GUIZOT'S  ENGLISH  REVOLUTION    

 

 

THE CONNECTED CORRIDOR, VERSION 2.0

JANUARY 2019    

Prepared for:

North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority

Prepared by: WSP and Drive Engineering

   

Executive  Summary   Transportation  agencies  in  New  Jersey  have  a  rich  history  of  regional  collaboration  on  transportation  technology  solutions  to  improve  mobility.    Over  time,  the  increasing  volumes  of  traffic  and  greater  traveler  expectations  for  service  have  led  to  a  higher  demand  on  the  multi-­‐modal  transportation  network.    Regional  goals,  such  as  for  enhanced  mobility,  also  drive  interest  in  improving  the  transportation  system’s  effectiveness.    Interconnected  technology  known  as  Intelligent  Transportation  Systems  (ITS)  and  strategies  based  in  operational  improvements  known  as  Transportation  Systems  Management  and  Operations  (TSM&O)  are  proven  solutions.      

Examples  of  implemented  ITS  include  E-­‐Z  Pass  fare  collection,  the  New  Jersey  Statewide  Traffic  Management  Center  (STMC),  adaptive  traffic  signal  systems  and  the  511NJ  traveler  information  service.    TSM&O  strategies  include  systems  to  improve  response  to  and  clearance  of  crashes  using  electronic  monitoring  of  traffic  and  coordinated  alerts  among  responders.  

However,  the  scale  of  the  benefits  generated  by  ITS  and  TSM&O  can  be  limited  by  the  project  development  pipelines  within  and  across  transportation  agencies.    The  Connected  Corridor  is  a  multi-­‐agency  effort  that  focuses  on  the  framework  for  institutionalized  communication  and  coordinated  actions  among  agencies. The  Connected  Corridor  name  refers  both  geographically  to  the  network  of  multi-­‐modal  transportation  connections  across  New  Jersey  and  also  metaphorically  to  the  connections  among  technologies  and  agencies.      

The  U.S.  Department  of  Transportation  Organizing  and  Planning  for  Operations  Program  supports  the  integration  of  TSM&O  strategies  into  the  planning  process  and  transportation  organizations  for  the  purpose  of  improving  transportation  system  efficiency,  reliability,  and  options.  This  program  is  led  by  the  Office  of  Operations  and  Office  of  Planning,  Environment,  &  Realty  of  the  Federal  Highway  Administration  (FHWA)  in  coordination  with  the  Federal  Transit  Administration  (FTA),  which  work  with  metropolitan  planning  organizations,  State  and  local  departments  of  transportation,  transit  agencies,  and  other  organizations  to  maximize  the  

   

performance  of  existing  infrastructure  through  multimodal  and  multi-­‐agency  programs  and  projects.      

The  Connected  Corridor’s  approach  is  based  in  process  improvement  from  Good  to  Better  to  Best,  or,  in  the  terminology  used  by  FHWA,  the  Capability  Maturity  Model  (CMM)  levels  of  Performed,  Managed,  Integrated,  and  Optimized  (see  graphic  below).    Advancing  on  this  continuum  leads  to  increasing  effectiveness  of  the  ITS  and  TSM&O  implementation  which,  in  

turn,  provide  more  regional  benefits.    The  CMM  frameworks  were  developed  from  the  Strategic  Highway  Research  Program,  second  round  (SHRP2)  and  accepted  by  FHWA.    According  to  the  FHWA  Office  of  Operations,  “Capability  Maturity  brings  together  an  approach  to  review  common  barriers  to  adoption  and  success  of  Transportation  Systems  Management  and  Operations  (TSM&O).  The  frameworks  allow  for  a  rigorous  common  understanding  and  improvement  of  institutional  issues  that  an  agency  faces  on  a  continual  and  consistent  basis.”    New  Jersey  agencies  have  participated  in  two  CMM  Self-­‐Assessments,  one  in  2013  and  one  in  2017.    Agencies  reflected  on  their  maturity  levels  in  the  dimensions  of  business  processes,  systems  and  technology,  performance  management,  culture,  organization,  and  collaboration.    They  also  identified  actions  to  advance  maturity  levels.      

