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BCA.Net User`s Manual - FHWA BCA.NET Highway Project Benefit

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1. Check the section below on Software and Hardware Requirements to verify that your computer is compliant You access BCA Net from either FHWA s User Profile and Access Control System UPACS or from the URL Internet address ofthe system See section 1 Login Page below for more information How do I use BCA Net After logging on you can access all the features of BCA Net You navigate to the different functional areas of thesystem each represented by a web page by clicking on the Navigation Bar of the Main Menu top ofthe page below the banner and status bar You develop your data and conduct youranalysis by selecting options on the web pages of BCA Net When you make entries and click on selections in the web browser a requestis sentover the Internet to the BCA Net server The server performs all the calculations and data transformations and then sends backto your browser an updated page that reflects your selections Where do my data reside During a BCA Net session yourdata resides on the BCA Net server You may choose to leave your data on the server between sessions or you can store it locally on yourown computer and delete it from the BCA Net server If you opt to store your data locally and remove it from the server you can restore yourdata to the BCA Net server and continue your analysis at the start of yournext BCA Net session Are my data secure The FHWA will take significant and reasonable measure
2. BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 59 Glossary of Terms Base Year The base year is the year that precedes the start year of the period of analysis selected for the project Benefit Cost Ratio The benefit cost ratio is a measure of economic worth It is the present value of the project benefits divided by the present value of the project costs The costs in the denominator include only the net resource expenditures required to build or maintain the highway infrastructure or otherwise provide highway services All other effects Le user costs environmental costs disruption costs of construction are captured in the numerator of the benefit costratio If the benefit cost ratio exceeds 1 then the project passes the benefit cost test The benefit cost ratio is a good measure of bang for the buck that is benefits received for public dollar expended However its use to prioritize projects for funding should be undertaken carefully In the case of projects or alternatives that are mutually exclusive a project with a lower benefit cost ratio may yield greater net benefit i e higher NPV and may be generally preferable than a project with a higher benefit cost ratio More information on this is available in the FHWA s Economic Analysis Primer Bins This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net The range fora simulation result variable i e the values bound
3. Period of Analysis This is also called the time horizon or analysis period in the documentation The period of analysis is the period during which the benefits and costs due to the effects of changes to the road infrastructure or traffic flowing onit are measured and compared The period of analysis begins with the start year and ends with the end year There may also beconstruction during the base year the year that immediately precedes the start year and these costs are included in the benefit cost summary Present Value The present value is a single number that expresses a future cost or benefit stream in terms of an equivalent value realized in the present The formula for the present value is given as n y PV Y 3 0 sdry where v is a value in the ith year of theanalysis dris the discountrate and n is the number of years in the period of analysis Probability This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net Probability is the likelihood of the occurrence of a value or event Probability Density Function This is the same as probability distribution Probability Distribution This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net A probability distribution or probability density function shows a continuous random variable s frequency of Occurrence over its range Project A project is a collection of one or more segments that are to be improved The benefit cost results summary aggregates the r
4. Percent of Year values for all the traffic profiles for the segment and year must sumto 100 o Percent of Annual Traffic the percent of annual traffic that flows on the segment in the days of the year represented by the traffic profile The Percent of Annual Traffic for all the traffic profiles for the segment and year must sumto 100 o Percent Vehicle Type BCA Net calculates user costs for three vehicle types auto truck and bus You specify the percentage of vehicles in the traffic flow for types truck and bus The percentage of type auto is calculated as the remaining share o Traffic Distributions by Vehicle Type For each of the three vehicle types you specify its traffic distribution from the dropdown list that appears when the data grid is in edit mode For more on traffic distributions how to edit them or add new ones see the glossary and 5 Parameters Page In addition to the Edit Update and Cancel buttons for editing the traffic profiles data grid has buttons Add New and Delete Checked These buttons appear only when the start year is the selected year The Add New button will add a new traffic profile to the list After adding a new traffic profile you will need to edit it to reflect your data and projections In order to delete a traffic profile you must first edit the traffic profiles so that thoseto be deleted have the value zero in the columns Per
5. base year Traffic characteristics Base year signals and devices Cases e View Facility Characteristics in the Base Year When you click the Edit button the grid changes to edit mode and the editable values will appearin text boxes Click the Update button when you have completed editing or click the Cancel button to undo edits and return to non edit mode If you try to update and one or more of the text boxes contains invalid values i e non numeric characters in a numeric field or values outside a permissible range for the variable the page will show an error message e Views Traffic Characteristics Base Network Traffic Characteristics and Alternate Network Traffic Characteristics This view contains three components o Annual traffic data for selected years data grid Specify here the Average Annual Daily Traffic AADT for each of the three designated forecast years these years are part of the selected scenario definition setthese on the Manage page with the scenario view For each of these tables the Edit Update Cancel buttons work the same as other data grid controls in BCA Net In Edit mode set the values for AADT in the text boxes After clicking Update the data grid displays the imputed average annual rates of growth in AADT o Selected Year dropdown list BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Use this dropdown list
6. effective green time etc Base year signal and device information can be modified by the strategies selected for the base and alternate cases in the Cases view of the Project page see Strategies section above and View Cases below e View Base Case and Alternate Case Figure 25 Cases View 38 e BCA Net Page by Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System Navigation Bar and Ment Ctrl gt Manage gt Strategies Project gt Parameters gt Scenaro gt Simulation gt Results Heb Logout Model Type ees Dataset US 88 US 68 i US 88 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model User astambouli Interchange Improvement ranges Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Improvement Selected segment for viewing and editing 1 TempSeg1 z So Current View Base and Alternate Cases Base and Alternate Case Definitions Base Year 2008 Period of Analysis 2009 2043 a c APP El S1 s Resurface narrow 2008 r S15 Resurface narrow 2008 r EO Resurface narrow 2008 r 516 Resurface narrow 2009 r 516 Resurface narrow 2010 r S1 6 Resurface narrow 2010 rH The strategies in the lists are those selected for the Base and Alternate Cases The year represents the beginning year for implementing the strategy Remember to include rehabilitation or preservation stra
7. 24 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 30 41 43 55 56 Strategy Page costs 1 2 9 10 27 31 33 34 37 39 41 47 48 55 56 57 signals and devices 25 34 35 36 38 55 summary 1 50 51 54 58 I tax 48 traffic traffic characteristics 33 34 35 41 traffic distributions 8 10 37 43 47 traffic profiles 33 34 37 38 44 traffic characteristics 33 34 35 41 traffic distributions 8 10 37 43 47 traffic profiles 33 34 37 38 trial 52 58 triangle 50 Triangle 50 U uniform 9 49 Uniform 9 49 user costs 27 31 37 47 48 emissions 48 55 safety 47 57 travel time 30 44 47 48 55 56 57 vehicle operating costs 55 56 BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual
8. 34 37 38 profiles 5 8 9 10 23 24 26 27 28 33 34 35 36 37 38 43 44 45 46 47 53 55 56 project 1 9 10 17 18 19 21 23 29 30 31 33 34 35 38 39 40 41 44 47 48 52 54 55 56 project costs 48 capital costs 28 31 disruption costs 48 56 Project ISICs Page Cases 1 3 9 10 23 30 33 34 35 38 39 41 46 55 57 Identifiers 23 24 28 29 30 31 55 Project Page cases 1 3 34 35 39 41 46 55 57 signals and devices 25 34 35 36 38 55 traffic characteristics 33 34 35 41 Project Segments Page cases 1 3 9 10 23 30 33 34 35 38 39 41 46 55 57 signals and devices 25 34 35 36 38 55 traffic characteristics 33 34 35 PSI 24 39 55 R random seed 53 rate of return 57 registration 16 residual value 48 49 56 results set 10 17 18 19 21 52 reversible 24 right of way 27 31 risk analysis 2 49 52 58 Latin Hypercube 53 Monte Carlo 53 simulation 10 39 49 52 53 54 55 58 59 trial 52 58 S safety 47 57 scenario 9 17 18 19 21 33 34 36 41 46 47 49 51 52 53 56 Scenario Page data group 47 49 53 social costs 46 segment 9 23 24 26 29 31 33 34 35 37 38 39 40 41 42 44 45 54 55 Segment Strategy Page 72 e Index costs 1 2 9 10 27 31 33 34 37 39 41 46 47 48 55 56 57 signals and devices 25 34 35 36 38 55 signal 25 26 27 38 simulation 10 39 40 52 53 54 55 58 59 social costs 46 strategy 23
9. A project may consist ofone or more segments Simulation This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net Simulation is a numeric method for finding solutions to analytically complex problems by simulating repeated real world occurrences BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Skewness This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net Skewness is a measure of the asymmetry of a distribution The probability density function of a skewed distribution has a longer tail on its skewed side A right skewed distribution has skewness greater than O and a left skewed distribution has skewness less than0 The formula for skewness is Y x x n A 1 n D n 2 s where Y is the mean of the observations s is the standard deviation and n is the number of observations Standard deviation This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net The standard deviation which is the square root of the variance is the principal descriptive statistic after the mean value Knowing only a distribution s mean value and standard deviation an upper bound can be found on the probability of any value in a variable s range The standard deviation reported for the results is the sample standard deviation given by the formula 2 2 n gt D agr X n n 1 where n is the number of trials Start Year The start year is the first year of an analysis This is one ofthree year
10. Average Delay sec Average Delay sec Description per Small Vehicle per Small Vehicle per Small Vehicle Peak Period Peak Shoulder Off Peak Period 4 Way stop at Euclid Ave Traffic control devices on the segment determine delays due to slowing stopping and queuing at the device Specify the base year facility traffic signals and devices for each project segment in this page For instance if a section of arterial highway has two traffic signals in the base year these signals would be recorded here The view consists of two sections The top section is for traffic signals You can add signals by using the Add New button and then click the Edit button to modify the default data profile to provide an appropriate description of the signal beginning with a name e g location description and the length of the signal s cycle the time in seconds between the starts of the red signal The data variables are identical to those described in Table 4 above in the Strategies section of this manual Once the data has been modified and you wish to save the changes click the Update button Please note that signal data must be specified separately for peak peak shoulder and off peak traffic periods If you wish to study the impact of a signal or device on the intersecting road at the intersection you must include a segment that reflects the data pertaining to the signal s impact on that segment e g
11. Generate report Action Generate report BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Selecting this option will generate two parameters reports in Adobe Acrobat pdf file for each view in the Parameters page These reports include Traffic Distribution Parameters and Intersections Interchanges Parameters This information can be an important addition to the Results report see Results page discussion as it enables decision makers to review the specific project parameters used in the BCA Using the buttons on the page you can copy an existing traffic distribution or create a new one which can than be edited You can delete a traffic distribution Prior to deleting a traffic distribution you must ensure that the traffic distribution is not referenced by any segment s traffic profile in the dataset Attempting to delete a referenced traffic distribution will fail and an error message will be displayed BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 45 8 Scenario Page Figure 32 View of Scenario Page Scenario Base with ranges Selected scenario data group Travel demand and traffic composition Y Editdistributions Edit values n 1 i view Traffic uncertainty factor first year percent Fixed Value EEE Traffic uncertainty factor last year near term Mean Std View Normal percent o 2 a Skewed 10 Lower Median 10 Upp
12. US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type ing astambouli Interchange Improvement ranges Year Deferment Network Highway Improvement Maintenance Strategies Intersections Interchanges Create new intersection interchange strategy Select the intersection interchange type Make a selection fid Name of the new strategy Submit New ISIC Strategy Overview This page is accessed from the menu option ISIC Strategy gt Actions gt Create new strategy To create a new strategy 1 Select and Intersection Interchange type from the dropdown list 2 Enter the name ofthe new strategy and 3 click Submit Note the definitions of the ISIC types are found on the Parameters Page After clicking Submit the ISIC Strategies page will appear and the new strategy will be setas the current strategy and can be modified as needed 32 e BCA Net Page by Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual 5 Project Segments Page Figure 22 Project Segments Page with Base Year Facility Characteristics View BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System Navigation z aita ACRI Manage gt Strategies Project gt Parameters gt Scenario gt Simulation gt Results Heip Logout Current Settings gt User tim35050 Dataset Initial Project US 88 Improvement Design Alt 1 Scenario Base no ranges Results US
13. no statistics are shown and only the middle percentile box is enabled for data entry No chart is shown for a fixed value Uniform two values required maximum and minimum value With the uniform distribution every point on an interval is equally likely When you select this distribution type the O percentile minimum value and 100 percentile maximum value are enabled for data entry BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 49 Skewed Normal three values required Lower 10 median and upper 10 The skewed normal distribution is derived from three points the 10 lower value 10 percentile the 50 value or median and the 10 upper value 90 percentile For non skewed values this distribution is normal This distribution is useful when the exact form ofthe distribution is not known yet good estimates on the median and boundary values are available When this distribution typeis selected the 10 lower value median and 10 percent upper value boxes in the data grid are enabled for data entry Normal two values required mean and standard deviation For this distribution enter datain the statisticalsummary frame The mean and standard deviation are available for data entry when this distribution type is selected Use this distribution type when you have data indicating the variable is non skewed and normally distributed Triangle three values required ma
14. 88 Design Alt 1 Model Type Network KK Selected segment for viewing and editing MEERE E Current View Base Year Facility Characteristics Facility Characteristics in the Base Year 2006 Description Main St to US 68 Facility Type Rural Suburban Arterial Number of lanes 2 Of these number reversible o Freeflow speed 50 Maximum flow rate veh hr lane 500 Percent grade o Length miles 4 PSI Pavement Serviceability Index 35 Pavement deterioration 01 Annual change in PSI Crash Rate Accidents per Million VMT 15 Cost units Cost lane mile Operating amp Maint cost thous 35 Other lifecycle cost hous o Project Segments Overview From the Project Segments page you can edit the data for project segments create new project segments and delete existing segments The Project Segments page has differing views for the Basic and Network model types The model type is determined in the Project View of the Manage Page The Basic model type is used if a Network model is not enabled for the analysis The Project Segments page has four views if a Basic model type is selected These four views apply to the selected project segment e Base Year Facility Characteristics The facility characteristics in the base year include the variables that are targeted by strategies see Section 3 above In this section you also specify the Operating and Maintenance and Other Lifecycle costs that are associat
15. A case may have more than one strategy For instance an alternate case for a segment may involve rehabilitating the facility in 2007 and adding lanes in 2015 Cumulative Probability Distribution This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net A cumulative probability distribution is constructed by adding or cumulating the frequency of the probability density function A cumulative probability distribution is an upwardly sloping curve where each point on the curve gives the probability that the variable will be equal to or less than the value on the x axis The y axis of the cumulative probability distribution ranges between 0 and 1 The cumulative probability distribution equals zero for a variables minimum value and rises to 1 at a variables maximum value De Cumulative Probability Distribution This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net A de cumulative probability distribution is constructed by subtracting or de cumulating a variable s probability frequency starting with a probability of 1 A de cumulative probability distribution is a downward sloping curve where the curve gives the probability of the variable exceeding the value along the x axis The de cumulative probability is 1 for a variable s minimum value and is O for its maximum value ie the y axis ranges between 1 and 0 Deterministic The term deterministic indicates that there is no uncertainty attributed to a given value variable or model
16. A dataset will contain at least one scenario and may contain as many as 30 scenarios Create and delete scenarios and modify their defining values from the Manage page After selecting a scenario view and modify the scenario data from the Scenario page Segment Strategies Although not defined through the Manage page each dataset must have one or more segment strategies defined within it The Segment Strategy page is used to describe the actions and costs of actions e g resurfacing adding lanes adding or removing traffic signals etc to be evaluated as part of the base cases and design alternatives BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Using BCA Net e 9 considered for one or more projects Strategies can be combined and sequenced to make up any given base case or design alternative The combining and sequencing of strategies is done on the Project Segments page with the Base Case and Alternate Case view Intersection Interchange Strategies If a project contains an intersection interchange then the dataset must have one or more ISIC strategies defined within it The ISIC Strategy page is used to describe the actions and costs of actions e g modifying an intersection or interchange to facilitate more efficient traffic flow by say upgrading a signaled intersection toa diamond interchange The strategies are to be evaluated as part of the basecases and design alternatives considered for one or m
