Enter the Center

Accidents happen. But Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) are able to detect them and dispatch help instantly when those accidents do happen. The $10 million Orange County Traffic Management Center (OCTMC) marks the beginning of a new era in traffic management, one in which Orange County freeways can now be carefully and precisely managed to expedite traffic and ease congestion.

The project has received two awards: the 2003 Engineering Project Achievement Award from the Orange County Engineering Council and the 2003 Project Achievement Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers--Orange County Branch.

"Caltrans' vision is to improve mobility across California," said branch chief Morteza "Mort" Fahrtash. "In order to realize that vision, Caltrans is committed to pursuing reliability, performance, flexibility, productivity and safety. The OCTMC advances all of those goals by reducing traveler delays attributable to roadwork, accidents or other traffic incidents. And by improving the efficiency of the transportation system and promoting transportation safety, the OCTMC will help Caltrans keep traffic flowing in Orange County."

California will not be constructing any new freeways in the near future. With available land increasingly hard to find and funding sources declining, California cannot build its way out of the traffic congestion problem--and it is a serious problem. Traffic congestion greatly affects the economy, health and safety of the region; accidents and productivity losses cost Orange County inestimable amounts of money each year. Through the use of the highly advanced OCTMC, Caltrans seeks to change that, said Fahrtash.

"Early detection and verification of accidents and incidents--and the rapid removal and clearance of the freeways--will render an invaluable service to the traveling public. By quickly relieving the congestion caused by unexpected incidents, many secondary accidents or incidents will be avoided. That makes the freeways safer. In addition, we can provide commuters with real-time, accurate information to help them make informed choices when they travel. The OCTMC empowers commuters as well as emergency service personnel and our crews.

"Building new freeways (or widening existing freeways) is a very costly solution to congestion. But the intelligent transportation systems and transportation management systems [TMS] that are in use at the OCTMC provide a very cost-effective solution to the problem of traffic congestion. They promote safety and directly enhance mobility. The center, its field elements and the communication infrastructure are all part of Caltrans' strategic TMS master plan."

The nerve

A result of decades of research and development, the OCTMC serves as a nerve center for the collection and dissemination of dynamic transportation management information in Caltrans District 12. This two-story, 42,000-sq-ft, high-technology facility boasts state-of-the-art traffic management technology housed in a unique environment that also provides safety and comfort for its operators, ensuring they are equipped to do their best work under demanding circumstances.

Through an unusually close and innovative partnership, Caltrans and the CHP developed a highly advanced technological environment and operating protocol to efficiently and effectively manage traffic on Orange County's freeways. Engaging a wide range of expertise, Caltrans brought together elements from the Federal Highway Administration, the Orange County Transportation Authority, all Orange County cities, toll road agencies, the University of California (both the Irvine and Berkeley campuses), the California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo campus and the private sector.

Staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by Caltrans and the CHP, the OCTMC deploys everything from closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) to roadbed interactive inductive loop detectors that precisely discern freeway conditions. The OCTMC can instantly identify congested areas on any Orange County freeway. The roadbed loop detectors send electronic signals to the OCTMC to reflect real-time traffic speeds. Displayed graphically on an operator's console, color-coded dots illustrate the live freeway "speed map." A green icon indicates speeds faster than 35 mph, a yellow icon indicates speeds between 20 and 35 mph and a red icon reflects traffic below 20 mph. These displays keep the OCTMC informed about freeway status. In turn, the OCTMC relays incident information to the public through the use of changeable message signs (CMSs), the CHP website (www.chp.ca.gov), highway advisory radio broadcasts and the California Highway Information Network (CHIN, 800/427-ROAD). Also, the Orange County freeway speed map is available to the public for viewing (www.dot.ca.gov).

Pull tape on a stretch

While the primary purpose of the OCTMC is to keep traffic moving, the other benefits are compelling as well.

Through the use of CCTV, Caltrans operators and the CHP can monitor every stretch of freeway in Orange County. Whether the problem is an accident, construction or police activity, Caltrans and the CHP can detect and verify the incident through the CCTV system and instantly dispatch the appropriate emergency services wherever and whenever they are needed.

"People should know that these cameras are used solely for the purpose of traffic management and public safety," reported CHP Officer Denise Quesada. "We do not tape 24 hours a day, although we have the ability to record tape instantly if necessary. But the CHP's primary purpose is a public safety function. Having 58 remote-control CCTV cameras on the freeways (with another 300 scheduled to become active over the next five years) offers tremendous benefit if there's an accident or an incident.

"First, we can respond with the appropriate help in seconds. Also, if there are potential legal questions after an event, we can provide videotape that shows exactly what happened. And that helps considerably. We recently had a report of a crash on the freeway. I pulled it up on camera and, sure enough, a driver had crashed into the center divider and was driving off onto the right shoulder. And he just kept on driving.

