Principles and Practices of Transportation Planning and Engineering

Connie Kelly Tang and Lei Zhang have provided a holistic coverage of the entire surface transportation project and program development process from the beginning of planning though environmental approval, design, right-of way acquisition, construction to operations and maintenance.― Neil Pedersen, Executive Director, Transportation Research Board, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, DC

Transportation program and project development is complex. The process spans over planning, programming, environment, design, right of way, construction, operations, and maintenance. Professionals from civil engineering, planning, social and environmental sciences, business and project management, and data science, work together in a relay team to transform an idea into a highway, a transit hub, an airport or a water facility. It is challenging for any one person to master all the knowledge and skills needed to perform every relevant task. However, it is critical for all involved to understand how this relay works and how the societal, environmental, governmental, and regulatory contexts influence the process and the technical solution. Professionals who understand the process and see the big picture are those who rise to the top as leaders.

Transportation Project and Program Development provides holistic coverage on the technical subject matter, processes and procedures, and policy and guidance associated with transportation project and program development, which can help professionals become program leaders. For each phase of the process, key products delivered, processes used, governing principles, foundations of applicable science and engineering, technologies deployed, and knowledge required are discussed. While all coverages reflect the practices of the United States, the logic, principles, science, and engineering are applicable to all countries of the world. The book can also serve as an introductory textbook for undergraduate students and as a textbook or reference for a graduate-level course in civil engineering, transportation engineering, planning, and project management.

Connie Tang is a graduate of New York University, Abu Dhabi, with a B.A. in Economics. She also holds a master’s degree in Applied Economics from the University of Maryland. Since graduation, she has provided technical assistance to a wide range of activities and programs in the transportation field, including her near-three years of service as an on-site consultant at the Office of the Assistance Secretary for Research and Technology at the U.S. Department of Transportation. She has had the opportunity to interview a wide range of professionals and leaders in local, state, and federal agencies and private businesses regarding issues related to transportation program and project development, gaining fundamental and practical knowledge on transportation issues. Currently, Connie Tang serves as the Assistant Director of Research and Outreach at the Maryland Transportation Institute.

Lei Zhang is the Herbert Rabin Distinguished Professor and Director of the Maryland Transportation Institute in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. He earned his Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering from the University of Minnesota, and B.S. in Civil Engineering from Tsinghua University. He teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in areas of transportation engineering and perform advanced research in areas of transportation systems analysis; transportation planning; traffic control and management, transportation economics and policy; mathematical, statistical, and agent-based modelling and simulation supporting urban mobility and sustainability analysis.