The CTR Performance Grant Program: Strengthening the Program's Structure and Market

Through the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Performance Grant program, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is breaking new ground by testing whether the state can obtain transportation capacity by purchasing single occupant vehicle trips as well as roadway infrastructure. WSDOT hired a research team at the Evans School of Public Affairs to examine the program's design and market structure to identify ways both could be modified to better achieve program goals. The research team determined that WSDOT is a true innovator in seeking ways to increase capacity and reduce congestion, but that the CTR Performance Grant program could be more effective if WSDOT clarified whether its primary goal is trip removal or innovation. Furthermore, the state could more easily remove high impact trips from the transportation system if the program focused more narrowly on peak hour trips in high-use corridors.