ILLUSTRATING THE CONCEPT OF THE NEW JERSEY ITS ARCHITECTURE COMMITTEE (IAC)

ENABLING ADVANCEMENT IN CAPABILITY MATURITY MODEL (CMM) LEVELS Source:  WSP  based  on  FHWA  CMM  Levels  

   

The  Connected  Corridor  includes  the  New  Jersey  ITS  Architecture  Committee  (IAC)  as  the  multi-­‐agency  think  tank  for  New  Jersey.    The  IAC  supports  this  CMM  process  improvement.    The  IAC is  composed  of  transportation  agencies  at  the  federal,  state,  metropolitan  planning  organization  (MPO),  county,  and  city  levels  as  well  as  the  academic  sector  and  other  transportation  stakeholders.    The  IAC  also  addresses  the  gaps  within  and  among  institutional,  operational,  and  technological  aspects  of  The  Connected  Corridor,  each  of  which  is  a  chapter  in  this  document.    See  the  figure  to  the  right.    

The  IAC’s  name  is  based  in  its  core  charge  of  using  and  maintaining  the  New  Jersey  ITS  Architecture,  which  includes  technology  standards  and  protocols  accessible  through  an  “expert  system”  software  interface.    According  to  the  USDOT1,  “A  regional  ITS  architecture  can  effectively  bridge  the  gap  between  strategic  planning  for  an  integrated  surface  transportation  system  and  the  ITS  projects  that  support  that  strategic  vision.”    These  ITS  architectures  are  common  frameworks  for  ITS  interoperability.    Recognizing  the  value  of  ITS  architecture,  the  United  States  Department  of  Transportation  (USDOT)  mandates  that  regions,  including  New  Jersey,  maintain  their  own  tailored  regional  ITS  architectures  that  are  in  compliance  with  the  National  ITS  Architecture  as  a  condition  for  funding  eligibility  for  ITS  projects.    But  project  funding  is  only  one  of  the  reasons  for  New  Jersey  agencies  to  actively  use  the  New  Jersey  ITS  Architecture.    The  other  reasons  are  increasing  opportunities  for  federal  grant  funding  and  improving  inter-­‐agency  coordination.        

A  timeline  for  The  Connected  Corridor  is  shown  in  the  graphic  below.    It  illustrates  important  occurrences  by  year,  from  the  original  TEA-­‐21  legislation  requiring  development  of  ITS  architecture  through  the  development  of  the  IAC,  the  CMM  self-­‐assessments,  the  versions  of  the  New  Jersey  ITS  Architecture  and  the  versions  of  The  Connected  Corridor  document.    These  interrelated  tracks  contribute  to  The  Connected  Corridor  improving  TSM&O  effectiveness  and  thereby  supporting  regional  goals.  

1  http://local.iteris.com/arc-­‐it/html/archuse/archuse.html    

ASPECTS OF THE CONNECTED CORRIDOR BASED ON INTEGRATION

CONSIDERATIONS SOURCE:  Adopted  from  FHWA  Planning  for  

Operations  Guidance  

   

   

The  Connected  Corridor,  version  2.0  (TCCv2.0),  builds  on  the  version  1.0  efforts  to  deliver  actionable  processes,  initiatives,  and  resources  for  expanding  the  ITS/TSM&O  pipeline  and  advancing  along  the  CMM  levels. The  enabling  products  and  outcomes  of  TCCv2.0  are  as  follows  (and  described  more  fully  below):  

•   As  documented  in  the  New  Jersey  ITS  Architecture  Committee  (IAC)  Guidelines,  establishing  the  ongoing  IAC  (that  has  a  schedule  aligned  with  other  regional  activities  to  maximize  its  effectiveness)  

•   Instituting  a  simple,  sustainable  New  Jersey  ITS  Architecture  Use  and  Maintenance  Process  supported  by  a  librarian  

