Breakeven analysis for statewide intelligent transportation system project identification and assessment

The use of breakeven analysis as a tool to assess the benefits of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) at the system level in systemwide sketch planning is discussed. The breakeven analysis was developed on the basis of the SCRITS (SCReening for ITS) spreadsheet template and used data from Madison, Wisconsin, as a case study and provided considerable insight into the magnitude of the potential benefits of different ITS programs. The analysis can help identify critical performance variables in the assessment of ITS benefits. Breakeven analysis coupled with sensitivity analysis can be used to identify and assess ITS projects for deployment in the ITS planning and programming process with limited data. It can be used to screen, prioritize, and select ITS projects among different ITS options. It can also be used to compare ITS projects in different geographic locations on the basis of different traffic data and breakeven points. The method is also useful in the identification of data needed for detailed ITS project assessments and evaluations. Such data should include before-and-after studies of ITS deployments as well as refined cost data and traffic flow estimates. The case study identified the breakeven points of several ITS deployment options, including ramp metering, traveler information systems, emergency response systems, and commercial vehicle operations under a variety of scenarios. These results can be used to identify and operate ITS projects so that they are likely to have the greatest payoff from their deployment.