in 2022. Serious injury and fatality rates were calculated by taking a five-year rolling average of historical annual rates. Historical annual rates were derived from observed totals and estimated annual Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT).

The percentage of interstate and non-interstate pavement in "good" condition on the National Highway System (NHS) saw a slight dip in 2022.

...and the percentage of non-interstate pavement in good condition is getting worse, and is already worse than the 2023 target.

However, the percentage of non-interstate pavement condition in poor condition dropped considerably from 2021, from 4% to 2.61%, well below the 2023 target of 3.45%.

Bridge condition on the National Highway System has continued to decline, with the percentage of bridges in good condition decreasing and the percentage of bridges in poor condition increasing in 2022.

FHWA determines a bridge condition by the lowest rating of National Bridge Inventory (NBI) condition ratings for the bridge's deck, superstructure, substructure and culvert. If the lowest rating is greater than or equal to 7, the bridge is classified as Good; if it is less than or equal to 4, the classification is Poor. Bridges rated 5 or 6 are classified as Fair.

 _{Federal Highway Administration National Bridge Inventory} 

The level of travel time reliability (LOTTR) is defined as the percent of person-miles traveled on the interstate and non-interstate National Highway System (NHS) that are reliable. Matching previous trends, reliability on the NHS continues to be very high in 2022.

  _{LOTTR = Level of Travel Time Reliability. Source: Regional Integrated Transportation Information System. 2016-2021.} 

The Truck Travel Time Reliability (TTTR) index grew slightly from 1.3 in 2021 to 1.31 in 2022, which means that truck travel time in 2022 was no more than 31% longer than what would be expected during normal travel time conditions. This value is lower than the 2023 target of 1.4 (which would indicate travel times 40% longer than during normal conditions), meaning the region is on track to meet its target.

The following two measures aim to track if our region is improving transportation choices by prioritizing complete streets, expanding transit coverage and service levels, and building out bicycle and pedestrian networks, which are all strategies from the  Connected KC 2050 plan . The plan also supports public and special transportation services, and encourages ridesharing, such as carpooling and vanpooling.

This measure represents the percentage of workers who commute to work by carpooling, walking, taking public transportation, working from home or other means. Notably, while percentage of people working from home has decreased slightly in the second full year after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the number remains at a much higher level than before 2020.

The MARC region currently has more than 150 miles of bike lanes, and just over six miles of those lanes are separated from traffic by a physical barrier. Protected bike lanes make cycling feel safer and more comfortable for many riders. Currently, several miles of protected bike lanes are under construction in Kansas City, MO.

The Transit Accessibility measure is defined as the percent of population and jobs available within a quarter-mile walk shed of transit stops with high-frequency scheduled transit service during peak hours.

During the weekday peak period, 25% of the total population studied is within a quarter mile of transit arriving within one hour. Five to six percent of the population is served by high-frequency transit. Further observation by county shows higher percentages of the population are served by high-frequency transit service in Jackson and Wyandotte counties, with lower percentages in Clay, Johnson, and Platte counties.

Population served by: High-frequency transit (≤ 20min): 5%-6%* Transit ≤ 40min: 16%-17%* Transit ≤ 60min: 25%

Jobs served by: High-frequency transit (≤ 20min): 17% Transit ≤ 40min: 36% Transit ≤ 60min: 48%

*Ranges provided to account for differences between AM & PM peak periods.

The following three measures aim to track if our region is reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, preserving and restoring ecosystem health, and fostering healthy communities, which are all goals of the Connected KC 2050 plan.

While levels of ozone pollution in the region have been trending downward overall in recent years, 2022 saw an uptick to 68 parts per billion. However, our region has been at or below the federal standard of 70 parts per billion since 2015.

PM2.5 levels decreased from 11.03 ug/m3 in 2021 to 10.4 ug/m3 in 2022, which meets our region's target. The new annual regional target for PM2.5 is 12 ug/m3, which matches the current federal standard. A more strict standard may be put in place by the end of 2023 and our recommended target would change if the federal standard changes in the future.