17. Actions options see below e Project ISICs gt Views menu options Use this option to toggle between the page s three views 1 Base year definitions 2 exiting flows and 3 base and alternate cases The components on the page below the header Current View will change accordingly Each view will show a suitable data grid control for editing its variable values e Project ISICs gt Actions menu options o Create new ISIC Selecting this option will invoke the new ISIC page On this page the userspecifies the name of the new ISIC the segments and the ISIC type o Copy selected ISIC This option will create a copy of the currently selected ISIC that can be modified to new specifications The systemgives a temporary name to the newly created segment which youcan edit in the Definitions view of the ISIC BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 41 o Delete selected ISIC Selecting this option will cause the selected ISIC to be deleted o Generate report Selecting this option will invoke a submenu of Project Intersection Interchange reports to generate in Adobe Acrobat pdf file Users can generate project reports for each view in the Project ISIC page These reports include Intersections Interchanges Base Facilities Characteristics Exit Flows and Intersections Interchanges Base and Alternate Cases ISIC values data grid On the page belo
18. BCA Net reports or any subsetofthem Select the reports you wish to generate then click Submit The reports listed will vary according to the network model type selected for the analysis Note that the Results reports require running a simulation prior to report generation Failure to do so will cause an error notice to be displayed Each report generated will pop in up a new browser with the report displayed as a portable document file pdf The report can be printed orsaved to yourlocal computer After generating your reports you can move to any otherpage with the navigation menu BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual 3 Segment Strategies Page Figure 13 View of Segment Strategies Page Identifiers and Targets View A res ancy nares BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System Navigation Bar and Menu Ctrl 1 gt Manage Strategies gt Project gt Parameters gt Scenario gt Simulation gt Results He Logout Current Settings gt User Dataset US 88 US 68 Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type astambouli Interchange Improvement ranges Year Deferment Network Selected strategy for viewing and editing ETA zm iz 6d Current View Identifiers and Effects Strategy ID 1 Name 516 Resurface narrow Description Resurface asphalt narrow two lane suburban rural arterial
19. Default True Use the view options in the main menu to alternate between project scenario and results set Use the dropdown list above to select the specific item to use in your analysis Click edit to modify the values in the above table Manage Overview Use the controls on the Manage page to set and manage the data objects e g datasets projects scenarios result sets for your analysis see the section on The Data Hierarchy in BCA Netf You can also modify the defining values for data Objects set or restore defaults select the model type and launch the page to create new data objects or delete existing ones Use the Manage gt View features in the main menu to toggle the page between the different views which correspond to the three data object types project scenario and results set Manage Features e Enable Go toggle buttons The two figures below show two rows from the Manage page Selected dataset and Selected Project note that Selected Project is specific to Current View Project In the first figure the dataset selection dropdown list is active and the project selection dropdown list is inactive Clicking the Enable button will cause the page to change so that the dropdown list to its left becomes active When the dropdown list is active the button to its right will display Go Clicking the Go button will change selected dataset or project to
20. During The percentage of daily work zone Peak Shoulder disruptions that take place during the peak shoulder period Length of Work Zone in miles The total length of work zone in miles If changes to signals or traffic devices are included in the strategy these costs must be included as part of the strategy s cost in this view Note that the capital costs ofa strategy only begin in the yearin which you specify the strategy to be implemented in the Cases view of the Project page You must also specify the annual Operating and Maintenance O amp M and Other Lifecycle OLC costs if any associated with the strategy Note that theses recurring annual costs take effect in the year following the last year of capital expenditures Likewise the target effects of a strategy specified in the Identifiers and Effects view of the Segment Strategies page take effect in the year following the last year of capital expenditures For instance if a strategy is implemented say in the alternate casein year 2010 and has three years of capital expenditures there will be associated capital expenditures in years 2010 2011 and 2012 In year 2013 the strategy target effects will apply and the strategy O amp M and OLC costs begin to accrue in each year Segment Strategies Features e Select strategy dropdown list Select the strategy to edit with this drop down list After selecting click the Go to the right of the dropdown list e Segment
21. Intersections Interchanges Views ma Definitions Exiting Flows Base and alternate cases 7 Parameters Views Traffic distributions Intersections Interchange Parameters 3 i B Scenarios Views Travel demand and traffic composition 8 a Input Chart 10 a Results Chart 14 e BCA Net Page by Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual 1 Login Page Figure 5 View of Login Page US Department of hontportotion Federal Highway Administration FHWA Users must use UPACS login Non FHWA Users can create an account in this system now BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System FHWA Users must obtain an account in UPACS from their UPACS Admin User ID Password Login Enter your email address and click Register Now below Update Registration Info Email Address Reset Password Register Now Login Overview BCA Net can be accessed through one of two modes of access each of which is the only access mode for a particular category of users The modes of access and the user categories are e FHWA s User Profile and Access Control System UPACS Users that access BCA Net with this access mode are FHWA employees or others that are registered users of FHWA information systems e The Login and Registration Pages of BCA Net Users that access BCA Net with this access mode are non FHWA employees and those who are not registered users of FHWA information syst
22. Models thatinclude random variables are called probabilistic or stochastic Dollar Values Dollar values in the model are constant base year dollars also called real dollars Present value dollars in the model are discounted to the end of the base year End Year The end year is the last year of an analysis period This is one of three years that the user must setin the Scenario view of the Manage page For example suppose the analysis period of a benefit cost analysis was twenty five years and the near term planning horizon was five years If the start year is 2008 then the respective years of the analysis in this example would be 62 e Glossary of Terms BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Start Year Last Year Near Term 2008 2012 2032 For each segment of a project the user sets the forecast levels of traffic and traffic profiles for representative days in each of the three years The base year for this analysis would be 2007 the year before the start year of the period of analysis In the benefit cost analysis with BCA Net the effects of improvements and their respective costs and benefits are measured in each year from the start year to the end year inclusive Benefits and costs in the analysis are discounted to the beginning of the start year i e the end of the base year The residual value of the project which is the depreciated value of capital improvements at the end of the e
23. New Data Object Overview Invoke this page from the Manage page and use it to create a new data object Depending on the data object the required actions will vary see the table below Note that if you invoke this page and then change your mind you can return to the Manage page by selecting from the Main Menu Manage gt Go to Manage Page Table 2 Required Actions for Creating New Data Objects Data object Required Actions for Creating New Object Dataset Select new from sample data or copy a dataset If you select copy then you must select the dataset to copy froma dropdown list Provide a name for the new dataset Project Select create a new empty project or copy an existing project If youselect copy then you must select the project to copy from a dropdown list Provide a name for the new project Scenario Select create new scenario with default values or copy an existing scenario If you select copy then you must select the scenario to copy from a dropdown list Provide a name for the new scenario Results Set Provide a name for the new results set BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 21 2 e Generate Multiple Reports Page Figure 12 A section of the Generate Multiple Reports View with a Network model type gt FHWA BCAAET Highway Project Benefit Cost Model Windows Internet Explorer GO e omm Efe Ed yew
24. PVS Select charttype Histogram O Cumul O De cumul O Tornado Refresh Bins 20 The chart shows the probability distribution for the result variable For the Histogram Cumulative and De Cumulative Charts The shaded gray region of the chart is the 80 confidence interval The dotted red line is the mean value For the Tornado Chart The bars show the percent change in the mean of the result when the input varies within its 80 confidence interval while the other inputs are held constant at their central value Results Chart Overview When you click a View link on the results page the results for the selected variable are displayed in the Results Chart that pops up The variable s risk analysis statistics are shown in the tables on the page as well as a chart of the table values Using the option buttons you can choose to display the summary chart as a cumulative de cumulative or histogram format If in your simulation you selected to run a risk sensitivity analysis then you can also view a tornado chart which shows a ranking of input variables that were the most significant contributors to the variance of the result Results Chart Features The analystis accorded a high degree of choice in the type and appearance of charts showing the results of probability and sensitivity analyses The options available to the analyst are described immediately below Number of Bins The Results Chart displays probabil
25. Select the units total per facility mile or per lane mile and enter the capital expenditures for up to seven years of a construction program with separate costs for right of way construction and anticipated usercosts 1 e delay due to construction activities such as work zones Anticipated usercosts due to construction can be calculated using the Work Zone Cost Calculator To enable the use of the calculator check the Enable Work Zone Calculator checkbox in the Costs view of the Segment Strategies page and click Go This will disable manual entry for work disruption costs and enable the user to enter parameters for the work zone calculator in all seven years of the strategy BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 27 Table 5 Definitions of Work Zone Calculator Variables in the Costs View Variable Definition Lanes Open in Work Zone The total number of operational lanes in a work zone Maximum Allowed Speed in Work The maximum posted speed for the Zone in miles per hour operational lanes in a work zone in miles per hour Maximum Duration of Work Zone The maximum duration of a work in days zone disruption in days Hours per Day The total daily number of hours during which the work zone lane closures are active Percentage of Work Zone During The percentage of daily work zone Peak disruptions that take place during the peak period Percentage of Work Zone
26. US68 Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type Current Setting astambouli Interchange Improvement ranges Year Deferment Network Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Improvement Selected intersection interchange for viewing and editing US 88 amp US 68 Intersection So Base Case Preserve Existing US 88 US 68 Intersection Upgrade and Presereve US 88 US 68 Interchange Preserve Existing US 88 US 68 Intersection Preserve Upgraded US 88 US 68 Interchange Preserve Existing US 88 US 68 Intersection Preserve Upgraded US 88 US 68 Interchange Preserve Existing US 88 US 68 Intersection Preserve Upgraded US 88 US 68 Interchange Preserve Existing US 88 US 68 Intersection Preserve Upgraded US 88 US 68 Interchange Preserve Existing US 88 US 68 Intersection Preserve Upgraded US 88 US 68 Interchange Preserve Existing US 88 US 68 Intersection 2039 r Preserve Upgraded US 88 US 68 Interchange The strategies in the lists are those selected for the Base and Alternate Cases The year represents the beginning year for implementing the strategy 42 e BCA Net Page by Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual 6 a New Project Intersection Interchanges ISIC Page Figure 29 New Project Intersection Interchange Page ORS eic BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System oye Manage gt Strategies gt Project gt
27. and editing S1 5 Resurface narrow s Go Current View Signals and Devices Traffic signals on the segment with the selected strategy implemented neral Selected period for viewing and editing signals Peak z Go signals for the selected strategy Delete checked Edit Description Length of Signal Perc Eff Green Perc Flow Perc Eff Green Perc Flow Cycle seconds Dir Greater Use Corr Green Dir Lesser Use Corr Green Dir Greater Use Dir Lesser Use Temp Desci 90 500 0 0 50 0 0 0 r Temp Desc2 90 50 0 0 0 50 0 0 0 r Signals determine delays due to slowing stopping and queuing at the signal when not green You can modify a signal s description and delete a signal only when the peak period is selected Traffic control devices e g stop yield on the segment with the selected strategy implemented No changes to devices on the segment with the strategy I Go Traffic control devices for the selected strategy Delete checked cit Description Average Delay sec Average Delay sec Average Delay sec per Small Vehicle per Small Vehicle per Small Vehicle Peak Period Peak Shoulder Off Peak Period Temp Desci Traffic control devices on the segment determine delays due to slowing stopping and queuing at the device BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 25 26 e BCA Net Page by Page Table 4 Definitions of S
28. costs but lead to higher vehicle operating costs due to greater fuel consumption and maintenance costs In othercases the improvement may reduce these costs while also saving travel time if it relieves severe congestion that results in inefficient vehicle operating speeds Note that the value of the time saving for a capacity project on an existing congested roadway should generally exceed the absolute change in vehicle operating cost by a significant margin Particularly if the vehicle operating cost savings are very large in absolute terms the base and alternate cases should be studied carefully Such investigation may reveal that either the base case or the alternate case does not include appropriate pavement maintenance strategies leading to very low PSI values for one or the othercases in out years and thus unrealistically high vehicle operating costs e BCA Net calculates Safety benefits from estimated traffic volumes and the Crash Rate Accidents per Million VMT values provided for each strategy under the Strategies gt Views gt lIdentifiers and Effects view The model currently uses hard coded lookup values by which crash rates are categorized into property damage only minor injury serious injury and fatal injury crashes The model assigns severities based on accident type categorizations fatal injury and property damage only You specify the valuation for each type of crash in the Social Costs dropdown view of the Scena
29. dollars Year 1 is the start year of strategy implementation Annualized O amp M and Other Life Cycle costs accrue from the first year of O capital costs 30 e BCA Net Page by Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual In the Costs view of the ISIC Strategies page you specify the costs associated with the strategy Enter the capital expenditures for up to seven years of a construction program with separate costs for right of way construction and anticipated user costs Le delay due to construction activities such as work zones Note that the capital costs ofan ISIC strategy only begin in the year in which you specify the strategy to be implemented in the Cases view of the Project ISIC page You must also specify the annual Operating and Maintenance O amp M and Other Lifecycle OLC costs if any associated with the strategy Note that theses recurring annual costs take effect in the year following the last year of capital expenditures Likewise the effect ofa strategy e g the new ISIC type that is specified in the Identifiers view of the ISIC Strategies page takes effect in the year following the last year of capital expenditures For instance if a strategy is implemented say in the alternate case in year 2010 and has three years of capital expenditures there will be associated capital expenditures in years 2010 2011 and 2012 In year 2013 the strategy target effects will appl
30. drop down list for the data object selection enabled after clicking on the Enable button below the Current View header o Populate the grid at the bottomof the page with the defining values of the selected data object and enable editing of these values o Enable the Create New link to navigate to the corresponding page when clicked for creating a new data object o The Delete link is enabled only if the selected data object is not the default data object The reports view on this allows you to select reports for printing and saving e Manage gt Views gt Projects menu options o When you click the Edit button the grid changes to edit mode and the editable values will appear in text boxes Click the Update button when you have completed editing or click the Cancel button to undo edits and return to non edit mode o Modify the defining values for the selected project in edit mode o Select the model type for the analysis by setting the Project uses network model parameter to true fora Network model type or false for a Basic model type The First year alternative network parameter determines the first year the alternative network model is used in the analysis e o The Default parameter determines the default project settings for the selected dataset e Manage gt Actions menu options o Reload defaults Some of your data collections are designated as defaults which are
31. for each result variable Thus for instance BCA Net will tell us not only the answer is 50 but also that with 90 probability the answer lies between 30 and 75 As opposed to point estimates or sensitivity analysis where one variable is arbitrarily varied risk analysis supports better decisions by explicitly reporting the probability distributions of the results Also see the section About BCA Net in the Introduction The simulation parameters are discussed below BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Trials Box Enter the number of trials for the simulation The number of trials is the number of times that the program will sample from the scenario input distributions solve the model and generate results More trials will yield more stable res ults and will take more time torun While a number of factors will determine the minimum number of trials needed to achieve stable results 500 trials will usually be adequate You must use at least three trials to run a simulation Recommended Practice To save time when testing your data and assumptions use a small number of trials 50 or less After you are satisfied that you will make no more changes to the data and then run a simulation with a large number of trials to arrive at your result If you wish to learn more on this subject a good technical reference is Latin Hypercube sampling A Program Users Guide by R L Iman J M Davenport and
32. grid is notin edit mode your results file will not contain values for the tornado chart Figure 35 View of Simulation Page Q Department of Transportation BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System ent hway Administration Office of Asset Managem Navigation Bar and Menu Ctrl 1 gt Manage Strategies gt Project Parameters gt Scenario Simulation Results Admin Help Logout Current Settings gt User dbrod Dataset Initial Project US 88 Improvement Design Alt 1 d Scenario Base with ranges ji Results US 88 Design Selected results data group Benefit Cost Summary v Variable Mean Value Standard Deviation View Travel time savings thous PV 88 3 14 82222 View Vehicle operating cost savings thous PV 772 9 594951 View Safety benefits thous PV 2 9 0 4961381 View Environmental benefits thous PV 0 0 D View Project residual value thous PV 121 1 7 057887 view Disbenefit of traffic disruption from construction thous PY 0 0 0 View Total benefits thous PYS 283 8 2480117 View Of this benefits to new users thous PV 0 0 0 004338904 View Total costs thous PV 1129 7 51 36357 View Net benefits thous PV 846 0 46 4683 View Benefit cost ratio 0 25 0 01990146 View Rate of return percent 6 19 0 5805153 Results Overview The results of a simulation are viewed in the Results page When you browse to the page it displays the first results group Note that the model will
