FHWA’s Localized Bottleneck Reduction Initiative (LBR) program focuses attention on mitigating the operational causes of recurring congestion “hot spots” (i.e., traffic bottlenecks) at ramps, merges, lane drops, intersections, weaves, etc. One of the efforts of the LBR program is to encourage agencies to adopt a defined, “named” annualized spot-congestion program in the same manner that they might have an annualized spot-safety program for high crash locations. This document was developed to provide guidance to state and local transportation personnel on how to overcome barriers and challenges to implementation of localized congestion relief projects. It presents and describes examples of institutional, design, funding and safety challenges that agencies face when trying to develop unique solutions to localized congestion problems. The main questions that this guidance helps an agency address are: 1. What are the most common barriers and challenges with addressing localized congestion problems? 2. What are some case study examples that highlight how barriers and challenges were overcome? 3. What are some of the key factors in successful implementation of localized bottleneck projects? The document also presents nine detailed case studies of projects and programs that illustrate how to overcome common barriers and challenges. The case studies were chosen to highlight agencies that have implemented effective projects in a unique and praiseworthy fashion. The final section provides some high-level guidance and practical ideas on how to implement successful solutions to localized congestion problems based on experience and information gathered during this project. (Author/publisher)
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