Visitors to some area businesses may soon be asked to participate in a brief travel survey being conducted by the Texas Department of Transportation. Over the next few months, TxDOT-sponsored surveyors will be stationed at some area businesses to ask visitors to answer a few questions about their travel to the location.

TxDOT encourages all who are asked to participate in the survey, but emphasizes that participation is totally voluntary.

TxDOT, in cooperation with the Killeen Temple Urban Transportation Study, will be conducting the survey to obtain information about the amount of traffic going to and from different types of businesses. The purpose of the workplace travel survey is to help local and state officials in deciding:

• where new roads and transit service should be planned;

• what existing roads and transit routes should be improved; and,

• which roadway projects being considered over the next few years will be of greatest benefit to the residents of the KTUTS Study Area.

TxDOT and KTUTS plan for transportation improvement projects every year. Therefore, TxDOT and KTUTS are developing a computer model of major roadways in portions of Bell, Coryell and Lampasas counties which will include the cities of Belton, Copperas Cove, Killeen and Temple to help in planning and prioritizing area transportation projects.

The model will evaluate future traffic conditions based on factors such as traffic generated by residents and businesses within the KTUTS study area and traffic coming from outside of the study area. The survey will collect data on the amount of traffic going to and from local businesses that is needed as input into the model.

The workplace survey is the last of four surveys in the comprehensive project being conducted by TxDOT to study traffic amounts and patterns in the KTUTS Study Area.

Other surveys included a roadside survey of motorists along selected highways, a household survey, and a commercial vehicle survey.

Area businesses will be randomly contacted by phone and be invited to take part in the survey. The Weighted Systematic Sampling Procedure will be used to select a business. All area businesses have an equal chance in being selected.

TxDOT believes employers may find the survey informative and useful.

GRAM Traffic Counting has been hired to conduct the survey, and TxDOT will monitor the work. The surveys are part of an ongoing effort to collect and analyze travel data from communities across the state.