freeway management

Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

Program Goals, Measures & Thresholds

TMC PFS Meeting

Jon Obenberger

June 4, 2003


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Freeway Management & Traffic Operations:

Primary Program Products:• Freeway Management & Operations Handbook (Update

as needed ~ 5 years)

• State-of-Practice Paper (Update as needed ~ 2 years)

• Program Performance Measures White Paper (Update as needed ~ 2 years)

• ITS Deployment Tracking Survey Results & Trends in Practice (Update as needed ~ 2 years)

• Traffic Management Toolbox Cd-rom (Updated annually)

• Roadmap of Program & Proposed Initiatives (Annually)

• Legislation, Regulations & Policies• Technology Outreach & Awareness (e.g., web sites)


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Freeway Management Handbook:

Intended Audience:• Professionals involved with or responsible for any

phase in life cycle of freeway network

Purpose:

• Provide understanding of potential strategies, tools & technologies that may be used to support the management & operation of freeway network

Current Draft: http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/Travel/traffic/

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/Travel/traffic/freeway_management.htm


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Freeway Management Handbook:Chapters:• Freeway Management & Operation of Surface

Transportation Network• Performance Monitoring & Evaluation • Freeway & Traffic Operations Programs• Roadway Improvement Projects• Roadway Operational Improvements• Ramp Management & Control• Managed Lanes• HOV Systems


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Freeway Management Handbook: (Cont.)

Chapters:• Traffic Incident Management (Handbook)

• Planned Special Event Management (Handbook)

• Emergency & Evacuation Management• Information Dissemination• Transportation Management Systems• Detection & Surveillance (Handbook plus)• Regional Information Sharing & Integration• Communications


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Inventory Current Practices & Trends :

ITS Deployment: Top-78 metro areas, statewide, 30 mid-sized areas & sampling– Web access to survey results & information – White paper report summarizing results & trends– Basis for reporting progress on achieving program

performance measures & thresholds

Planning & Outreach for Specific Initiatives:– Managed lanes– Corridor Traffic Management– Planned Special Events– Feedback From Specific Projects


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Current State-of-Practice, Trends & Needs:

Highway Traffic Operations & Freeway Management: State-of-practice “White Paper”:

Purpose: Summarizes the state-of-the-practice and state-of-the-art nationally associated with the operation and proactive management of traffic on freeway facilities

Input: Planning for future federal activities

Focus: managing & operating freeways, expressways, & toll roads. Its primary intended audiences are:

Intended Audience: traffic operations managers & people who directly support them


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State-of-practice White Paper: (Cont.) Relationship to Program:• Inter-related to & companion document w/ Freeway

Management & Operations Handbook• Planning for future federal activitiesIntended Use by Public Agencies:

– Assess current traffic operations program, management systems & how they manage & operate freeway facilities

– Compare current practices to state-of-practice & state-of-art nationally

– Develop ideas, initiatives, & plan to improve upon current practices & move toward recommended national practices


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State-of-practice White Paper: (Cont.)

Report Overview:

• Background:– Institutional Arrangement

– Organizational Aspects

– System Functions

– Benefits

• State-of-Practice (Institut., Organizational, Technical)• State-of-Art• Gaps Between SOP & SOA• Recommended Actions: Research, Technical Guidance,

Best Practices, Training, & Outreach


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FHWA: Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

Program Area Initiatives:• TMCs• Freeway Management & Operations• Managed Lanes• Planned Special Events• Corridor Traffic Management & Control• HOV Systems• Technology Transfer


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Possible Goals, Measures & Targets:

Current Status & Next Steps:• Develop goals & performance measures

• Verify & revise data from surveys

• Trends w/ performance measures & draft targets for measures

• Draft white paper

• Outreach, review & feedback on white paper draft(s)

• Final white paper submitted – end of July


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Possible Goals, Measures & Targets:

Goal 1: TMCs actively monitoring traffic & roadway conditions within top XXX metropolitan areas & statewide in XXX States

• Measure 1: TMCs deployed, monitoring roadway & traffic conditions & proactively managing traffic

on freeway facilities w/in top XXX metropolitan areas

• Measure 2: TMCs deployed, monitoring roadway &

coordinating in response to traffic conditions & proactively managing traffic on freeway facilities statewide in XXX states


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Possible Goals, Measures & Targets: (Cont.)

Goal 1: (Cont.) • Measure 3: XXX Freeway miles where traffic data is

being collected & monitored in real-time – % of freeway miles in metro areas?– % of freeway miles in state?