33. includes a percent of total days in the year and a percent of annual traffic If there is only one traffic profile for the segment then these values must equal 100 for that profile If there are several traffic profiles in a segment then the sum of the percent of total days and the percent of annu al traffic must each sum to 100 Traffic profiles are specified in the Project page of BCA Net BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual The traffic profile also specifies the duration of each of the travel periods peak and peak shoulder in hours For each of the three vehicle types auto truck bus the user specifies the traffic distribution for each Note that daily traffic profiles are converted to annual traffic levels in the by means of the Annualization Factor which is specified in the Travel demand and travel composition data group on the Scenario page Trial This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net A trial is one solution of a model in a simulation A simulation consists of many trials In each trial every input variable is populated with a data value sampled from the variable s probability distribution Upper 1096 Value This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net The upper 10 value is the 90th percentile ofa probability distribution and the upperlimit of an 8096 confidence interval Variable This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net A var
34. percent increase in traffic An elasticity value of 0 1 means that for a 1 percent reduction in travel cost would lead to a one tenth percent increase in traffic Long run total trip elasticities of 1 or higher in absolute value terms are well documented in the economic literature It is recommended however BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 47 that such elasticity values be adjusted to fractional levels based on the ratio of project length to the average total trip length of drivers using the project facilities For instance if project affects 2 miles of an average 20 mile trip thena 1 whole trip elasticity should be adjusted by a factor of 2 20 or 0 1 for usein BCA Net e Social costs data are entered in this Scenario page view Mostofthe costitems including discountrate value of travel time value of statisticallife and injury etc are self explanatory and are set to default values taken from FHWA sources The analyst can specify of course alternate values for these items in accordance with his or her agency s policies Please note that BCA Net works in terms of constant dollars i e dollars that have the purchasing power of a specified year In BCA Net dollars are base year constant dollars Inflation is assumed to affect all prices equally and is not tracked in BCA Net The only exception to this is that users can choose to set a real oil price index i e th
35. results chart page to pop up See Results Chart section below Results gt Action gt Generate and show reports This action will generate two reports of the simulation results in Adobe Acrobat pdf file The Highway Benefit Cost Analysis Results report presents the distribution and summary statistics for all cost and benefit categories in the base and alternate cases The Annual Benefits and Costs reports present relevant cost and benefit categories in the base and alternate cases for each ten year period of theanalysis This report can only be generated when simulating with central values only and disabling risk sensitivity analysis This can be done by accessing the Simulation page and checking the Central values only box and leaving the Run risk sensitivity analysis box unchecked BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 57 10 a Results Chart 58 e BCA Net Page by Page Figure 36 View of Results Chart Variable Travel time savings thous PV 02 Summary Statistics Percentiles S i Mean 405 4258 1 308 9688 Std Deviation 60 23414 5 327 6875 0 15 Minimum 243 0547 10 339 2188 gt Maximum 649 5156 20 354 5313 5 Skewness D 8867129 30 367 8281 01 Kurtosis 0 9656861 40 381 5 50 394 7969 60 408 625 0 05 70 428 2656 80 463 125 0 90 484 0781 ES b 95 520 3281 TS NEEDS 99 598 9531 Travel time savings thous
36. the one showing in the respective dropdown list Figure 8 Go Enable Toggle Buttons Dataset selection enabled Selected dataset Initial v Create New Dataset y taset Current View Project Selected Project 3 r j Create New Project BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 17 Figure 9 Go Enable Toggle Buttons Project selection enabled Selected dataset Create New Dataset Current View Project Selected Project US 88 Improvement Design Alt 2 v Create New Project Delete Project e Select dataset dropdown list if you have more than one dataset select the one to use with this drop down list After selecting click the Go to the right of the dropdown list e New dataset link Invoke the page for creating a new dataset e Delete dataset link Delete the selected dataset The link is enabled only if a non default dataset is selected If you wish to delete a default dataset and then select a different dataset set it as the default dataset and then delete the former dataset e Manage gt Views menu options When you select one of the views you change the current view to focus on one of the three data objects project scenario or results set A fourth view on the page allows you to select and generate BCA Net reports The components on the page below the header Current View will change accordingly when you select one of the first three views o Populate the
37. the roadway itself and there is no fundamental shift in traffic patterns as a result of the improvement With the Basic Model BCA Net always compares the base and alternate cases of an existing facility with no significant change in traffic flows on the improved segments or on adjacent roadways A large category of roadway improvements will in fact cause significant shifts in traffic patterns For instance a new connector that links between two facilities would typically result in major changes in traffic patterns An example of one such project is a proposed connectorroad in Eagle County Colorado see figure below that will adda new interchange to I 70 and build a new north south connectorroad that flies over US 6 and connects to Cooley Mesa Road which accesses the regional airport When the connectorroad is added about one third of the trips on parts of US 6 divert and use I 70 and the new connectorroad instead Figure 10 Example Connector Road Project Chambers Rd Capitol St MP 141 MP 142 MP 143 MP 144 MP 145 Project Area AS N Y Eagle Rive 7 Eagle County Regional Airport gt McGregor Cooley Mesa Road Road PROPOSED CONNECTOR n ROAD Ma Approximate scale in mies The Network Model permits the comparison ofa base case roadway network having base case traffic flows with an alternate case network with different alternate case traffic flows BCA Net performs all of the required calculations on each of the n
38. Care should be taken to assure that the base year facility characteristics data are compatible with the data specified for O amp M Costs and Other Lifecycle Costs in the strategies The effects associated with a non investment strategy are immediate in the year of implementation O amp M Costs and Other Lifecycle Costs recur in each year from the year of implementation These costs replace the costs from the base year facility characteristics or from strategies implemented in previous years Traffic Distribution The traffic distribution describes the intensity of traffic during three different periods of the day Peak peak shoulder and off peak The traffic distribution specifies the percent of daily traffic per hour in each period the user specifies the peak and peak shoulder while the off peak is calculated as the remaining traffic Additionally the traffic distribution includes a specification of the percent of traffic in the direction of greater flow a value between 50 and 100 The traffic distributions are specified in the Parameters page of BCA Net Traffic Profile A traffic profile describes a representative day of traffic on a segment for each of the three years start year last year near term and end year A segment may have one or several traffic profiles depending on whether traffic varies by time of week e g weekday vs weekend or time of year e g tourist season For each year the traffic profile
39. D K Zeigler Technical Report SAND79 1473 Sandia Laboratories Albuquerque 1980 Random Seed Box Note this is an expert option The random seed determines the sequence of pseudo random numbers that are generated by the simulation engine Any positive integer value will generate a unique sequence of pseudo random numbers for the simulation Two simulations with identical data number of trials and random seed will generate identical results Changing the random seed is an expert option You may want to change the random seed to test the effects of the randomness of the sampling on the result distributions Sampling Method Note this is an expert option You can select from two sampling methods for the simulation Latin hypercube and Monte Carlo simulation Latin hypercube is a stratified sampling method that ensures that a relatively small number of trials will yield results that are widely distributed and not clustered in the input variable sample space This method is the default and in general unless you havea special need for a purely random sampling of inputs you should use this method Run Central Values Only Check Box Check this box to run your model using only the central values The reported results will be point values without probability ranges When this box is checked the trials box and random seed box are disabled Note that if the box is checked the term True will be displayed once the page is up
40. Favontes Jods teb dp havertes y spends e web Skee Galery F FHWA BCA NET Monay Project Benet Cost Model Navigation Mandan OIE A Manage Strategies gt Project Parameters Scenwio Simulation gt Resuts Adrin Hep Logo 22 e BCA Net Page by Page Current Settings gt User Dataset US68 and uses Project US 22 Lane Addition dbrod ISIC Project Without Deferment All Reports Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition Model Type ranges Without Deferment Network Select the reports of interest and click Submit Select At De Select All Settings Report F Settings Strategy Reports Segments T Identifiers I costs F Signals T Devices Strategy Reports Intersections Interchanges I Identifiers F costs Project Reports Segments Base Year Faciity Characteristics I Traffic Profiles F Signals F Devices T Base Case and Alternate Case Project Reports Intersections Interchanges T Base Year Faciity Characteristics I Enting Flaws 7 Base Case and Alternate Case Parameters F Trafic Distributions FIntarsections interchanges Scenario Scenario Data Results T All Risk Analysis Results Metrics T Years 1 10 Benefits and Costs T Years 11 20 Benefits and Coste 1 Internet Protected Mode On da oo Generate Multiple Reports Overview Invoke this page from the Manage page and the menu selection Mange gt Actions gt Generate Multiple Reports This page allows you to generate all
41. Parameters gt Scenario gt Simulation gt Results Help Logout Dataset US 88 US68 Project US 88 US 68 Interchange User Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type astambouli Interchange Improvement ranges Year Deferment Network New Intersection Interchange Current Settings gt Enter the name of the new Intersection Interchange Intersection 1 Select and add segments feeding to the the new Intersection Interchange Select a segment to add y Add the selection Clear all entries Segment Description 1 Tempsegi 2 US 68E Spruce to US 88 3 US 885 US 68 to Elm Select the type of Intersection Interchange Signalized no turning lane E Submit New Project ISIC Overview This page is accessed from the menu option ISIC Project gt Actions gt Create new interchange intersection To create a new interchange intersection 1 Enter the name of the new ISIC 1 select segments to include in the ISIC from the dropdown list 3 select the ISIC type and 4 click Submit Note the definitions of the ISIC types are found on the Parameters Page After clicking Submit the Project ISIC page will display and the new ISIC will be setas the current ISIC and can be modified as needed 7 Parameters Page Figure 30 View of Parameters Page Traffic Distributions View Transportat On BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis S
42. Strategy gt Views menu options Use this option to toggle between the pages three views 1 Identifiers and Effects 2 Signals and Devices and 3 Costs The components on the page below the header Current View will change accordingly Each view will show a suitable data grid control for editing its variable values e Segment Strategy gt Actions menu options o Create new strategy Selecting this option will bring you to the New Strategy page See the description of its use and features in the following section o Create copy of selected strategy This option will create a copy of the currently selected strategy The newly created strategy will 28 e BCA Net Page by Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual have a temporary name which can be edited in the Identifiers and Effects view of the page The new copy will be set as the current strategy o Delete selected strategy Selecting this option will cause the selected strategy to be deleted The selected strategy can only be deleted if it is orphaned that is it is not referenced by any case as specified in the Cases view of the Project page belonging to any project segment in the dataset If you attempt to delete a strategy thatis referenced by a case then the page will showan error message Following a successful deletion the first strategy in the list is setas current o Generate report Selecting this option will gener
43. Target Value Freeflow speed 50 Target Value Maximum flow rate veh hr lane 1700 Target Value Number of lanes 2 Target Value Of lanes number reversible o Target Value PSI 4 Target Value Pavement Deterioration Rate annual change g y in PSI Target Value Percent Grade o Target Value Crash Rate Accidents per Million YMT 15 Target Value Facility Type Rural Suburban Arterial Target Value Change in Facility Length new construction only Last Modified 10 29 2005 6 34 04 PM The values in the table take effect in the year following the completion of investment La in the year after the last year with non zero investment If the strategy has no investment then target values take effect in Year 1 Segment Strategies Overview Use the Segment Strategies page to develop strategies for highway segments which are improvement and maintenance actions You specify segment strategies to use in the benefit cost analysis when you set the base and alternate cases for the segments of a project at Project Segments gt Views gt Cases The Segment Strategies page has three views 1 Identifiers and Effects 2 Signals and Devices and 3 Costs To specify the effects of a strategy you set target values for the facility characteristics that are the result of the strategy either improvement ormaintenance The following table for the Identifiers and Effects View lists the variables targeted by the strategy and their definit
44. affic composition view The Effective Elasticity of Demand variable measures the percentage increase of traffic caused by each one percent reduction in transportation costs caused by aproject In particular if a project reduces net travel costs e g by reducing travel time then it is likely that more drivers will use the road than would have had it not been improved by the project The new users receive benefits in the form of reduced transportation costs that are additional to benefits realized by pre existing users of the road Benefits to new users indicates the amount of Total Benefits e g the line above Benefits to new users that are realized by new users It is not additional to the Total Benefits but rather is a subset of the total benefits of the project Total costs is the total present value of the resource expenditures to build and operate the alternate case that are additional to the expenditures made for the base case Net benefits is the difference between Total Benefits and Total Costs representing the net present value of the alternate case relative to the base case see the glossary for more information on net present value Note that BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual this value can be either positive or negative A positive value indicates that the alternate case is economically efficient relative to the base case e The Benefit cost ra
45. ail in subsequent years for either the base or alternate cases or both until superseded by a strategy This view also allows you to enable a selected intersection in either the base or alternate networks or both This parameter is only available if a network model type is used for the analysis e Exiting Flows The exiting flows view contains a table in which the user specifies how traffic flows originating from each segment are allocated to the other segments when exiting the ISIC The usercan specify that some of the flow from a segment exits to no segment that is it exits toa roadway thatis not under evaluation e Cases For each ISIC in a project you specify a base and alternate case The base case represents the do minimal scenario that is needed to maintain serviceable operation of the facility over the analysis period The alternate case represents a possible improvement to the ISIC that typically involves a significant investment of funds or resources relative to the do minimal basecase Each caseis built of one or more strategies along a specification of the year s in which the strategies would be implemented For more information on base and alternate cases see the glossary ProjectiSICs Features e Select ISIC dropdown list Select the ISIC to edit with this drop down list After selecting click the Go to the right of the dropdown list Note that ISICs can be added or deleted in the Project ISICs gt
46. an value and is located in the direction of the distribution s skew Median Value This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net The median value is the 50th percentile there is equal probability that the value for a random variable will lie above or below the median Mode This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net The mode of a probability distribution is the value for which the probability density function is at a maximum The value has the highest probability and is sometimes called the most likely value not to be confused with the mean or expected value Monte Carlo This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net Monte Carlo is the method of sampling from random variables by taking a random number on the 0 1 interval call it a and finding the value of the random variable whose cumulative probability equals a Repeated Monte Carlo sampling ona number of random variables that are inputs to a model and repeatedly solving the model to arrive at probability distributions for the result variables is called Monte Carlo simulation Net Present Value The net present value NPV of a project is the present value sum of benefits less the present value sum of costs overthe period of analysis The net present value is the BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual principal measure of economic worth ofa project When NPV gt 0 the project passes the benefit cost test
47. ate a Segment Strategy Report in Adobe Acrobat pdf file for the strategy that is currently selected This report includes all data in the identifiers target effects and costs views on the Segment Strategy page e Strategy values data grid On the page below the line Current View is a data grid corresponding to the selected view of the page Identifiers and Effects Signals and Devices or Costs When you click the Edit button the grid changes to edit mode and the editable values will appear in text boxes Click the Update button when you have completed editing or click the Cancel button to undo edits and return to non edit mode If you try to update but one or more of the text boxes contains invalid values Le non numeric characters in a numeric field or values outside a permissible range for the variable the page will showan error message e On the Signals and Devices view of the page there are additional buttons that allow you to add or delete signals or devices Two checkboxes indicate whether the strategy effects no changes to existing signals or devices respectively If the checkboxes are checked then the associated table of signals or devices will not be displayed 3 a New Segment Strategy Page Figure 18 View of New Strategy Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System US Dey on Q Federal Highway Administration Savaa Bar gt Manage gt Strategies g
