Reliable traffic volume data is important for a DOT to understand the quality of safety and mobility on its roads. California uses permanent sensors to collect data on its roads of functional class (FC) 1-5 (e.g., principal arterial) but it does not have such infrastructure on smaller roads with FC 6 (Minor Collector) and 7 (Local Roadway). This study estimated the annual cost to use standard third-party vendors to collect that data by specifying tasks needed and the rates for each. These data are aggregated into the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) program.

CalTrans specifies a bid rate for the number of lanes and if vehicle classification is needed. These values are listed in the table below.

Table 1. Budget Estimates for HPMS Recommended Counts

The annual costs for collecting the recommended traffic counts on the Local (FC=7) roadways and the Minor Collector (FC=6) roadways in small urban areas were estimated. Given that there are 304 locations of type FC=6 or FC=7 needed in the rolling 6-year cycle, data is needed for about 51 locations per year. Additionally, the HPMS program specifies that 1/3 of counts must include vehicle classification. Therefore, bid estimates were projected at $55 per location for 34 locations, $75 per location for 17 locations for a combined sum of $3,145 per year. Because the streets were local and minor collector streets, they are assumed to be one lane two-way roads.