•   Identifying  the  potential  shared  initiatives  of  pursuit  of  grants,  Transit  Signal  Priority  (TSP),  Integrated  Corridor  Management  (ICM),  Decision  Support  System  (DSS),  and  Traffic  Signal  Systems  

•   As  documented  in  the  IAC  Data  Exchange  Framework,  providing  the  first  step  in  a  Data  Exchange  Program    

ITS  Architecture  Committee  (IAC)  

The  multi-­‐agency  IAC  is  the  think  tank  in  which  stakeholders  meet  twice  annually  to  strategize  regional  initiatives  and  to  approve  annual  updates  to  the  New  Jersey  ITS  Architecture.    It  has  a  working  group,  the  Core  IAC,  that  provides  regional  leadership,  including  on  the  Data  Exchange  Program.    The  Core  IAC  considers  candidate  ITS/TSM&O  projects  through  discussion  among  stakeholders  .    As  illustrated  by  the  graphic  on  the  next  page,  as  a  think  tank,  the  IAC  collects  

THE CONNECTED CORRIDOR TIMELINE Source:  WSP  

   

input  from  member  agencies,  other  partnering  agencies,  regional  organizations,  as  well  as  committees  and  task  forces.  It  uses  the  New  Jersey  ITS  Architecture  to  support  a  shared  vision  for  ITS  in  the  region.    Through  the  architecture,  the  IAC  identifies  strategies  and  technologies  for  use  in  the  project  selection  and  development  process,  which  includes  agency  project  pipelines,  pursuit  of  grants,  and  development  of  agency  work  programs.      

The  annual  schedules  of  the  IAC  and  Core  IAC  meetings  and  activities  have  been  aligned  with  the  annual  planning,  approval,  and  work  plan  initiation  schedules  of  partner  agencies.        See  the  table  below.  

 

 

ILLUSTRATING THE CONCEPT OF THE NEW JERSEY ITS ARCHITECTURE COMMITTEE (IAC) ENABLING ADVANCEMENT

IN CAPABILITY MATURITY MODEL (CMM) LEVELS Source:  WSP  

ANNUAL PROJECT DELIVERY PROCESS ALIGNMENT ACTIVITIES

Source:  WSP  and  NJTPA  

   

New  Jersey  ITS  Architecture  Use  and  Maintenance  Process  

The  New  Jersey  ITS  Architecture  has  both  logical  and  physical  components.  The  logical  element  provides  a  shared  vision  of  ITS  in  the  region  including  addressing  institutional  and  coordination  issues-­‐.    The  physical  element  is  the  specialized  software  tool,  the  Regional  Architecture  Development  for  Intelligent  Transportation  (RAD-­‐IT),  which  provides  detail  on  the  equipment  and  data  flows.    The  IAC,  Core  IAC,  and  other  stakeholder  agencies  are  encouraged  to  focus  their  efforts  on  the  logical  aspects  of  ITS  Architecture  while  the  librarian,  as  directed  by  the  IAC  and  Core  IAC,  is  a  steward  of  the  physical  aspects  of  ITS  Architecture,  namely  the  RAD-­‐IT  file.       The  graphic  below  provides  an  overview  of  the  inputs  to  and  outputs  from  the  New  Jersey  ITS  Architecture  Use  and  Maintenance  process.    Under  the  logical  inputs,  note  that  stakeholders  are  asked  to  fill  out  the  NJ  ITS  Architecture  Project  Information  Sheet  quarterly.    It  is  approximately  one  page  long  and  presents  easy  to  understand  questions  on  needs  and  proposed  projects.    The  input  is  then  compiled  and  the  librarian  draws  from  material  in  the  National  ITS  Architecture  that  is  then  provided  to  the  IAC.    Also,  note  benefits  provided  as  outputs  from  the  ITS  Architecture  Use  and  Maintenance  Process  including  a  pipeline  for  projects  that  support  regional  goals.    Physical  outputs  include  the  annually  updated  New  Jersey  ITS  Architecture  as  recorded  in  the  RAD-­‐IT  file.    This  fulfills  the  federal  funding  requirement  for  projects  to  comply  with  the  New  Jersey  ITS  Architecture.  