48. benefits are measured in each year from the start year to the end year inclusive Benefits and costs in the analysis are discounted to the beginning of the start year i e the end of the base year BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Glossary of Terms e 63 64 e Glossary of Terms For each segment of a project the user sets the forecast levels of traffic and traffic profiles for representative days in each of the three years Latin Hypercube This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net Latin Hypercube is an alternative statisticalsampling method to the Monte Carlo method This is a stratified sampling method which means that the range for each input variable is divided into strata and one random sample is taken from each stratum This method ensures that low probability events are sampled in the simulation It enables faster convergence to the result distribution than with the Monte Carlo sampling method Lower 10 Value This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net The lower 10 value is the 10th percentile value and is the lower limit of an 80 confidence interval as input by the user Mean Value This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net The mean value for a collection of observations of a random variable is its expected value and equals the sum of the observations divided by the number of observations For skewed distributions the mean value is off the medi
49. ble improvement to the roadway that typically involves a significant investment of funds or resources relative to the do minimal basecase Each caseis built of one or more strategies along a specification of the year s in which the strategies would be implemented For more information on base and alternate cases see the glossary The Project Segments page has five views if a Network model type is used These five views apply to the selected project segment Base Year Facility Characteristics The facility characteristics in the base year include the variables that are targeted by strategies see Section 3 above In this section you also specify the Operating and Maintenance and Other Lifecycle costs that are associated with the facility in the base year The base year is the year that precedes the period of analysis and the conditions specified for the base year will prevail in subsequent years for either the base or alternate cases or both until superseded by a strategy Base Network Traffic Characteristics In the base network traffic characteristics there are two components 1 Forecast Average Annual Daily Traffic AADT for the segment in each of the three designated forecast years start year last year near term and end year set these years on the Manage page in the scenario view The second component is the traffic profiles which describe the distribution of traffic in representative days These values only apply to the bas
50. cation of exiting flows from the ISIC to segments Figure 31 Parameter Page Intersection Interchanges Parameters View top section Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type Year Deferment Network Current Settings Ren Dataset US 88 US 68 Interch Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Improvement n Model Parameters Traffic Distributions and Other Data Intersection Interchange Types and their Performance Parameters Selected Intersection Interchange Type FER ane Delete Create New Number of segments in new Create Copy Originating For Flow For Flow For Flow For Flow Segment Exiting to Exiting to Exiting to Exiting to Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 Segment 4 1 24 00 20 00 22 00 2 22 00 24 00 20 00 3 20 00 22 00 24 00 4 24 00 20 00 22 00 Saturation Rates in Intersection Interchange veh hr Originating For Flow For Flow For Flow For Flow I to Exiting to Exiting to Exiting to Segment 1 Segment2 Segment3 Segment 4 1 1000 00 1200 00 2 1200 00 1000 00 1200 00 3 1200 00 1100 00 1000 00 4 1000 00 1200 00 1100 00 Originating For Flow Segment Exiting to Segment 1 1 2 jo 3 1 2500 4 For Flow Exiting to Segment 2 1 3605 0 4759 1 2500 For Flow Exiting to Segment 3 1 2500 1 3605 For Flow Exiting to Segment 4 0 4759 1 2500 1 3605 e Action
51. cenario Pagezzxeccsscse eee eR DRE RERO PIN RERBA ANN Scenario Overview SCenatio POUM uie EPOR DROP ERRORI 8 a Scenario Input Variable Chart sees tenen tenentes Scenario Chart Overview 9 Simulation Page eee Simulation Overview Simulation Fell odas e ur rure tese teet e reed TO Results Paper MEIN UR CERNI ERE REN ETE ERE ene Results Overview Results Features oben AD OUI OB PORUM UR Pe RR REPE 10a Results Chart eee RU ERN EG Results Chart Overview hs Results Chart Features UD dee oe pibe M e DR HERE RU RENS Glossary of Terms 61 BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Introduction Purpose of the User s Manual About BCA Net BCA Net is the Federal Highway Administration s FHWA web based system for highway benefit cost analysis in support of the project level decision making process This manual provides direction on how to use the BCA Net systemto set up and conduct a benefit cost analysis and incorporate the system s outputs in project level decision support This User s Manual is directed to candidate users of the system which includes U S and State Department of Transportation employees local government employees economists engineers budget analysts and otherconsultants who support State and local authorities and anyone else involved in supporting decisions for highway development and maintenance Following this introduction the
52. cent of Day and Percent of Annual Traffic while the remaining traffic profiles sum to 100 in each of the two columns You must repeat this for each of the three years in order to delete the traffic profiles BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 37 After editing select the start year and check the check boxes of the traffic profiles to delete Click the button Delete Checked to complete the deletion e View Signals and Devices Figure 24 Base Year Traffic Signals and Control Devices View of the Project Page Project US 88 Improvement Design Alt 1 Selected segment for viewing and editing sin St to UE Current View Traffic signals and control devices Traffic signals on the segment Selected period for viewing and editing signlas e Go Signals for the selected segment in the base year Length of Signal Perc Eff Green Ree aoe Perc Eff Green eee Corr Green Corr Green Description Dir Lesser Use Dir Lesser Use Cycle seconds Dir Greater Use Dir Greater Use Intersection at Main St 0 0 Signals on the segment determine delays due to slowing stopping and queuing at the signal when not green You can modify a signal s description and delete a signal only when the peak period is selected Traffic control devices on the segment Traffic control devices for the selected segment in the base year Average Delay sec
53. cial software Web deployment addresses the following issues Figure 1 Overview Schema of BCA Net USER BCA NET APPLICATION AND DATABASE MODEL USER 3 e System Security State and local agencies are moving increasingly to secure systems and in many cases a requirement to install dedicated software is a barrier to adoption BCA Net does not require any special software and presents no security risk for system users e Interoperability BCA Net does not does require special hardware or even a special operating system it will work on client computers running Windows Linux Unix or Mac operating systems e Deployment of Upgrades and Modifications Modifications and improvements to the software are immediately deployed for all users e Updates of Data Resources Mostrecent data are always available to the application Users analyses and data are run on a central database thus minimizing the need for users to track and maintain their data on their local computer Users have the option BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Technical Description e 3 of storing their data locally at the end of a session deleting it from the central database and then restoring their data for use when beginning a new session The technical description of the system that follows is presented in the form of FAQs frequently asked questions Using BCA Net Frequently Asked Questions How do l access BCA Net
54. d costs The effects of a strategy are the target facility characteristics 1 e maximum flow number of lanes improved pavement condition etc that result from an improvement or represent the presumed facility status undera specified maintenance regime The costs of a strategy include a multi year cost schedule that specifies right of way ROW costs capital improvement costs and anticipated costs ofdisruption due to construction The multi year cost schedule begins at Year 1 and can extend up to Year 7 Year of the multi year scheduleis the year of implementation thatis specified in the project segment case that deploys the strategy Strategy costs also include an annual O amp M costand other lifecycle cost Strategy costs ROW Capital Disruption O M and Other Lifecycle are in thousands of constant base yeardollars When specifying costs the usercan specify the cost units as one of the following total costs for the segment costs per facility mile or costs perlane mile An investment strategy is one that has non zero capital costs in at leastone year The effects of an investment strategy are realized in the year following the last year of non zero investment From the year in which strategy effects are realized O amp M Costs and Other Lifecyle Costs recur in each year These costs replace the costs from the base year facility characteristics or from strategies implemented in the case in previous years
55. d in the analysis period but which are associated with strategies that remain in effect i e have a residual value after the analysis period ends BCA Net assigns only a partial share of these disruption costs to the analysis period This partial assignment of costs is necessary to avoid biasing the model results based purely on changing the length of the analysis period due to the lump sum nature of work disruption costs caused by strategies that are implemented near the end of analysis periods The work disruption costs for each strategy can be manually entered or independently calculated by the BCA Net models in the Strategies gt Views gt Costs view Total benefits is the total present value of the transportation benefits of the alternate case that are additional to the transportation benefits of the basecase Transportation benefits are the collective savings in travel time vehicle operating costs crash costs environmental costs residual values and user disruption costs Note that some or all of the benefits in these categories may be negative i e disbenefits and that the Total Benefits could also be negative for some projects where the alternate case is clearly inferior to the base case The category called Of this Benefits to new users requires some explanation It will have a value only if you assigned a value to the Effective Elasticity of Demand variable in the Scenario gt Views gt Travel demand and tr
56. d project information BCA Net forecasts the trans portation and non trans portation effects of highway investments and maintenance strategies and BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Introduction e 1 2 e Introduction estimates the economic value of these effects over the useful life of projects in dollar terms The benefit cost of an investment is calculated by comparing the time stream ofexpected economic benefits with the time stream of investment related and other costs while adjusting for the timing of the realization of costs and benefits Known as discounting this adjustment enables decision makers to inspect future benefits and costs in terms of their present day value This is a standard way of giving appropriate weight to nearer term versus distant thus less valued outcomes By comparing the present values of net benefit e g benefits less costs the analyst can determine which alternative has greater economic worth The computational approach in BCA Net allows the users to develop unitary point estimates e g single values for the result metrics Alternatively the users can use the risk analysis features of BCA Net to develop probabilistic inputs and results The probabilistic method is a way of explicitly handling the uncertainty associated with some of the analysis inputs e g forecast growth and its impact on the analysis results Probability functions describe the probabilistic inpu
57. dated If unchecked the term False is displayed Reallocate Peak Traffic If Speed Falls Below Minimum Check Box Check this box to direct BCA Net to automatically reallocate traffic from the peak traffic period to the shouldertraffic period if it determines that travel speed during the peak period would drop below the minimum speed threshold that is specified in the Travel demand and traffic composition data group of the Scenario page which was 10 MPH If this box is not checked BCA Net will assume that all traffic in the peak period gets through but at an average speed that may be too low to represent practical usage of the facility thus possibly overstating delay BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 53 10 Results Page 54 e BCA Net Page by Page Risk Sensitivity Analysis Check Box The risk sensitivity analysis which is executed after the simulation runs the BCA Net model with all the input variables except one set to their mean values The exception input variable is set to its 10 percent lower value and the model is solved This input variable is then set to its 10 percent upper value and the model is solved again This process is repeated for all input variables The results of the sensitivity analysis are displayed in the tornado chart which is invoked from the Results page By leaving this box unchecked the term False will show on the page when the data
58. e which is evident by the presence of numbered links at the bottomright of the data grid The left most column ofthe data grid contains links that say View Clicking this link will cause a page to pop up with the chart and table of the input variable see 6 a Input Chart below Each scenario variable can be a fixed value or a probability distribution and a risk analysis input To the right of the variable description is a column called Distribution which specifies the selected probability distribution of which Fixed Value is one of the options By clicking the Edit Distributions button you enable the selection of distributions for each variable on the page through dropdown lists Depending upon the choice of probability distribution the display of the variable changes accordingly The following table shows the displayed values for each probability distribution Table 6 Probability Distributions and their Displays on the Scenario Page Probability First Data Second Data Third Data Distribution Value Value Value Uniform Minimum Maximum value value Skewed Lower 10 Median Upper 10 Normal Normal Mean Standard Deviation Triangle Minimum Most Likely value The following are descriptions of the available probability distributions Fixed Value single value required When you choose fixed value there is no distribution and the variable assumes a unitary fixed value in a simulation For a fixed value
59. e change in oil prices net of general price inflation The change in oil prices will be reflected in the analysis in the user costs of fuel and oil consumption As the model uses constant dollars the discount rate for converting multi year streams to present value equivalents must be a constant dollar discount rate i e has no component for deflating future nominal dollars The model uses the depreciation rate to calculate the residual value f any of a project s non land assets at the end of the analysis period and to adjust the construction disruption costs realized in the analysis period if an analysis period ends before the end of the useful life of an asset BCA Net does not depreciate the value of the land in its residual value calculations Fuel prices are before taxes taxes are added in the Policies view of the Scenario page see below BCA Net does not assign default cost values to emissions Emission costs should reflect region specific values developed by the regional planning agency for each emission type e g tons of carbon monoxide e The Project cost factors data ofthe Scenario page are used to adjust project cost data specified elsewhere in BCA Net i e the Strategies page Costs view for individual strategies which are in turn assembled into projects and project costs in the Project page Cases view In particularly the Project cost factors view of the Scenario page is used to specify overall pr
60. e network Alternate Network Traffic Characteristics In the alternate network traffic characteristics there are two components 1 Forecast Average Annual Daily Traffic AADT for the segment in each of the three designated forecast years start year last year near term and end year set these years on the Manage page in the scenario view The second component is the traffic profiles which describe the distribution of traffic in representative days These values only apply to the alternate network Signals and Devices In this view the analyst sets the number and characteristics of the traffic signals and devices in the facility s base year In constructing the base and alternate cases of the project see next bullet on Cases the analyst can select strategies that add modify oreliminate the base year signals or devices see Strategies page discussion of Signals and Devices above Base Case and Alternate Case For each segment in a project you specify a base and alternate case The base case represents the do minimal scenario that is needed to maintain BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual serviceable operation of the facility over the analysis period The alternate case represents a possible improvement to the roadway that typically involves a significant investment of funds or resources relative to the do minimal basecase Each caseis built of one or more strategies along a specif
61. eater flow 44 discount rate 48 57 discounting 2 disruption costs 48 56 BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual distributions 2 5 8 9 10 23 24 26 27 28 33 34 35 36 37 38 43 44 45 46 47 49 50 52 53 55 56 Distributions 2 8 10 37 43 44 46 47 49 50 52 53 E economic 1 47 49 elasticity 47 emissions 48 55 F facility type 24 29 FHWA 1 2 4 15 16 48 flow rate 23 intersection interchange 9 10 43 intersections interchanges 30 ISIC 9 10 30 31 32 39 40 41 42 43 44 ISIC Strategy Page costs 23 27 28 29 30 31 48 55 56 57 definitions 19 23 32 41 43 51 59 ISIC type 9 10 30 31 32 40 41 43 44 L lanes 9 23 24 30 Latin Hypercube 53 login 15 16 manage 1 7 17 Monte Carlo 53 N normal 50 Normal 50 P parameters 10 30 43 44 52 Pavement Deterioration Rate 24 Pavement Serviceability Index 24 39 peak 5 8 9 10 23 24 26 27 28 33 34 35 36 37 38 43 44 45 46 47 50 53 55 56 peak period 41 47 53 peak shoulder 5 8 9 10 23 24 26 27 28 33 34 35 36 37 38 43 44 45 46 47 53 55 56 peak shoulder period 37 Perc Eff Green 26 percent effective green 26 28 Index e 71 percentile 49 50 51 period of analysis 33 34 41 base year 24 33 34 36 38 40 41 42 48 end year 9 33 34 37 last year 9 28 31 33 34 37 last year near term 33 34 37 start year 9 33
62. ed by its minimum and maximum values is divided into equal portions called bins The result value from each trial falls into one of these bins Charting the result value s range on the horizontal axis and the probability of a result value falling in each of the bins yields the histogram chart Case Base and Alternate A case is a setof assumptions regarding the decision variables of an agency affecting the provision of highway related services These decision variables will in general include options of whether what and when to build However a case could consider non build management measures like redirection of traffic or policies of taxing or tolling A benefit cost analysis calculates the total present value of the transportation benefits and costs ofthe alternate case that are additional to the transportation benefits and BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Glossary of Terms e 61 costs of the base case A well specified base case will in most circumstances represent the set of maintenance and minor improvements that would most likely be undertaken in lieu ofa major investment The alternate case will typically represent an improvement involving a significant construction component In BCA Net cases base and alternate are developed for each project segment in the Project page Project gt View gt Base case and alternative case by selecting a strategy and its year of implementation
63. ed with the facility in the base year The base year is the year that precedes the period of analysis and the conditions specified for the base year will prevail in subsequent years for either the base or alternate cases or both until superseded by a strategy e Traffic Characteristics In traffic characteristics there are two components 1 Forecast Average Annual Daily Traffic A ADT for the segment in each of the three designated forecast years start year last year nearterm and end year set these years on the Manage pagein the scenario view The second component is the traffic profiles which describe the distribution of traffic in representative days BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 33 34 e BCA Net Page by Page Base Year Signals and Devices In this view the analyst sets the number and characteristics of the traffic signals and devices in the facility s base year In constructing the base and alternate cases of the project see next bullet on Cases the analyst can select strategies that add modify oreliminate the base year signals or devices see Strategies page discussion of Signals and Devices above Cases For each segment in a project you specify a base and alternate case The base case represents the do minimal scenario that is needed to maintain serviceable operation of the facility over the analysis period The alternate case represents a possi