"Officers were dispatched, but the driver had already stopped on the shoulder by the time they arrived. The driver then got out of his vehicle and approached the officers in a confrontational manner. Bloody from the crash, the driver proceeded to accost the officers; he was clearly intoxicated. Although it was obvious that he had been driving under the influence, in California a driver can generally only be charged with DUI if a sworn peace officer has observed that individual actually driving on the roadway. When the patrol officers arrived on scene, the driver was already parked. But I'm a sworn peace officer as well. And I did observe him driving. Without my ability to observe him from the OCTMC, we could not have charged him with DUI. But when you charge a drunk driver and you can produce a videotape to a jury that shows him driving erratically, crashing and angrily approaching a police officer, that's pretty convincing evidence."

Still in operation

Whether it's rerouting traffic around a problem or simply altering the on-ramp metering pattern to hasten traffic throughput, there is one essential characteristic that the OCTMC itself must have--survivability. Natural disasters remain a facet of southern California life. And in the event of a natural or man-made disaster, California freeways serve as one of the most important arteries for evacuation and for transportation of emergency services. For that reason, the state classified the OCTMC as an "essential facility" under the 1986 Essential Services Buildings Seismic Safety Act. As an essential facility, the OCTMC must not only survive a disaster, it must maintain complete operational integrity throughout a disaster and its aftermath. And that is where the building's unique design becomes so critical.

"No building is earthquake proof. But base isolators or, in the case of the OCTMC, elastomeric bearings allow a structure to move a certain amount in any direction horizontally," explained Peter Luelsdorf, an architect and associate principal/senior project manager from DMJM Design, the firm that provided comprehensive architecture, engineering, interior design and programming services. "That movement protects the building structure, personnel and equipment by absorbing ground-motion energy. The facility sits on a frame consisting of what are basically shock absorbers for the building, which in turn sit on the foundation. And like shock absorbers on your car, the devices keep the structure relatively stable and cushioned from vibrations and shocks, even when the ground underneath is moving. The award-winning structural and the seismic base isolation system design was a collaborative effort by DMJM Design and SHA Coffman Engineers, the same team that provided the seismic base isolation and damping design for the Los Angeles Regional Transportation Management Center currently under construction.

"In addition, all of the utility connections are installed and designed to be flexible and capable of moving with the building, so no utilities will be lost due to movement of the facility. This structural protection is critical because should a major earthquake occur, the TMC will serve as an emergency operations center as well. It must be able to withstand a fairly large seismic event and remain completely functional."

According to Luelsdorf, several different types of base isolators were considered for the center. Focusing mostly on different types of damping, the team examined high-damping rubber bearings, rubber bearings with a lead core for damping, a friction-pendulum bearing system and a natural rubber bearing with viscous fluid dampers. Damping restores the building to its at-rest condition after a seismic event. Energy dissipation reduces the amount of horizontal movement without compromising the shock absorption capacity of the isolators. To meet performance goals, the team chose to use 32 Bridgestone high-damping rubber base isolators.

Constructed using alternating layers of rubber and steel plates that are vulcanized to create a monolithic component, the isolator has steel plates that keep the isolator vertically rigid, even while the bond between the laminated layers of rubber and steel allows for up to 24 in. of horizontal movement. But with the structure allowed to move that far, the design also had to incorporate a seismic "moat"--available space surrounding the facility--to facilitate safe movement.

The facility also is equipped to survive for 72 hours without requiring any utility services from the outside. An uninterruptible power system (equipped with a 120-minute battery backup) provides critical power needs. An emergency generator provides essential power for operational needs, including lighting and HVAC systems. But Luelsdorf was quick to point out that while survivability is a key requirement, the structure and design of the facility were driven by its primary mission: serving as a platform for system-wide traffic management.

"The operations center is where everything comes together in terms of managing the freeway system, both on a daily basis and during an emergency. It was designed to provide a worry-free platform that will allow Caltrans and CHP experts to perform their tasks in an environment that is safe, secure and effective."

Officer Quesada agreed. "We're very happy to be here. And we appreciate Caltrans opening up this facility to us. Not only does CHP not have the funds to build such a high-technology facility, I don't know if we'd have the personnel to fully staff such a place or the engineering capabilities to put something like this together. I'm not an engineer, but I can certainly appreciate all of the operational and safety features that have been built into this center."

Accidents happen. But thanks to Caltrans' new Orange County Transportation Management Center, responding agencies will be able to manage those accidents, earthquakes and incidents with more efficiency, more precision and more speed. By giving Caltrans and the CHP these new tools for expediting traffic flow, the OCTMC will help make driving on Orange County's freeways a truly moving experience once again.