NEW JERSEY ITS ARCHITECTURE USE & MAINTENANCE HIGHLIGHTING LOGICAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS

   

Potential  Shared  Initiatives  

The  Core  IAC  and  IAC  stakeholders  acknowledge  the  value  of  ITS  Architecture  for  strengthening  not  only  integrated  systems,  but  shared  initiatives  across  agencies.    Local  representatives  identified  partnerships  with  larger  agencies  as  having  potential  to  support  technical  and  operational  initiatives  such  as  traffic  signal  optimization  and  consistency  of  traveler  information  messaging.    In  turn,  larger  agencies  recognized  the  opportunity  for  coordination  of  ITS  assets  between  local  jurisdictions  and  state  operating  agencies.    Based  on  these  principles  and  considering  the  10  TSM&O  program  areas  in  the  table  below,  the  IAC  agreed  to  the  following  potential  shared  initiatives  as  priorities  for  the  ongoing  IAC  activities:      

Pursuit  of  Grants  –  By  identifying  a  host  of  grant  programs  and  considering  which  project  concepts  are  applicable,  the  IAC/Core  IAC  will  keep  focus  on  developing  collaborative  regional  grant  proposals  that  are  supported  by  the  NJ  ITS  Architecture.  

 Transit  Signal  Priority  (TSP)  –  NJDOT  and  NJ  TRANSIT  are  collaborating  on  a  statewide  Concept  of  Operations  for  TSP  as  well  as  a  problem  statement  for  a  pilot  project  on  Route  9  in  Monmouth  and  Middlesex  Counties.    The  IAC/Core  IAC  will  keep  focus  on  

this  project  and  advocate  for  it  including  identifying  other  potential  avenues  for  funding.        

Integrated  Corridor  Management  (ICM)  –  Decision  Support  System  (DSS)  -­‐  A  Federal  grant  has  funded  a  Concept  of  Operations  for  the  New  Jersey  Northeast  (NJNE)  Corridor  ICM.    The  next  steps  would  include  development  of  a  Concept  of  Operations  

specifically  for  the  DSS.    

Traffic  Signal  Systems  –  Performance-­‐based  approaches  to  planning  and  operating  signals  in  ways  that  leverage  technology  have  great  potential  to  improve  transportation  throughout  New  Jersey,  including  at  the  county  and  local  levels.    The  

IAC  is  well  positioned  to  assist  stakeholders  in  developing  their  own  signal  project  pipelines  and  collaborating  across  jurisdictions.      

   

 

TSM&O  PROGRAM  AREAS  AND  INVOLVED  AGENCIES  

TSM&O  Program  Areas  

Agencies  

NJDOT  

New

 Jersey  

Turnpike  

Authority

 

New

 Jersey  

Tran

sit  

MPO

s  

Local  

Agen

cies  &  

Coun

ties  

Other  

States  

Freeway  Management   l l l l

Incident  Management   l l l l l l

Transit  Management   l l l l l l

Arterial  Management   l l l l

Traveler  Information   l l l l l l

Multimodal  and  Regional  Integration   l l l l l l

Electronic  Payment   l l l l

Commercial  Vehicle  Operations   l l l l l

Climate  Change  Adaptation   l l l l l l

Data  Management   l l l l l l

Source: TCC v1.0

Data  Exchange  Program  

 Recognizing  the  vital  role  of  data  exchange  across  shared  initiatives  as  well  as  in  performance  management,  the  IAC  has  adopted  a  Data  Exchange  Framework.    The  framework  establishes  a  foundation  for  the  IAC  to  develop  a  more  robust  and  sustainable  Data  Exchange  Program  that  will  enable  ITS  and  TSM&O  strategies.  These  strategies  are  categorized  by  the  10  program  areas  in  the  preceding  table.