64. ems Accessing BCA Net through UPACS Access BCA Net by setting your browser to the UPACS login website After you login through UPACS a list of links will appear Select the link that says BCA Net System and your browser will be directed to the BCA Net welcome page Accessing BCA Net through the BCA Net Login Page Set your browser to the BCA Net URL The Login Page shown in Figure 5 will appear If you have already registered as a BCA Net user then enter your user ID and pass word and click submit to begin your session with BCA Net BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 15 1 a Registration Page 16 e BCA Net Page by Page Figure 6 View of Registration Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System Fields with a are required Username Address State OF Select a state Non US Username must be at least 8 characters including 2 numeric First Name Address 2 Province Non US Middle Initial City Country Non US Last Name Zip Postal Code Email address Phone number Organization Fax Number Organization Select an organization type y type Secret Question Select a hint question Y Password must have at least 8 characters including 2 numeric Password answer Confirm Password Submit J Continue to login Registration Overview On this page first time users who are not FHWA employees and are n
65. er View Traffic uncertainty factor last year percent Normal 10 0 10 View java vehicle occupancy auto Fixed Value a View Avg bus occupancy Fixed Value vere Value View percent of autos small percent Fixed Value 60 View Truck passenger car equivalent Fixed Value E ou View Bus passenger car equivalent Fixed Value vane view Annualization factor Fixed value yas View Effective elasticity of demand w r t cost Fixed Value M es Scenario Overview The Scenario page is where you view and edit scenario data for an analysis Scenario data for a model input variable can be either a fixed value or several values that describe a probability distribution This page possesses a number of features that let you easily visualize data and quickly develop probability distributions that best reflect available information and judgments on operations future developments and social costs These features include e Ease of navigation among variables e Instant viewing of statistics and charts e Instant validation and saving of ranges Please note thatthe BCA Net tool can store many different scenarios for analysis e g high traffic growth high costuncertainty baseline assumptions etc Scenarios are initially defined and selected in the Manage page change to the Scenario view using the Manage gt Views submenu Modifications made to scenario data in the Scenario page apply only to the scenario selected in the Manage page and wi
66. ersection type if not already _ Interchange specified 13 Parameters 14 ISIC Enter segments Enter data Set base and and intersection allocating flows alternate cases type entering ISIC to segments 15 ISIC 16 ISIC 17 ISIC Set simulation Run simulation Review results parameters 18 Simulation 19 Simulation 20 Results BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Using BCA Net e 11 BCA Net Page by Page Introduction The figure below shows the pages in BCA Net and the means for accessing each page pages directly connected to the main navigation menu are accessed from it Access other pages from the connecting page to its left in the figure The following descriptions of pages each contain an Overview and a Features section BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 13 Figure 4 Key to Pages in BCA Net j 1 a New User Registrati uu AL agan ena 2 a New dataset gt 2 d New Results Set 3 Segment Strategies Views Identifiers and targets Signals and devices e sts 4 Intersection Interchange Strategies E 2 e Generate Reports I i 3 a New segment strategy Views Identifiers Costs 4 4 New intersection 5 Project Segments Views Base year facility characteristics Traffic characteristics Base year signals and devices Base and alternate cases 6 Project
67. esults from the segments in a project Random seed This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net The random seed is a number thatinitializes the generation of random numbers used in a Monte Carlo or Latin Hypercube simulation For the same random seed and the same number of trials given no change in the model or inputs the results of two Monte Carlo simulations will be identical BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Glossary of Terms e 65 66 e Glossary of Terms Rate of Return The project rate of return is an indicator of economic worth The rate of return is equal to the discountrate that if applied to the stream of net benefits would yield a net present value of 0 If the rate of return exceeds the discount rate then the project passes the benefit costtest The rate of return is useful in communicating benefit cost results to laymen because the metric somewhat resembles the return on a financial asset Some care is required in interpreting the rate of return because in cases where the stream of net benefits changes sign more than once e g goes from negative to positive and then back to negative multiple rates of return may exist This can occur for instance if there are multi phased investments in the period of analysis Risk This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net The term refers to measured uncertainty in a forecast outcome Colloquially risk is often associa
68. et e g Manage page The same bold text will be used when referencing the links to these pages from the main navigation menu Italics are used to designate menu options and selections in BCA Net e g Create new dataset Choices in browser menu hierarchies are shown with the gt symbol e g Edit gt Paste means select menu option Edit then select from its submenu the option Paste BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Using BCA Net Introduction This chapter gives general guidance on working with BCA Net The first section describes data management in BCA Net The section that follows presents the process for conducting a benefit cost analysis with BCA Net The subsequent chapter BCA Net Page by Page provides detailed descriptions of all the features of BCA Net Managing Data in BCA Net In order to manage data and conduct analyses effectively in BCA Net you should be familiar with its datahierarchy Every active session of BCA Net has a data hierarchy thatis populated with values at all times These values correspond to the current selections of data that are viewable editable and are used in BCA Net model calculations You navigate among different data collections by making selections on the Manage page which sets the values in the data hierarchy The data hierarchy is shown in the figure below A brief description of each of the nodes boxes in the figure follows at the e
69. et the base and alternate cases for the ISIC of a project at Project ISIC gt Views gt Cases The ISIC Strategies page has two views 1 Identifiers and 2 Costs To specify the effects of a strategy you set the target ISIC type in the Identifiers view which is the result of the strategy either improvement or maintenance The ISIC types are defined on the Parameters Page ISIC Parameters View A set of parameters defines the travel time of vehicles traversing the ISIC as a function of the volume of traffic Figure 20 Intersection Interchanges Strategies Page Costs View BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System poate Manage gt Strategies gt Project gt Parameters gt Scenario gt Simulation gt Results Hep Logout Dataset US 88 US 68 Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type astambouli Interchange Improvement ranges Year Deferment Network IEEE NN NN Selected strategy for viewing and editing Placeholder strategy z ee Edit The Intersection Interchange Type for the Strategy is Signalized no turning lane Capital Costs Investments 0 0 0 0 Right of Way Costs 000 00 0 0 00 00 00 Construction Costs 000 00 00 oo 00 00 00 00 Work Disruption Costs 000 0 0 oo 00 00 00 00 00 Annualized O amp M Costs 000 00 Annualized Other Lifecycle Costs 000 00 Costs are in thousands base year
70. etworks Just as BCA Net assumes that traffic analysis has been conducted on roads that are considered for improvement projects with connectorroads would likewise have suitable traffic planning with forecast traffic on road links in a network for the period of analysis So the required setof inputs remains largely the same for the Basic Model that compares a base and alternate case for the same segments with thesame traffic in the base and alternate cases To usethe Network Model the userselects the model type on the Manage Page Project View selecting Network Model for comparing base and alternate road networks When selecting the Network Model the user also selects the first year in which the alternate network is operational in the alternate case The selected year divides the analysis into two periods and compares the alternate case with the base network and traffic flows in the first period and the alternate network and traffic flows in the second period with the base case base network and traffic flows in both periods Table 1 Network Model and Effective Networks in Each Case eo ete ea BASE CASE ALTERNATE CASE PERIOD 1 Base Network and Traffic Flows Base Network and Traffic Flows PERIOD 2 Base Network and Traffic Flows Alternate Network and Traffic Flows With the Network Model the user prepares project segments that represent the base case network and its traffic flows The user also specifies for the base case segments the traffic flows
71. for the alternate network The user then adds to the project new segments that are present in alternate case network including their forecast traffic flows On all project segments the user assigns strategies of maintenance or improvements for the base and alternate case 20 e BCA Net Page by Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual With both model types the user runs simulation in exactly the same way With the Network Model however the forecast traffic flows are assumed to already account for induced demand while the Basic Model calculates induced demand and its effects on usercosts and benefits 2 a to 2 d New Data Object Dataset Project Scenario Results set Page Figure 11 View of Create New Project Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System and axi ctrl 1 gt Manage gt Strategies gt Project gt Parameters gt Scenario gt Simulation gt Results Help Logout Gwront Betthg gt User Dataset US 88 US 68 Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type gs astambouli Interchange Improvement ranges Year Deferment Network New Project Create new project C Create a new empty project Create new project by copying an existing project in the dataset The project to copy US 88 US EB Interchange Improvement y Name of the new project Submit
72. hart is displayed when you press the Cumulative option button on the form De cumulative Probability Chart Choose the De cumul option button to view the de cumulative probability chart This chart shows the full range of values for the selected result and the probability of exceeding each value in its range More information aboutthese chart formats in included in the Glossary Tornado chart An input variable contributes to risk by means of a its own variance and b its structural role in the BCA Net model For instance an input variable with large variance may not be a significant contributor to the risk of a result while an input variable with small variance may cause the result to be very uncertain and risky Withoutthe analysis of risk sensitivity it is not easy to determine which factors are the significant contributors to the risk associated with a particular result The tornado chart shows the impact of each random variable input factor when all the otherinput factors are set to their mean values and the single input factor is allowed to vary within its 8096 confidence interval The tornado chart displays in order the ten input variables that are the major contributors to therisk of a result This analysis of sensitivity can guide the analyst to focus onrefining theestimates on the range of input variables that truly matter and help decisions makers plan for mitigating risks Click Refresh after making a selection
73. housands of dollars of present value The following is a description of the major benefit categories summarized in the Benefit Cost Summary view of the Results page e Travel time savings represents the difference in the value of travel time incurred between the base and alternate cases If the alternative case saves travel time relative to the base case the time saving value shown in this view will be positive meaning itis a benefit of the alternate case BCA Net calculates travel time saving by comparing the speed and volume of the traffic flow of the alternate case to that of the base case factoring in future traffic growth design speeds congestion levels vehicle occupancy traffic peaks and other data specified in the Strategies Project Scenario and Parameters pages e Vehicle operating cost savings consist ofthe non travel time cost changes incurred by vehicle operators when traveling at higher or lower speeds and due to wear and tear on vehicles associated with different pavement conditions Pavement condition and deterioration rates are entered in the Strategies gt Views gt lIdentifiers and Effects view Although it is often expected that a road improvement as represented by the alternate case relative to the base case that saves travel time will also reduce vehicle operating costs this will not always be the case For instance a capacity improvement that enables faster travel speeds ona road may reduce travel time
74. iable is a model element that can be assigned more than one value A fixed value input variable can assume only one value A random variable can assume a range of values according to its probability distribution Variance This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net The variance is a measure of the dispersion of values in a probability distribution andis a measure of risk The variance is the average of the squared deviations aboutthe mean The variance gives disproportionate weight to outliers values that are far away from the mean The variance is the square of the standard deviation BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Glossary of Terms e 69 Index A AADT 33 34 36 AASHTO 24 alternate case 23 28 30 31 33 34 35 38 39 41 54 55 56 57 average delay 26 44 basecase 9 10 34 39 41 54 55 56 57 benefit cost 1 2 7 10 23 27 30 35 46 54 57 benefit costratio 57 net present value 56 rate of return 57 summary 1 50 51 54 58 benefit cost ratio 57 C capital costs 28 31 case alternate case 23 28 30 31 33 34 35 38 39 41 54 55 56 57 base case 9 10 34 39 41 54 55 56 57 chart histogram 58 59 tornado 54 58 59 crash rate 55 D dataset 6 9 10 17 18 19 21 29 31 44 45 default 18 19 21 35 38 48 53 56 58 default values 21 48 56 demand 47 53 56 depreciation rate 48 device 5 25 26 27 38 direction of gr
75. ication of the year s in which the strategies would be implemented For more information on base and alternate cases see the glossary Project Segments Features e Select segment dropdown list Select the segment to edit with this drop down list After selecting click the Go to the right of the dropdown list Note that segments can be added or deleted in the Project gt Actions options see below e Project Segments gt Views menu options Use this option to toggle between the page s multiple views o Fora Basic model type 1 base year facility characteristics 2 traffic characteristics 3 signals and devices and 4 base and alternate cases o Fora Network model type 1 base year facility characteristics 2 base network traffic characteristics 3 alternate network traffic characteristics 4 signals and devices and 5 basecase and alternate case The components on the page below the header Current View will change accordingly Each view will showa suitable data grid control for editing its variable values e Project gt Actions menu options o Create new segment Selecting this option will invoke a submenu of eight segment types The selection of a segment type under this submenu will generate a new segment populated with default data that can be edited to reflect the specific characteristics of the segment under consideration These characteristics are described below under the Segment valued datagr
76. id discussion o Copy selected segment This option will create a copy of the currently selected segment thatcan be modified to new specifications The system gives a temporary name to the newly created segment which youcan edit in the Base Year Facility Characteristics view of the segment o Delete selected segment Selecting this option will cause the selected segment to be deleted Note that it is very important that you delete any segment that is not an intended component of a project Otherwise the model will include the segment in the benefit cost analysis o Copy base network traffic characteristics to alternate network traffic characteristics for selectedsegment Network model type only Selecting this option will copy the base network traffic characteristics to the alternate network traffic characteristics for a selected segment o Copy base network traffic characteristics to alternate network traffic characteristics for all segments Network model type only Selecting this option will copy the base network traffic BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 35 36 e BCA Net Page by Page characteristics to the alternate network traffic characteristics for all segments o Delete traffic profiles and set AADT to 0 in base network for selected segment Network model type only Selecting this option will delete all traffic profiles in the Base Network Traffic Charac
77. ighway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System aora tony aaron Navigation Bar 7 3 and Menu Ctrl 1 gt Manage Strategies gt Project Parameters gt Scenario Simulation Results Help Logout oni User Dataset US 88 US 68 Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Current Settings gt astambouli Interchange Improvement ranges ear Deferment Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type Network Highway Improvement Maintenance Strategies Segments Selected strategy for viewing and editing EIS Costs of Improvement Maintenance Strategy Cost Units Cost per lane mile Capital Costs Investments Right of Way Costs 000 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 Construction Costs 000 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 Work Disruption Costs 1000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 T Enable Work Zone Cost Calculator Go Annualized O amp M Costs 1000 3 0 Annualized Other Lifecycle Costs 000 0 0 Costs are in thousands base year dollars Year 1 is the start year of strategy implementation Annualized O amp M and Other Life Cycle costs accrue from the first year of D capital costs Figure 17 Costs View of Strategy Page with the Work Zone Calculator Enabled es BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System 5 Department o 1 f Federal Highway Administration Navigation Bar gt gt gt gt gt and ans gt Manage Strategies gt P
78. ility that the value of the input variable would fall below the given value of the x axis For instance in Figure 22 the chance that the sampled input value of time for trucks average all types would fall below 20 hour is 90 percent given the distribution specified by the users BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 51 9 Simulation Page 52 e BCA Net Page by Page Figure 34 View of Simulation Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System ion Bar end Mews chit gt Manage gt Strategies gt Project gt Parameters gt Scenario Simulation gt Results Hep Logout Current Settings gt User Dataset US 88 US 68 Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type astambouli Interchange Improvement ranges Year Deferment Network et fun Simulation Simulation Run the simulation with the current settings and the parameters listed below Item Value Number of trials 251 Random seed 1 Sampling method Latin hypercube Central values only False Reallocate peak traffic if speed falls below minimum True Run risk sensitivity analysis True The number of trials must be an integer between 3 and 10000 The random seed must be an integer between 1 and S00 Simulation Overview Use the Simulation page to set the simulation parameters and run a sim
79. ining values these can be viewed and modified in the data grid at the bottom of the Manage page see Section 2 Manage Page below and refers toa setof one or more highway segments A segment is a specific highway facility with uniform physical and performance characteristics and traffic flows It is common for a project to consist of only a single segment Create delete and modify project segments i e discrete components or sections ofa project and their associated data on the Project Segment page A project with multiple segments may also contain one or more intersection interchanges ISICs represent facilities that connect multiple segments They can be as simple as a signaled intersection where four segments connect or as complex as a major clover leaf joining six roadway segments The parameterization of ISICs is intended to capture the delay associated with vehicle traffic traversing the ISIC as it flows from one segment to the next Create delete and modify project ISICs and their associated data on the Project ISICs page Enter the parameterization of an ISIC to represent traffic delay for a particular ISIC types on the Parameters page Create and delete projects and modify their defining labels and values in the Manage page Scenario A scenario has a set of defining values a description start year of the analysis period last year of near term and end year of the analysis period and an associated collection of scenario data