The average number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) remained steady around 28 miles per person per day, which is slightly lower than pre-pandemic levels.

As of 2021 published data, electric vehicle registrations have been steadily rising over the last several years. Fully electric vehicle registrations started to outpace plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) registrations in 2020. MARC is actively working on updating this dataset to include 2022 as well as developing an EV target for the region.

The majority of chargers in the region are classified as Level 2. These types of chargers are common for home, workplace, and public charging. Level 2 chargers can charge a battery electric vehicle (BEV) to 80 percent from empty in 4-10 hours and a PHEV in 1-2 hours.

While there is a dense network of charging stations in the Kansas City metro, faster and more advanced charging platforms like DC fast chargers are concentrated outside central Kansas City.

The tree canopy coverage performance measure aims to quantify urban forestry within the activity centers of the MARC region, facilitating efforts for more environmental services. Trees reduce smog, create oxygen, diminish heat and produce a cooling effect. They also reduce stormwater runoff and noise pollution.

Tree canopy coverage within activity centers and major transportation corridors was nearly constant at 16% between 2010 and 2016. In 2016, coverage rose to 21% due to differences in delineation of activity centers and transportation corridors.

Based upon the activity centers and corridor delineations made in 2021, Urban Tree Canopy represents 9.3% of the land coverage, down significantly from 2016 and even lower than pre-2010 Urban Tree Canopy estimates. However, the extent of this decrease is being experienced regionwide as the Overall Tree Canopy for the region is 13.5% and has occurred for a variety of reasons such as he explosion of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in the Kansas City area and reduced maintenance during the pandemic.

 _{Source: National Land Cover Database.} 

• Safety measures remains the biggest immediate concern from our transportation system. Although the number of fatalities decreased in 2022 after years of increasing, serious injuries, and non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries have continued to rise.
• Infrastructure condition measures are similarly mixed, with some measures on track to meet 2023 targets and others not.
• System performance measures are all on track to meet 2023 targets. We have a highly reliable roadway network with low congestion.
• Transportation choices continue to reflect that the majority of transportation system users rely on single-occupant vehicles, and access to our transit system remains low.
• Environment & public health measures remain generally steady, with notable increases in EV registrations to highlight the need for increased access to EV charging.

MARC is actively working to improve these conditions.  MARC’s Destination Safe Coalition   connects planners, engineers, law enforcement, healthcare workers and public affairs professionals throughout a 12-county region to work together to improve roadway safety. A regional  Transportation Safety Plan  was approved in 2022, which identifies specific strategies and policies to help us reach zero roadway deaths in the Kansas City region by 2050. Destination Safe’s 2024-2028 Work Plan will also include tasks and coordination efforts to help reduce death and injury on our roads. MARC recently received a (FY) 2023 Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) from the USDOT to conduct a vulnerable road user assessment for the region and bring our current regional safety plan into compliance as an SS4A Action Plan from which area jurisdictions may apply for implementation funds through the SS4A program.

To positively impact infrastructure condition and system performance, respectively, MARC designs, funds and implements projects and programs that improve and maintain reliable, efficient system operations, and provides funding and effective asset management practices to preserve and maintain the region’s transportation systems in a state of good repair.

In addition,  MARC's Congestion Management Policy & Toolbox  were updated in Fall 2023 to support system performance. MARC’s Congestion Management Process (CMP) is a systematic way of monitoring, measuring and diagnosing the causes of current and future congestion on the region’s multi-modal transportation system; evaluating and recommending alternative strategies to manage current and future regional congestion; and monitoring and evaluating the performance of strategies implemented to manage congestion.

MARC is also proactively developing and tracking several voluntary measures which are related to goals identified in the region’s MTP,   Connected KC 2050 . Although MARC has not yet set targets for all of these voluntary measures, MARC is aiming to establish more targets in 2024 and beyond. Setting targets for these measures and beginning to track progress will help MARC allocate resources accordingly. These targets will also help identify new priorities to incorporate in MARC’s regional planning resources, such as the ongoing update to the region’s MTP.