Encompass 2035 Development Process
Transportation is an integral part of our society and plays a vital role in today’s economy. However, convenient travel options for people and goods would not be possible without an advanced multi-modal transportation network.
In order to preserve the current transportation system and plan for future needs, the Oklahoma City Area Regional Transportation Study (OCARTS) area is developing a long-range transportation plan – called Encompass 2035, which will forecast the regional transportation needs anticipated through the year 2035 and list the appropriate improvements needed to meet these future travel demands.
Development Timeline
2005 Data
Base year data, such as land use, population, employment, housing, median income, school enrollment, automobile ownership, transit ridership, traffic counts, etc. is collected and analyzed to determine the composition of the region’s population, as well as land use and travel characteristics.
2035 Forecasts
The base year socioeconomic and land use data is forecasted to the horizon year, using various techniques, such as historical trends analysis, comparison to available forecasts from local, state, national and private sources, spatial distribution based on the region’s growth allocation model, etc.
Goals and Strategies
Improving community, connectivity, economic vitality, environmental stewardship, equity, livability, system maintenance, travel options, network performance, as well as transportation safety and security within Central Oklahoma is the intent of the adopted goals and strategies, which guide the Encompass 2035 development.
Model Calibration
The regional travel demand model contains transportation network information, such as number of lanes, posted speeds, capacity, facility class, transit routes, transit stops, etc. With the help of the 2005 socioeconomic data, the model is compared to and calibrated against 2005 traffic counts and transit ridership to simulate base year travel conditions.
Revenue Forecast
Information on maintenance and construction costs is collected; a thorough compilation and analysis of historically available and reasonably expected future funding sources is undertaken; and a fully encompassing financial strategy is designed to ensure that improvements identified as part of the Encompass 2035 development can ultimately be funded and implemented.
Scenario Development
The regional travel demand model is utilized to test various transportation networks, consisting of differing combinations of street and highway and/or transit improvements. For any given scenario, the number of maintenance, construction, and service improvements is limited by the amount of anticipated revenues.
Scenario Comparison
The scenarios are compared based on their ability to meet the projected daily transportation demand. Several evaluation criteria are used, such as the rate of congestion, speed, daily accidents, vehicle emissions, estimated cost, etc.
Scenario Selection
The region cooperatively chooses the preferred scenario that will provide the best fit to meet Central Oklahoma’s future travel needs and adopted goals.
Encompass 2035 Approval
The Encompass 2035 is formally presented and adopted by the ACOG Intermodal Transportation Policy Committee, which consists of local elected officials from each member entity within the OCARTS area, as well as representatives from other agencies that set transportation policy affecting the region.