80. ions Table 3 Definitions of Strategy Target Variables in the Identifiers and Effects View Variable Freeflow speed The average speed that a driver would like to attain in absence of any impedance due to other vehicles or control devices M aximum flow rate veh hr lane The maximum flow rate of a facility a measure of its capacity is the flow rate equivalent hourly rate at which vehicles pass over a given point duringa given time interval where speed and density are optimal i e more traffic results in greater density lower speeds and less flow Number of lanes Number of lanes of the facility after implementation of the strategy For BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 23 24 e BCA Net Page by Page instance if the strategy is to add lanes the number of lanes should equal the total lanes new and existing that would be available after strategy implementation Of lanes number reversible Number of lanes whose direction is reversible to accommodate unbalanced directional flows of traffic at different times of day Pavement Serviceability Index PSI The AASHTO Pavement Serviceability Index a zero to five rating scale where a user considers aroadway withrating 5 tobe perfect and a roadway with rating 0 to be impassable Pavement Deterioration Rate annual After improvement and witha change in PSI designated maintenance program this is the va
81. ipting e Downloading of files With Netscape you must check under Advanced gt Scripts amp Plug Ins e Enable JavaScript with Navigator Also with Netscape under Navigator gt Downloads gt you must select one of the following options e Open the download manager e Open a progress dialog BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Technical Description e 5 File Formats Some of the optional features of BCA Net involve the transfer of files between the BCA Net server and yourcomputer The following are the file formats used in these transfers Files with a BCA extension are used when downloading and uploading archived data for storage on a local computer between sessions These files can only be used by the BCA Net system PDF or portable document files are used with BCA Net reports In order to view and print these files you should have Adobe Acrobat Reader or othercompatible software installed on your computer in order to read and print these files Free versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader are available from many sources on the Internet Overview of this Manual The remainder of this document describes how to conduct a BCA Net analysis and use the pages that are encountered during an analysis The manual concludes with a glossary of terms and an index 6 e Technical Description In the text the following conventions are used Bold text is used to refer to a page in BCA N
82. is e Select results set drop down list visible when the Results set view is selected Select the results set for your analysis e Create project scenario or results set link Invoke the page for creating a new data object project scenario or results set depending upon the current view e Delete project scenario or results link Delete the selected data object Note that you cannot delete a default data collection if the data collection you wish to delete is the default then selecta different data object and set thatone as the default and then delete the originally selected data object e Data object definitions data grid After selecting a data collection with the drop down lists above its definitions will appear in the data grid at the bottom of the page o Click the Edit button the grid changes to edit mode and the editable values will appear in text boxes o Click the Update button when you have completed editing o Click the Cancel button to undo edits and return to non edit mode Note thatif you update changes to a default data set these changes become part of the default data BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 19 TEXT BOX BASIC MODEL AND NETWORK MODEL BCA Net conducts benefit cost analysis of improvements to specific roadways BCA Net s Basic Model assumes that the improvements to a roadway are largely restricted to
83. ity outcome in the default form of a histogram chart Each vertical bar of the histogram chart is defined by the number of trial outcomes that fall within a given range of values called a bin The default number of bins is 20 but you may select any number of bins between 10 and 100 for the histogram chart Click Refresh after changing the number of bins also see the Glossary of this document for more information about bins Histogram Cumul De Cumul Tornado option buttons As noted when the Results Chart page opens it displays a histogram chart of the selected variable with its values distributed into 20 probability bins In the Select BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual chart type feature of the Results Chart you have the choice of chart formats other than the histogram You can toggle between the following four chart formats e Histogram e Cumulative probability e De cumulative probability e Tornado option available only if the risk sensitivity option on the Simulation page was selected when thesimulation was run Each chart is displayed for the selected result variable see the Gloss ary for definitions Histogram When you first click the View link the histogram chart is displayed Clicking the Histogram option will display the chart again after you have browsedto another chart type on the page Cumulative Probability Chart The cumulative probability c
84. ld worsen dramatically thereafter If the base case is specified with no strategies to maintain basic pavement quality at a level above a 2 5 PSI almost any alternate case that does maintain pavement quality at serviceable levels during the analysis period at whatever cost will likely compare favorably to the base case Thus an expensive capacity addition could appear cost beneficial purely on the basis of its effect on pavement even if the new capacity adds little time saving benefit However nearly the same benefit could be achieved with a much less costly resurfacing of theroad The point is to select judiciously the base and alternate cases where the base case includes fallback management measures i e resurfacing to maintain pavement surface quality that are likely to be implemented in lieu of major investments Likewise the alternate case should also include all relevant elements of sound asset management to avoid inadvertently undercutting benefits that should rightly be associated with an improvement 6 Project Intersections Interchanges ISIC Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 39 40 e BCA Net Page by Page Figure 26 Project Intersection Interchanges Page Definitions View BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System oe Manage gt Strategies gt Project gt Parameters gt Scenario Simulation gt Results Help Logo
85. ll not affect otherscenarios no selected Also remember that the data in the selected scenario are the data that will be used by the BCA Net model to conduct the benefit cost analysis on the strategies and cases defined elsewhere in the model If you wish to work with data from another scenario and use that data in the analysis thatscenario must be selected from the Manage page see section above on the Manage page 46 e BCA Net Page by Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Scenario Features The Scenario page is shown above The scenario input variables in BCA Net are organized into data groups according to a functional classification The data groups are e Travel demand and traffic composition e Social costs e Project cost factors e Prices e Policies e Non Transportation Benefits When you link to the Scenario page the Travel demand and traffic composition data are loaded The remainder of this section describes the features of the Scenario page and their functions Data Group Pull Down List Use this drop down list at the top of the page to select the data group to view and edit The data groups accessible from the Scenario page offer the analyst great flexibility in specifying the present and future travel cost and policy environment that will affect a project The content of the major groups are summarized below Note that each data group allows the analystto specify a range
86. lue by which PSI is expected to decrease annually i e if PSI is 4 2 in 2010 and the Pavement Deterioration Rate is 1 then in 2011 the PSI will be 4 1 Percent Grade The change in elevation between the beginning and end of a segment divided by the length of the segment times 100 Crash Rate Accidents per Million Number of crashes per million VMT vehicle miles traveled on the segment Facility Type Use the dropdown list to select one of eight facility types Freeway expressway arterial or collector in an urban or rural suburban environment Change in Facility Length If the strategy involves construction which alters the roadway alignment enter the change in facility length between the new and old alignments i e if a 5 5 mile facility is shortened to 4 7 miles enter here 0 8 miles In the Signals and Devices view ofthe Strategies page see Figure 12 you specify any changes in the traffic signals or traffic control devices that are associated with a strategy In effect this pagesupplements the Identifiers and Effects view with data specifically pertaining to intersection traffic control If the strategy does not cause any change in traffic control you must indicate this by checking the No changes check box that appears in this view When the No changes check box is checked traffic control in a particular year of the analysis is determined by either 1 the base year traffic control setin the Pr
87. manual contains instructions on getting started with BCA Net a description of the system and directions on using it to perform benefit cost analyses The growing requirements for highway investments and constrained fiscal resources point to the need for a tool to facilitate the benefit cost analysis of highway investments Surveys of available tools show the need for an easy to use tool that incorporates recent research findings thereby enhancing the accessibility of highway project benefit cost analysis to the practitioner The challenges of deploying software in diverse information technology environments with increasing security requirements strongly suggest that anew benefit cost analysis tool be an Internet based application To meet this need the FHWA developed BCA Net which is a web based decision support tool that assists Federal State and local authority decision makers in evaluating the benefits and costs of highway projects The BCA Net system enables users to manage the data for an analysis select from a wide array of sample values develop cases corresponding to alternative strategies for managing highway facilities evaluate and compare the benefits and costs of improvements and provide summary indicators for informing resource allocation decisions A BCA Net analysis evaluates the relative economic merits of pursuing alternative multi year improvement and maintenance programs for highway projects Based on the users provide
88. me of the BCA Net systempage where the step s operations are performed As the figure indicates some steps are performed independently of others while other steps require the prior completion of one or more predecessorsteps Each of the steps in the figure is explained in the following chapter which includes a walkthrough and description of the model its features and their use BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Figure 3 BCA Net Analysis Workflows Select dataset 01 Manage y y y y y Select project and Select scenario Select results set Enter data for Enter data for set definitions and set definitions and set definitions maintenance and traffic distributions including analysis improvement years strategies 02 Manage 03 Manage 04 Manage 05 Strategies 06 Parameters Create project Set scenario data segments 07 Segment 08 Scenario Enter data for Enter data for Enter data for Set base and base year facility AADT and traffic base year signal alternate cases characteristics profiles in and traffic devices designated years 09 Segment 10 Segment 11 Segment 12 Segment y Create and enter Create data for new ISIC Int
89. nd of this section BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Using BCA Net e 7 8 e Using BCA Net Figure 2 Data Hierarchy in BCA Net Segment Base Year Facility Characteristics Base Year Signals and Devices Bases Base and Alternate Intersection Interchange Segment Strategies lt Identifiers and Effects Signals and Devices Costs Interse ction Interchange Strategies Identifiers Costs Parameters The solid connecting lines in the Scenario Results set data hierarchy figure mean thatthe lower node to the right is a child of the parent node above and to its left and to which it is connected The dotted lines indicate that the data objects to the right refer to objects contained in the collection to the left Le a case contains a reference to one or more strategies a traffic profile contains a reference to one or more traffic distributions Base Year Characteristics Been Exiting Flows Cases Base and Alternative IDEE When you change the value of a parent node by making a selection in the Manage page you are also re populating the nodes in the hie
90. nd year is added to the benefit cost summary as a benefit Histogram This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net A histogram shows the frequency of a discrete random variable and is used to display the frequency distribution of Monte Carlo simulation result variables In a histogram the result values are gathered in bins and the height of the bars correspond to the frequency with which values fall in the respective bins Kurtosis This pertains to the risk analysis features of BCA Net Kurtosis is a statistical measure of a distribution s peakedness Flatter distributions with thin tails are called platykurtic and peaked distributions with fat tails are called leptokurtic The formula for kurtosis is n n 1 2 x 3 1 n D 2 n 3 g n 2 n 3 where is the mean of the observations sis the standard deviation andn is the number of observations Last Year Near Term The last year near term is the last year of near term planning This is one of three years that the user must set in the Scenario view of the Manage page For example suppose the time horizon of a benefit cost analysis was twenty five years and the near term planning horizon was five years If the start year is 2008 then the respective years of the analysis in this example would be Start Year Last Year Near Term 2008 2012 2032 In the benefit cost analysis with BCA Net the effects of improvements and their respective costs and
91. of uncertainty around any of the values entered for that group seethe Variable Data Grid below e Travel demand and traffic composition data on this page see Figure 21 impact othertraffic data thatare input on the Project page with Traffic Characteristics view and on the Parameters page traffic distributions Inputs on the Scenario page that impact traffic levels include traffic level uncertainty average vehicle occupancy annualization factor that converts daily traffic flows into annual values minimum speed in peak period mph the lowest speed allowed in the peak period before peak traffic is reallocated to the shoulder period and effective price elasticity of demand the response of traffic to changes in the cost of driving Note that the Effective Hasticity of Demand coefficient located on the second page of the Travel demand and traffic composition data group is currently the only variable that influences the potential response of road users to changes in the roadway environment i e congestion level pavement surface and roadway capacity The selection of a price elasticity factor always a negative value will cause traffic to increase if a road project leads to lower travel costs e g reduced traveltime The specification of an elasticity of 1 means thata 1 percent reduction in the generalized cost of travel i e out of pocket user costs plus the imputed values of travel time and safety would result in a 1
92. oject cost uncertainty e The Prices view in the Scenario page allows you to specify future increases in the real price of fuels and motor oil net of general price inflation This feature is helpful if you wish to study the effects of increases in fuel prices that exceed the rate of general inflation If the index value for fuel on this screen is setat 100 for each year this means that the real costof fuel relative to othergoods and services in the economy is expect toremain constant e The Policies view allows the analyst to specify changes in the tax on fuel over time e The Non Transportation Benefits view allows you to include anticipated benefits or costs of a project that are notcaptured in the categories already measures by BCA Net Values must be input by year and should as with other inputs of the model are in constant dollar BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual 48 e BCA Net Page by Page amounts For instance a State DOT may wish to add an anticipated economic development value that it believes is not redundant with measured transportation benefits Alternately a State may wish to include the value of land purchased for a project as a residual value Variable data grid The variable data grid enables a quick overview of the variables and data in the selected data group The data grid displays the scenario variables one per row Some of the data groups have more than one pag
93. oject page or 2 the last strategy implemented that affects traffic control If a change in traffic signals or devices is intended as part of the strategy the No changes check box es should be BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual unchecked and activated by clicking the corresponding Go button see Figure 13 Once the signals view is invoked signals and devices for the strategy under consideration can be entered modified or eliminated using the appropriate buttons e g Add New Edit After modifying signal or device data click the Update button to save your changes Note that the signal and device data must be specified separately for peak shoulder and non peak traffic periods Also see the base year Signals and devices discussion in the Project section of this manual below Figure 14 Signals and Devices View of the Strategy Page with No Changes to Signals or Devices A paintd BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System Federal Highway Administration Navigation Bar gt gt gt gt as Manage Strategies gt Project gt Parameters gt Scenario gt Simulation gt Results Help Logout User Dataset US 88 US 68 Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type Diarak itii S astambouli Interchange Improvement ranges Year Deferment Network Highway Impro
94. ore projects Strategies can be combined and sequenced to make up any given base case or design alternative The combining and sequencing of ISIC strategies is done on the Project ISICs page with the Base Case and Alternate Case view Parameters The Parameters page is used to hold information on 1 traffic flow distributions and 2 intersection interchange delay parameters The traffic distribution parameters represent traffic flows e g peak hours shoulder hours for typical days e g workday weekend over the course of a year There is no limit on the number of traffic distributions you can define within a dataset Data from the Parameters page can be applied to the traffic levels of any given project within a dataset For intersection interchanges each ISIC type is represented by three tables of data that characterize the delay for flows through an intersection Results BCA Net sets the defining values of a results set automatically when yourun a simulation You can set the description for a results set Create and delete results sets and modify their descriptions from the Manage page After selecting a results set and running a simulation view results from the Results page The BCA Net Analysis Process 10 e Using BCA Net The process for conducting a benefit cost analysis with BCA Net follows the steps shown in the workflow figure below The boxes in the figure showthe name of the step an identifying number and the na
95. ot registered users of FHWA information systems register for BCA Net You arrive at this page by entering an e mail address on the right side of the Login Page Figure 5 and clicking submit Required information for registration includes a User ID a password organization and type address and a hint question and answer for login assistance After registering you will be redirected to the welcome page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual 2 Manage Page Figure 7 Project View of Manage Page Q Fedora Honway Administration BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System Navigation Bar eec 7 and Menu Qri 1 gt Manage Strategies gt Project gt Parameters gt Scenario gt Simulation gt Results Heip Logout Current Settings gt User tim35050 Dataset Initial Project US 88 Improvement Design Alt 1 Scenario Base no ranges Results US 88 Design Alt 1 Model Type Basic Manage Selected Dataset initial z Go Create New Dataset Delete Dataset Current View Project Selected Project US 28 Improvement Design Alt Enable Create New Project Delete Project Settings for the Selected Project El Project ID 1 Description US 88 Improvement Design Alt 1 Location East of Junction US 68 Identifier STIP 445 036 Last Modified 4 15 2011 12 00 39 PM Project uses network model False First Year Alternative Network Era network model only
