Specialized Data Resources
This page provides resources and information often needed to prepare a benefit-cost analysis and examine recommended monetized values, and other resources specific to intelligent transportation systems.
Benefit-Cost Analysis Guidance for Discretionary Grant Programs
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Benefit-Cost Analysis Guidance for Discretionary Grant Programs includes recommended monetized values for various types of benefits and costs that the Department recommends applicants use in their benefit-cost analyses, including both monetization values and other key inputs. These standardized values are intended to ensure greater consistency in how various types of projects from across the country are evaluated. They also provide default values that applicants can use in the absence of having more detailed information readily available for their analysis.
User Information: More information on benefit-cost analysis can be found by visiting What Is a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA)?
Identifies: The Benefit-Cost Analysis Guidance covers recommended monetized values for reduced fatalities and injuries; value of time travel savings; vehicle operating costs; average vehicle occupancy rates; vehicle operating costs; valuation of pedestrian, cycling, and transit facility, vehicle, and modal improvements; emission reduction; and other specific items referenced within in the Guidance for completing a BCA.
Limitations and Notes: The BCA Guidance is not an exhaustive list of all types of benefits that may be acceptable for BCAs submitted to USDOT. However, if using monetization values not included in the BCA Guidance, applicants should provide documentation of sources and detailed calculations for the monetized values of any additional categories of benefits being claimed.
Access USDOT's Benefit-Cost Analysis Guidance for Discretionary Grant Programs.
What Is a Benefit-Cost Analysis?
A benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is a systematic process for identifying, quantifying, and comparing the expected benefits and costs of an investment, action, or policy. Many USDOT discretionary grant programs that fund project construction require a benefit-cost analysis to identify, quantify, and compare expected benefits and costs of the proposed project.
Visit the DOT Navigator page What Is a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA)? to see a list of programs that require a BCA and to learn more about what is included in a BCA.
Access the What Is a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA)? page on the DOT Navigator.
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Deployment Evaluation Datasets and Website
The ITS Joint Program Office’s Deployment Evaluation Program website features over 20 years of data highlighting the benefits, costs, and lessons learned from intelligent transportation system deployments to assist the ITS deployer community with making evidence-based ITS investment decisions. Additionally, the website includes ITS deployment tracking statistics collected from nationwide surveys of public-sector transportation agencies over the past 20 years.
Featured products in addition to the benefits/costs database and ITS Deployment Tracking Survey statistics include a variety of infographics and data visualizations, case studies, and executive briefings. New content data and other content types are added frequently.
User Information: Browse specific ITS benefits, costs, lessons learned, and deployment tracking data and decision support artifacts using the website’s navigation and icons for Benefits, Costs, Deployment Statistics, Briefings, Lessons Learned, and Decision Support Resources, or perform more targeted text-based searches using the search bar on the home page.
Identifies: The website presents quantitative benefits and costs of, and lessons learned from, deployed ITS through data, visualization, and mapping. The website also contains reports with data and findings from the ITS Deployment Tracking Survey that describe trends in ITS adoption, usage, and market growth/change.
Limitations and Notes: The studies included in the Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned databases are limited to evaluation studies with publicly available evaluation reports. Evaluation data and survey data are limited to public-sector deployments only.
Access the ITS Joint Program Office’s Deployment Evaluation Program website.
Freight Analysis Framework
The Freight Analysis Framework database provides a regional and national picture of freight flows to, from, and within the United States (among regions and states), by commodity and mode for the base year, as well as for forecasts up to 30 years into the future in a 5-year interval. Additional FAF data products also include FAF network flows database, where truck movements are routed onto the national highway network, estimates of annual projections, and synchronized historical data series. For a discretionary grant applicant seeking funding for a project that would enhance freight mobility, this data can help better understand and articulate how their project will benefit the economy, by showing what type of commodities are traveling to and from their region and their relative significance.
User Information: Multiple resources including archived webinars and a user guide are available.
Identifies: The FAF provides data on freight flows for States and MPOs by commodity and modal type. The information may be accessed through the Data Tabulation Tool and downloaded as either a complete database or in summary files.
Limitations and Notes: The FAF5 provides estimates for tonnage and value by regions of origin and destination, commodity type, and mode for base year 2017 and a 30- year forecasts. FAF5 forecasts provide a range of future freight demands at five-year increments representing three different economic growth scenarios, through 2050, by various modes of transportation.
Access the FAF5 Data Tabulation Tool
National Highway Freight Network
The National Highway Freight Network was established to strategically improve the efficient movement of freight and performance of the U.S. freight transportation system. The National Highway Freight Network consists of the following components: Primary Highway System, Critical Urban Freight Corridors, Critical Rural Freight Corridors, and some portions of the interstate systems not on the National Highway Freight System.
User Information: Jeff Purdy at Jeffrey.Purdy@dot.gov is the contact for questions related to NHFN.
Identifies: There are about 60,110 centerline miles designated on the NHFN. For programs where being on the National Highway Freight Network is a gateway to eligibility, such as INFRA, the mapping tool can be used to confirm is a project in on the network.
Limitations and Notes: States and in certain cases, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), are responsible for designating public roads for the CRFCs and CUFCs
Access the National Highway Freight Network
Port Performance Freight Statistics Program
The Port Performance Freight Statistics Program provides nationally consistent performance measures on capacity and throughput for the Nation’s largest tonnage, container, and dry bulk ports. Additionally, the Port Profiles provide interactive capacity and throughput data for the Nation’s largest container, tonnage, and dry bulk ports. The user can access a port profile providing information on channel depths, terminal information, BTS ranks for containers, tonnage and dry bulk, commodities as well as metrics and measures. You can also access the interactive Vessel Dwell Times Dashboard as part of the Port Performance Freight Statics Program.
User Information: A How-to-Video: Port Profiles is available.
Identifies: The Port Profiles tool provides consistent performance measures using the same methodology and units of measure at the Nation's maritime ports.
Limitations and Notes: The Port Profiles were updated in January 2024 with 2021 or the latest port data available.
Access the Port Performance Freight Statistics Program
Disclaimer: This curated list of federal data and mapping tools is maintained on the DOT Navigator website as a secondary source and does not supersede primary materials issued by each USDOT Operating Administration. USDOT does not promote one resource over another. Accordingly, please work directly with the USDOT Operating Administration managing the BIL discretionary grant program for specific guidance.