• Measures 4: XXX TMCs archiving & reporting on

freeway traffic conditions & performance – # of TMCs? – # of statewide TMCs


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Goal 2: XXX TMCs proactively managing & controlling traffic on freeway facilities

• Measure 1: Freeway miles with real-time surveillance to manage and control traffic

– # of TMCs? # of Metro Areas?

• Measure 2: Freeway miles operating under various lane management operational strategies

– # of TMCs? # of Metro Areas?

• Measure 3: Freeway miles operating under access control or ramp metering control strategies – # of TMCs? # of Metro Areas?


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Goal 3: XXX TMCs coordinating & sharing information in real-time between public safety interests & traffic signal control systems

• Measure 1: TMCs coordinating, sharing information & control in real-time w/ traffic signal control systems in response to changing roadway & traffic conditions – # of TMCs? # of Metro Areas?– 1, 2 or 3 capabilities?

• Measure 2: TMCs coordinating & sharing information in real-time between public safety interests in response to changing roadway & traffic conditions – # of TMCs? # of Metro Areas?– Coordinating? Coordinating & Sharing?


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Goal 3: (Cont.)• Measure 3: XXX TMCs w/ responsibility to coordinate

& share information w/ other TMCs in real-time based on changing roadway & traffic conditions within state – # of TMCs? # of States?

– Coordinate & Share Information Only?


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Goal 4: Agencies proactively managing & controlling traffic within urban freeway corridors

• Measure 1: XXX freeways w/ established agreements & operational procedures documented to manage & control traffic in real-time w/in urban corridors – # of freeway miles? % of freeway miles w/in metro area? %

of urban corridors w/in urban areas?– Need for rural corridors? Statewide measure needed?

Measure 2: XXX freeways w/ interfaces developed between TMCs & traffic signal control systems to manage & control traffic in real-time w/ urban corridors – # or % of freeway miles w/in metro area? – % of urban corridors?


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Goal 4: (Cont.)• Measure 3: XXX freeway where operational strategies

& control plans developed, documented & proactively being used in real-time to control traffic on & between freeways & surface streets w/in urban corridors – # or % of freeway miles w/in metro area?

– % of urban corridors?


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Goal 5: Proactively managing & coordinating traffic control activities for planned special events

• Measure 1: XXX metropolitan areas with a multi-agency traffic management plan, team, procedures, & control plans being applied for at least 1 specific planned special event – # of events? # of new?

– # of characteristics?


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Goal 5: (Cont.)• Measure 2: XXX metropolitan areas w/ multi-agency

initiative focusing on continuously improving the management & control of traffic for all planned special events that may occur w/in region

– # of events? # of new?

– # of characteristics?


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Goals & Perf. Measures: White Paper• Purpose:

– Context & justification for established perf. measures & targets – Facilitate review, comments & buy-in from stakeholders

• Key issues to address:– FM & O overview, background, objectives & measures – FM & O program goals, performance measures, & indicators– Relationship & synergy w/: congestion vital few objectives,

ITS Deployment & Integration Programs, & FHWA strategic plan (e.g., goals, objectives, measures, etc.)

– Measuring & tracking data & performance measures – Survey & sampling – Baseline & trends – Proposed PM & target values


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EXAMPLE:

Goal 1: Deployment & Operation of TMCs• Measure 1: TMCs managing & controlling traffic

Indicator 2000 2002

Project

2008 Target 2008

Top 78 Metro Areas w/ TMCs 56 59 73 78 ***

# TMCs in Top

78 Metro Areas 84 86 101 N.A.

# of Metro Areas

w/ TMCs

- 71 89 100

Total # of TMC

in US - 125 149 170


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ITS Integration Program: FM IndicatorsRegional Multimodal Traveler Information

Incident Management

ArterialManagement

HIghway RailIntersections

EmergencyManagement

FreewayManagement

TransitManagement

ElectronicToll

Collection

ElectronicFare Payment

25

2728

19

26

21b

17

14a

14b

20 9

15b

15a

12

10

2224

721a

23

3

2

16b

16a

11

8

13

16

4

518

29

30

Traffic Management Integration Links

Traveler Informaiton Integration Links

Transit Management Integration Links

Emergency Response Integration Links


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Goal X: Measure X: HOV facilities in operation

Current & Planned HOV Facilities in Operation:

freeway management

Documents

freeway management handbook

freeway miles

control traffic

freeway facilitiesstatewide

freeway facilities measure

controlling traffic

traffic roadway conditions

roadway traffic conditions