96. pna A quae BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Federal Highway Administration April 2011 Contents Introduction 1 Purpose of the User s Manual eese tentent ie tenen E tenente tene 1 About BCA Net uite err pet e ta nen pst e t nt e e Aa 1 Technical Description 3 A Web Based Application esses tenente tete tentent tnnt tente tenen nete tenente tenens 3 Using BCA Net Frequently Asked Questions eerte 4 Software and Hardware Require ments sse entree tette te tenentes 4 Computer Operating System and Web Browser sss 4 Internet Connection eee Web Browser Settings Fil Formats ttt e bienes Overview of this Manual eee ee pe e e abet DUE opa Using BCA Net 7 Segment Strategies Intersection Interchange Strategies PAPA Mle eiii ett rem O NN The BCA Net Analysis Process nnne eoar eatr perinteen oei ense an ES rer nS BCA Net Page by Page 13 Introductio iiien eneinio eena a a i i e 1 Login Page Login Overview T Registration PASE sess eset rere das eoa AR E Registration OVervie Wesen ere lis 16 2 Manage Par eene Manage Overview Manage Pea UTE S iue detener pe D ER RHONE INE 2 a to 2 d New Data Object Dataset Project Scenario Results
97. put the simulation results in the particular Results file selected under the Manage page Manage gt Views gt Results You can also create new results files and delete old files under the Manage page When a simulation completes the browser automatically redirects to this page The purpose of this page is to navigate view and print results and their associated tables and graphics Results Features The Results page contains an extensive assortment of data on the findings of the simulation including summary dataand graphics These data and graphs provide important data to decision makers Result Group Pull Down List Use this drop down list at the top of the page to select the results group to view The groups include the benefit cost summary and breakouts by benefits and cost category showing the base case alternate case and net result for each project segment BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net presents the simulation results in a highly detailed format This presentation format can be very useful to the analyst because it allows the ready identification of those aspects ofa project that are or are not successful and especially those aspects of the project that are most subject to risks from real price increases or future traffic growth These datacan be presented in report format and used to inform decision makers Note that all dollar values in the Results page are presented in terms of t
98. rarchy below the parent with values that represent data collect value The following are descriptions o User jons belonging to the newly selected parent node fthe nodes in the data hierarchy When you log in to BCA Net a value representing your useraccountis set in the User node This neverchanges during your session and ensures that users can only access their own data and not those of others Traffic Profiles BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Dataset User data for analyses are organized in datasets in the BCA Net database Users may create and maintain up to 10 datasets at one time on the BCA Net server A dataset is a comprehensive container of data collections used in BCA Net analyses Note that data from different datasets cannot be combined in a single analysis You can use datasets to preserve a baseline analysis and then develop new analyses from renamed copies of the baseline dataset You can download a dataset to your computer and restore it to the systemlater thus allowing users to create and store as many datasets as desired You can also share data with a colleague by sending your downloaded dataset to him or her which your colleague can then upload during a session with BCA Net Access the options for selecting creating deleting downloading and uploading datasets from the Actions submenu of the Manage page Project A project has a set of def
99. rios page e BCA Net calculates Environmental benefits based on traffic volumes emission rates and speeds It applies speed based emission rates grams of emission per mile to segment average speeds and traffic volumes adjusts the emissions for time spent at traffic signals and devices sums these amounts for periods and days and then multiplies the tonnage weight of BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 55 56 e BCA Net Page by Page each emission type by the per ton cost value specified in the second screen of the Social Costs view of the Scenario page Please note that the default per ton cost values in the Scenario view are setto zero sono value will showup under Environmental benefits unless you change the zero default values Project residual value represents the total remaining value of non land assets of the alternate case at the end of the analysis period You specify the analysis period in the Manage gt Views gt Scenarios page for each scenario You specify the rate at which non land assets are used up each year through the Rate of asset depreciation variable of the Social Costs view in the Scenario page Disbenefit of traffic disruption from construction shows the net work disruption costs of all strategies assumed in the alternate case relative to those assumed for the base case In the case of disruption costs that are incurre
100. roject gt Parameters gt Scenario gt Simulation gt Results Help Logout Dataset US 88 US 68 Project US 88 US 68 Interchange l Current Settings gt 1 ient User astambouli Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type ear Deferm Network Highway Improvement Aaintenance Strategies Segments Cost Units Cost per lane mile Capital Costs Investments 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Right of Way Costs 1000 0 0 Construction Costs 000 450 00 00 0 0 00 00 0 0 Work Disruption Costs 000 N A N A N A N A N A N A N A Enable Work Zone Cost Calculator C9 Lanes Open in Work Zone 3 3 o 0 o o 0 Maximum Allowed Speed in Work Zone 40 0 40 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Duration of Work Zone in days 30 0 30 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 Hours per day 8 0 8 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 Percentage of Work Zone during Peak 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 00 0 0 Percentage of Work Zone during Peak ia 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 Length of Work Zone in miles 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Annualized O amp M Costs 000 3 0 Annualized Other Lifecycle Costs 000 0 0 Costs are in thousands base year dollars Year 1 is the start year of strategy implementation Annualized O amp M and Other Life Cycle costs accrue from the first year of O capital costs In the Costs view of theSegment Strategies page you specify the costs associated with the strategy
101. s needed 4 Intersections Interchanges ISIC Strategy Page Figure 19 View of Segment Intersection Interchanges Page Identifiers US Department of Transportatos Or wes oe BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System Navigation Bar 7 and Mena CUAD gt Manage gt Strategies gt Project gt Parameters gt Scenario Simulation gt Results Help Logout Currant Gatts Use Dataset US 88 US 68 Es US 88 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type astambouli Interchange Improvement ranges Year Deferment Network Highway Improvement Maintenance Strategies Intersections Interchanges Selected strategy for viewing and editing Placeholder strategy 6 D Intersection Interchange Type Signalized no turning lane Name Placeholder strategy Description Placeholder strategy Last Modified 7 21 2010 10 29 19 AM The values in the table take effect in the year following the completion of investment i e in the year after the last year with non zero investment If the strategy has no investment then target values take effect in Year 1 ISIC Strategies Overview Use the Intersections Interchanges ISIC Strategies page to develop strategies for highway intersections interchanges The strategies are improvement and maintenance actions You specify ISIC strategies to use in the benefit cost analysis when you s
102. s page has three views which apply to the selected project ISIC e ISIC Definitions in the base year The definition of an ISIC specified in this view includes the intersection segments the entry direction for each segment and the ISIC type defined on the Parameters Page In order to create an ISIC you must have already defined the highway segments that join at the ISIC When editing the table in the Definitions view a dropdown list will include all the defined segments in the project For clarity the segments should be listed in order of adjacency moving ina clockwise direction For instance if your project segments correspond to the following diagram list the segments as shown below Maple St North Elm St West Elm St East Maple St South Segment Maple St North Segment 2 Elm St East Segment 3 Maple St South BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Segment 4 Elm St West Note Leave segments 5 and 6 as none selected The entry direction specifies the direction from which traffic enters the ISIC from the segment The two directions are O are or 1 where 0 is the direction of major flow during the peak period In this view you also specify the Operating and Maintenance and Other Lifecycle costs that are associated with the facility in the base year The base year is the year that precedes the period of analysis and the conditions specified for the base year will prev
103. s thatthe user must setin the Scenario view ofthe Manage page For example suppose the time horizon of a benefit cost analysis was twenty five years and the near term planning horizon was five years If the start year is 2008 then the respective years of the analysis in this example would be Start Year Last Year Near Term 2008 2012 2032 For each segment of a project the user sets the forecast levels of traffic and traffic profiles for representative days in each of the three years The start year is the first year in which an analysis may register differences between the base and the alternate cases The start year is the year following the base year for the analysis In the benefit cost analysis with BCA Net the effects of improvements and their respective costs and benefits are measured in each year from the start year to the end year inclusive Benefits and costs in the analysis are discounted to the beginning of the start year which is equivalent to the end of the base year Strategy A strategy is an improvement or maintenance program Strategies are referenced in the base and alternate cases ofproject segments In BCA Net a strategy is BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Glossary of Terms e 67 68 e Glossary of Terms independent of a project and can be deployed in more than one project or project segment There are three components to a strategy effects traffic signals and devices an
104. s to ensure the security and integrity of your data when they reside on the FHWA s server BCA Net uses secure socket layer SSL 128 bit encrypted communication so that your data are secure in transmission Software and Hardware Requirements 4 e Technical Description Computer Operating System and Web Browser BCA Net is designed for use with any computer and operating systemrunning a high level browser 1 e browsers that were released in the second half of 1999 or later The systemhas been tested on the following web browsers Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 and 6 Netscape Navigator 6 and 7 Mozilla Firefox 1 0 and Safari 1 3 for Mac OS X The required hardware is the same as that required to run the web browser on a specific platform 1 e type of computer and operating system BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual If for instance you were running Internet Explorer 6 0 onan Intel based computer and the Windows XP operating system then your mmimum hardware requirements would be as follows e A Pentium III 450 MHz processor with 128 MB RAMS The application can be activated with a pointing device i e mouse or via the keyboard It complies with all the accessibility requirements of Section 508 of the Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Internet Connection BCA Net requires an Internet connection With a dial up connection the speed should equal or exceed 56kbps kilobits per
105. sage Following a successfuldeletion the first strategy in the list is set as current o Generate report Selecting this option will generate an Intersection and Interchanges Strategy Report in Adobe Acrobat pdf file for the strategy that is currently selected This report will include all data from the identifiers target effects and costs views on the ISIC Strategy page e Strategy values data grid On the page below the line Current View is a data grid corresponding to the selected view of the page Identifiers or Costs When you click the Edit button the grid changes to edit mode and the editable values will appearin text boxes Click the Update button when you have completed editing or click the Cancel button to undo edits and return to non edit BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 31 mode If youtry to update but one or more of the text boxes contains invalid values i e non numeric characters in a numeric field or values outside a permissible range for the variable the page will showan error message 4 a New Intersection Interchanges ISIC Strategy Page Figure 21 New Intersection Interchange Strategy Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System em once lec Manage gt Strategies gt Project gt Parameters gt Scenario Simulation gt Results Help Logout ES User Dataset US 88 US 68 Project US 88
106. second The systemwill operate with lower speed connections but the response times will be slower A faster broadband connection either through your local area network or from a cable or DSL connection will enhance the user experience As a general guideline for what to expect pages sent to your browser from the BCA Net server are between 2KB kilobytes and 50KB pages with graphical content are at the higher end of this range With a 56kbps connection the larger pages should download to your computer in less than 2 seconds With a broadband connection new pages should take a fraction of a second Keep in mind that other factors like traffic volume on the Internet may cause slower response times Web Browser Settings This section discusses several browser settings that you may need to adjust in order to use BCA Net Access these settings from your browser s main menu In Internet Explorer use the menu option Tools gt Internet Options With Netscape select Edit gt Preferences Cookies BCA Net uses session cookies Your browser should allow session cookies with most privacy settings with the exception of Block all cookies Session cookies promote the security of your session without compromising your privacy Security and Other Settings The following security settings must be enabled in yourbrowser in order to use BCA Net and all of its features In Internet Explorer under Security you must enable e Active scr
107. set Page sss 21 New Data Object Overview tette entente tentent nter ten tenentes 21 2 e Generate Multiple Reports Page tentent tenente tenete tenente tenens 22 Generate Multiple Reports Overview sssseseeseeennenee tette tenentes 22 3 Segment Strategies Page Segment Strategies Overview oo eee ee esesesesececseecetescseatseesesesceseseessasaneseseasseeneesseettees 23 Segment Strategies Features eterne eterne enne tenerent 28 3 4 New Segment Strategy Page nies eerte rn text deceo E e cou sencdesaecbeoveunees 29 BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Contents e i ii e Contents New Seg ment Strategy Overview oie eseeseseecsessseseseesescncssucseseetesssessacstsnsasseeseeeaeas 4 Intersections Interchanges ISIC Strategy Page ISIC Strategies Overview ISIC Strategies Features eee 4 a New Intersection Interchanges ISIC Strategy Page New ISIC Strategy Overview 5 Project Segments Page sss Project Seg ments Overview irriaren ire ar tette enne tenen tenens Project Seg ments Features x l dte eR pc i EU OUR 6 Project Intersections Interchanges ISIC Page pe Project SIC ER E RERE E E E NE DRE Project ISICS ESTU ii Ve dede eer 6 a New Project Intersection Interchanges ISIC Page New Project ISIC Overview 7 Parameters Page sess Parameters OVetVIe Wai dr RR UR rte d RR PED PEE t RR P eren 8 S
108. setas selected when you begin your See Text Box at the end of the chapterfor a description of the Network Model and how it differs from the Basic Model 18 BCA Net Page by Page BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net session This action restores your default settings to be the current ones o Save current selections as defaults This action will replace your default selections with the ones that are current o Archive dataset to local disk When you download a dataset you create a BCA file on your computer that contains a replica of all the data in yourdataset The downloaded dataset is for storage and sharing with other users It is not in a suitable format for offline modification of data After downloading your dataset you can delete it from the BCA Net server database o Restore archived dataset Select this action to upload and restore an archived dataset to the BCA Net server o Generate report Selecting this option will generate a Settings Report in Adobe Acrobat pdf file for the project that is currently selected This report summarizes all dataincluded in the project scenario and result views on the Manage page e Select project drop down list visible when the Project view is selected Select the project for your analysis e Select scenario drop down list visible when the Scenario view is selected Select the scenario for your analys
109. t Project gt Parameters gt Scenario gt Simulation gt Results Help Logout and Menu Ctrl 1 gt A gt User Dataset US 88 US 68 Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type astambouii Interchange Improvement ranges e VoorDeforment Network Create new strategy Select the facility type Select the strategy type C Urban freeway C Maintain Urban expressway G Resurface Urban arterial C Widen lanes Urban collector C Reconstruct C Rural Suburban freeway C Reconstruct and widen lanes C Rural Suburban expressway C Reconstruct and add lanes Rural Suburban arterial C Rural Suburban collector Name of the new strategy Submit New Segment Strategy Overview This page is accessed from the menu option Segment Strategy gt Actions gt Create new strategy To create a new strategy 1 select one of the eight facility types Freeway expressway arterial collector urban or rural 2 select one of the BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 29 strategy types maintain resurface widen lanes add lanes reconstruct reconstruct and widen lanes reconstruct and add lanes 3 enter a name for the new strategy and click Submit After clicking Submit the Segment Strategies page will appear and the new strategy will be set as the current strategy and can be modified a
110. t of traffic not experiencing delay due to the signal equals the percent effective green This variable applies to stop signs and other non signal traffic devices including traffic circles and reflects the average delay in seconds per small vehicle due to the slowing stopping and return to the uninterrupted flow speed on the segment from the traffic device In the case of a traffic circle it represents the time to slow merge with circulating traffic and return to the uninterrupted flow speed on the segment This variable has the same meaning as the previous one except that it applies to peak shoulder traffic periods This variable has the same meaning as the previous except that it applies to off peak traffic periods Note that is the No Changes boxes are unchecked for a particular strategy and if that strategy is used in the Cases view of the Project page then the signal and device information specified for that strategy will be used by BCA Net in the benefit costanalysis If no traffic or signal services are specified for the strategy then BCA Net assumes that all such devices have been eliminated by the strategy as would occur if a traffic signal were replaced by an interchange If an interchange is part of the strategy then the cost of the interchange must be included in the strategy costs see immediately below Figure 16 Costs View of Strategy Page with the Work Zone Calculator Disabled BCA Net H
111. ted with undesirable or downside outcomes as in hedging againstrisk In a risk analysis risk is reflected in the probability distributions of result variables Risk Analysis Risk analysis is a term applied to several methods for quantifying uncertainty in forecasts The risk analysis methods used in BCA Net are called Monte Carlo simulation Scenario A scenario is a collection of general data for use in the benefit cost analysis The scenario variables are organized into several groups travel demand and traffic composition social costs project cost factors prices policy variables and non trans portation benefits Users can assign fixed values or probabilistic ranges to each variable from the Scenario page Probabilistic ranges are used as risk analysis inputs in the benefit cost analysis The scenario definition which is set on the Manage page includes the three analysis years start year last year near term and last year Segment A segment is a specific highway facility that is uniform with regard to 1 its physical and performance characteristics and 2 traffic flowing on it The data for a segment include base year characteristics e length number of lanes maximum flow grade etc traffic profiles for each of three years start year last year near term last year and a base and alternate case each of which is a collection of improvement maintenance strategies and their respective years of implementation
112. tegies in the Base and Alternate cases if the PSI value of these cases would fall below 2 5 during the analysis period without such strategies This view presents the base case and alternative case side by side These are the two cases that will be compared to each other during the BCA simulation The analyst is able for each segment of the project to specify the strategies and year of each strategy s implementation For instance for a project consisting ofa single segment the analyst could specify periodic resurfacing in the base case versus areconstruction with less frequent resurfacing in the alternative case The periodic resurfacing in the base case could be specified to take place in year 0 10 20 and 30 whereas the reconstruction could be specified for year 0 with one resurfacing at year25 After running the BCA theanalyst could then build another alternative and compare that to the basecase in a second BCA simulation Please note thatthe base case should reflect logical management of the asset It is nota do nothing case For instance if the Base Year Facility Characteristics indicate that the Pavement Serviceability Index is 3 5 in 2005 and the pavement is deteriorating at the rate of 1 PSI per year then within ten years the pavement condition would fall to 2 5 At this point vehicles operating on the pavement would begin to incur significant operating cost due to the rough pavement costs that wou
113. tem User s Manual 50 e BCA Net Page by Page Scenario Chart Overview Clicking on View for a variable on the Scenario page will cause the scenario input variable chart to pop up showing a chart and data for the variable The page contains a chart a summary statistics table a percentiles table and option buttons for selecting alternative chart types For a fixed value the chart will display the message No Chart for Fixed Value and the tables will reflect the information for the single fixed value There are three chart types and each shows a shaded region that represents the 80 confidence interval A dotted red line marks the mean value of the distribution The x axis on all the charts ranges between the values whose probabilities are 0 1 and 99 9 percent respectively The different chart types are selected using the option buttons below the chart click Go after making a selection Density Cumul De Cumul option buttons The selected option determines which of the three chart formats e Probability density e Cumulative probability e De cumulative probability are displayed for the selected variable see the Glossary for definitions Summary statistics table The summary statistics frame displays the mean mode and standard deviation of the distribution See the glossary for the definitions Percentiles The percentiles frame displays the percentiles of the input distribution A percentile indicates the probab
114. teristics view of the Project Segments page and set the AADT for the selected segment to 0 in all years of the base network analysis o Delete traffic profiles and set AADT to 0 in alternate network for selected segment Network model type only Selecting this option will delete all traffic profiles in the Alternate Network Traffic Characteristics view of the Project Segments page and set the AADT for the selected segment to 0 in all years of the alternate network analysis o Generate report Selecting this option will invoke a submenu of project reports to generate Users can generate project reports for each view in the Project Segments page For a Basic model type these reports include Base Year Facilities Characteristics Annual Traffic Data Traffic Profiles Signals Devices and Segment Base and Alternate Cases Reports are generated as Adobe Acrobat PDF files For a Network model type these reports include Base Year Facilities Characteristics Base Network Traffic Data Alternate Network Traffic Data Base Network Traffic Profiles Alternate Network Traffic Profiles Signals Devices and Segment Base and Alternate Cases Reports are generated as Adobe Acrobat PDF files Segment values data grid On the page below the line Current View is a data grid corresponding to the selected view of the page Facility characteristics in the 66
115. the dataset through the traffic profile see the Glossary and 4 Project Page above Traffic distributions describe the intensity of traffic in terms of the average percent of daily traffic per hour in two of the periods of the day Peak and peak shoulder You also specify whether there is a directional imbalance in the traffic flow by specifying the percentage of traffic in the direction of greater flow which will be a value between 50 and 100 e Intersection Interchange Parameters The ISIC parameters define an ISIC type The parameters for an ISIC comprise three tables e Minimum average delay per vehicle in intersection sec e Saturation rates in ISIC veh hr and e Variable delay coefficient Each of these tables has n rows and n columns where n is the number of segments connecting to an ISIC The value for n may be less than or equal to 2 and may not exceed 6 An element in the ith row and jth column of a table corresponds to the flow originating in the ith segment and exiting the ISIC in the jth segment For each of the flows the general expression for the delay i e travel time per vehicle in the intersection is min D for aht sat min D A aht sat for aht gt sat Where minD is the value from the first table sat is the value from thesecond table and A is the value from the third table The value for ahtis calculated in the model based on the specification of traffic profiles ofthe segments and the allo
116. tio is the ratio of Total benefits to Total Costs Ratios that exceed one indicate that the alternate case is economically efficient relative to the base case See the glossary for more information on the benefit cost ratio e Rate ofreturn is the estimated rate of return or discount rate that would equate the present value of Total benefits to Total costs Multiple Rate of return values are possible if during the analysis period costs exceed benefits in more than one year The BCA Net model however will only display one of these values Accordingly rate of return data should be used with caution In the dropdown menu in the Results page you will note that a number of cost categories beneath the overall category of Benefit Cost Summary The categories which are subsets ofthe Summary include the following e User costs travel time ser costs fuel consumption ser costs oil consumption ser costs tire wear ser costs depreciation i e vehicle mileage based depreciation ser costs safety U U U e User costs maintenance and repair U U o U ser costs environmental note that this includes costs to non users as well e Project costs Each of these cost subsets provides data on that cost category for both the base case and alternate case and well as the net difference between the cases View Link Clicking on the View link for a variable causes the
117. to select the year start year last year near term end year whose traffic profiles you wish to edit After selecting click the Go button o Traffic profile for the selected segment and year data grid Figure 23 Year Selector and Traffic Profile Data Grid Selected year for viewing and editing 2006 v Ge Traffic profile for the selected segment and year Add New Delete checked Commute 1 Commute 1 Commute 2 Duration Duration Percent of Percent Auto Percent Percent Bus qoem ee Peak Peak Percent of nem Truck I P Period Shoulder Year Traffic Auto Truck Bus Hours Hours Distribution Distribution Distribution 900 85 15 pepe hey ce za ig Commute 1 Commute 1 Commute 2 Weekend is 70 24 90 30 Soie SE ude o The data grid contains traffic profiles for the selected year and segment A traffic profile is a representative traffic day on the segment in the selected year The traffic profile specifies o Duration Periods the duration of the periods of the day peak peak shoulder and off peak You specify the peak and peak shoulder durations in hours The off peak is calculated as the remaining hours in the day The peak and peak shoulder period togethercannot exceed 24 The periods should represent the sum total of such hours during a day e g morning and afternoon peak hours should be added together o Percent of Year the percent of days in the year represented by the traffic profile The
118. trategy Target Variables in the Signals and Devices View Variable Length of Signal Cycle seconds Perc Eff Green Dir Greater Use Perc Flow Corr Green Dir Greater Use Perc Eff Green Dir Lesser Use Perc Flow Corr Green Dir Lesser Use Average Delay sec per Small Vehicle Peak Period Average Delay sec per Small Vehicle Peak Shoulder Average Delay sec per Small Vehicle Off Peak Period BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Definition The total time in seconds to complete a complete signal cycle i e the time from the beginning of ared signal to the beginning of the next red signal The percent of the total signal cycle during which the light is green in the on the segment in the direction with the greater traffic flow The correlation of traffic flow in the direction of greater use with the green signal This variable allows you to capture the effect of synchronized traffic signals A zero correlation means that the percent of traffic not experiencing delay due to the signal equals the percent effective green The percent of the total signal cycle during which the light is green in the on the segment in the direction with the lesser traffic flow The correlation of traffic flow in the direction of lesser use with the green signal This variable allows you to capture the effect of synchronized traffic signals A zero correlation means that the percen
119. ts which convey the range of likely inputs and the likelihood of their occurrence Risk analysis allows for the simultaneous computation of differing assumptions for many different variables The results of a risk analysis are presented as probability distributions rather than point estimates These risk analysis outcomes promote informed decision making that accounts for both the downside risk and upside potential of candidate projects BCA Net includes an array of charts and reports that enable the users to interpret results refine analyses and develop risk mitigating contingencies BCA Net s underlying methodology is consistent with the current benefit cost methodologies employed by the FHWA The model is transparent in all of its assumptions and the model inputs are readily accessible to users who may want to adjust model inputs to reflect local circumstances BCA Net is designed to minimize the data needs and technical expertise required of the users while at the same time providing analytical flexibility and reliable benefit cost results BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual Technical Description A Web Based Application BCA Net runs over the Internet on a central server This enables many users to access the systemsimultaneously Any userwith a minimally configured computer having a browser and an Internet connection can use the systemand all its features The systemrequires no local installation of spe
120. ulation ie generate the BCA results You should browse to this page only when you are ready to conduct a simulation that is after having made all required modifications to data and after having selected the project scenario and results file for the analysis Simulation Features Set the simulation parameters by clicking Edit and click Update when finished editing The parameters that you set will be saved in the results set If yourun subsequent simulations the parameters you set will be saved and used as long as you continue to use the same results set for youranalysis About Simulation BCA Net uses simulation or risk analysis to generate BCA results and the uncertainties associated with them By specifying probability distributions for scenario inputs which is performed in the Scenario page the users quantify their variability and uncertainty The impact of this uncertainty on the outcomes as reflected in the BCA Net analytic model is quantified using simulation With simulation rather than solving the model once using best guess values for inputs BCA Net solves the model for many independenttrials In each trial a random sample is taken from the distribution of each scenario input Each trial produces an outcome e g a set of values for the result variables based on the sampled values from the input distributions By applying statistical analysis to a set of outcomes BCA Net derives descriptive statistics
121. ut current Settings ccs User Dataset US 6 US 68 Project US 98 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type ng ambouli Interchange Improvement ranges Year Deferment Network Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Improvement Selected intersection interchange for viewing and editing US 88 amp US 68 Intersection ee Current View Intersection Interchange Definitions Intersection Definitions in the Base Year 2008 Item Value Description US 88 amp US 68 Intersection Intersection Interchange Type Signalized with turning lanes Segment 1 US 88N Main to US 68 Segment 1 Entry Direction io Segment 2 US 68E Spruce to US 88 Segment 2 Entry Direction ia Segment 3 US 885 US 68 to Elm Segment 3 Entry Direction lo Segment 4 US 68w US 88 to Maple Segment 4 Entry Direction o Segment 5 None selected Segment 5 Entry Direction o Segment 6 None selected Segment 6 Entry Direction io Annualized Lifecycle Cost thous lo Annual O amp M Cost thous 20 In Base Case or Alternate Case Network Both The base year is the year before the start of the analysis i e the Base Case and Alternate Case conditions are identical in the base year Set the base year on the Manage page with scenario view ProjectISIC Overview From the Project ISIC page you can edit the data for project ISICs create new project ISICs and delete existing ISICs The Project ISIC
122. vement Maintenance Strategies Segments Selected strategy for viewing and editing 51 6 Resurface narrow z 60 Current View Signals and Devices Traffic signals on the segment with the selected strategy implemented No changes to signals on the segment with the strategy IV Go Traffic control devices e g stop yield on the segment with the selected strategy implemented No changes to devices on the segment with the strategy r Sol Traffic control devices for the selected strategy Delete checked f Ect Description Average Delay sec Average Delay sec Average Delay sec per Small Vehicle per Small Vehicle per Small Vehicle Peak Period Peak Shoulder Off Peak Period Traffic control devices on the segment determine delays due to slowing stopping and queuing at the device Figure 15 Signals and Devices View of the Strategy Page with Changes to Signals or Devices BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System aJ Federal Highway Administration Navigation Bar and Menu Ctrl 1 gt gt Manage Strategies gt Project gt Parameters gt Scenario gt Simulation gt Results Help Logout User astambouli Dataset US 88 US 68 Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Improvement Model Type Network Current Settings gt Highway Improvement Maintenance Strategies Segments Selected strategy for viewing
123. w the line Current View is a data grid corresponding to the selected view of the page Definitions Exiting flows Cases Figure 27 Project Intersections Interchanges Exiting Flows View Dataset US 88 US 68 Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Interchange Improvement ear Deferment Model Type Ye Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Improvement Selected intersection interchange for viewing and editing US 68 amp US 68 Intersection z Sol Current View Flows Exiting the Intersection Interchange By Year Selected year for viewing and editing 2009 S Exit flows for the selected Intersection Interchange and year Es Exiting to Segment 3 1 US BEN Main to US 68 2 US 68E Spruce to US B8 25 00 2500 50 00 0 00 3 US 68S US 68 tn Elm 50 00 25 00 25 00 0 00 4 US 68 US 88 to Maple 25 00 50 00 2500 0 00 The exit flows for the intersection determine the allocation of traffic exiting the intersection interchange for the specified year The values in each row of the table must sum to 100 Figure 28Project Intersections Interchanges Cases View sporation BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System quos ron es Federal Highway Administration san gt Manage gt Strategies gt Project gt Parameters gt Scenaro gt Simulation gt Results Hep Logout inc SEDES z Dataset US 88
124. ximum minimum and mode For thetriangle distribution you enter data for the maximum value the minimum value and the most likely value the mode of the distribution All values for this distribution lie between the minimum and the maximum and its density function forms a triangle with its peak at the mode Use this distribution when the variable and data indicate firm bounds on the maximum and minimum values and a most likely value After setting the distributions click on Edit Values to edit the values for each variable 8 a Scenario Input Variable Chart Figure 33 View of Scenario Input Variable Chart Variable Value of time auto passenger hr 045 Summary Statistics Percentiles H Mean 12 81233 1 10 97199 Std Deviation 1 34743 5 11 29665 Mode 12 81233 10 11 50000 20 11 78419 30 12 02229 40 12 25402 50 12 50000 60 12 78129 70 13 13126 80 13 62333 0 36 0 27 0 18 Prob Density 0 09 90 14 50000 04 i 95 15 43127 8 108 136 164 192 22 99 17 63556 Value of time auto passenger hr Selectcharttype Density OcCumul ODe cumul The chart shows the probability distribution for the variable During simulation a value is sampled from the distribution for each trial The shaded gray region ofthe chartis the 80 confidence interval The dotted red line is the mean value BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis Sys
125. y and the strategy O amp M and OLC costs begin to accrue in each year ISIC Strategies Features e Select strategy dropdown list Select the strategy to edit with this drop down list After selecting click the Go to the right of the dropdown list e ISIC Strategy gt Views menu options Use this option to toggle between the pages two views 1 Identifiers and 2 Costs The components on the page below the header Current View will change accordingly Each view will show a suitable data grid control for editing its variable values e ISIC Strategy gt Actions menu options o Create new strategy Selecting this option will bring you to the New ISIC Strategy page See the description of its use and features in the following section o Create copy of selected strategy This option will create a copy of the currently selected strategy The newly created strategy will have a temporary name which can be edited in the Identifiers and Effects view of the page The newcopy will be set as the current strategy o Delete selected strategy Selecting this option will cause the selected strategy to be deleted The selected strategy can only be deleted if it is orphaned that is it is not referenced by any case as specified in the Cases view of the Project ISIC page belonging to any project segment in the dataset If you attempt to delete a strategy that is referenced by a case then the page will show an error mes
126. ystem O EE Manage gt Strategies gt Project Parameters Scenario gt Simulation gt Results Help Logout US 88 US 68 User Dataset Current Settings gt astambou i Interchange Project US 88 US 68 Interchange Scenario Base with Results US 22 Lane Addition 5 Model Type Improvement Year Deferment Network Model Parameters Traffic Distributions and Other Data Selected afic distro Mam So Create New Create Copy Delete Select Traffic Distribution Eai item Value Description Uniform Peak Average percent of daily traffic per hour in period 4 167 Peak of traffic in period percent in direction of greater use 50 100 Peak shoulder Average percent of daily traffic per hour in period Peak shoulder of traffic in period percent in direction of greater use 50 100 4 167 so Off peak percent of traffic is 100 minus the sum of percent of traffic in peak periods Parameters Overview The Parameters page is where you can view and modify model parameters and other data values in BCA Net The page contains two views traffic distributions and intersection interchange parameters e Traffic Distributions BCA Net Highway Project Benefit Cost Analysis System User s Manual BCA Net Page by Page e 43 44 e BCA Net Page by Page Traffic distributions are data objects in the dataset that can be applied to any project segment in

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