Transportation Management + Engineering takes a look at 10 successful traffic management applications which have been recently
Transportation Management + Engineering takes a look at 10 successful traffic management applications which have been recently implemented. Nominated by you, the readers, these projects not only symbolize the technological advances incorporated in transportation-related projects, they also represent the profound impact on the way transportation projects are designed and engineered now, while also offering a glimpse into future traffic management applications.
The Top 10 list was compiled by the editorial staff of Transportation Management + Engineering based upon submissions from our readers.
1. Springfield Mixing Bowl, Springfield, Va.
The Northern Virginia Traffic Management System, a surveillance and control system managing traffic along I-95, I-395, I-495 and I-66 in the Washington, D.C., area covers 65 miles and is run by the Virginia DOT from their Smart Traffic Center in Arlington, Va.
HNTB and VDOT implemented a congestion management program consisting of four working groups each set up to explore various congestion relief measures.
2. The Big Dig, Boston
The Central Artery/Tunnel Project’s Operations Control Center may be home to the world’s most advanced traffic management and incident response systems. More than 35,000 data collection points manage traffic and incidents in the I-90 and I-93 systems of tunnels, ramps and surface highways in Boston and its surrounding communities.
Managing traffic in/around the work zones is an ever-present and challenging task. The CA/T project incorporates approximately 50 traffic changes each week in the project’s 7.5-mile construction zone. Most changes are minor and localized but they affect the flow of traffic. Major changes, primarily done on I-93, are publicized in the local media in order to prepare the traveling public.
3. The Big I, Albuquerque, N.M.
The traffic management plan involves keeping commuter traffic moving during the day as well as a heavy volume of trucks moving at night. The key to traffic management efforts involved the Freeway Management System, designed and brought online prior to construction.
An open architecture and flexible system in the form of ADDCO’s Virtual Transportation Operation Center concept allows traffic management capabilities to be in effect during construction and it will remain after the construction is completed.
The VTOC system incorporates eight CCTVs within the work zone, which relay real-time traffic information to a temporary TMC. This traffic information is processed and relayed to drivers via the VMS throughout the work zones.
4. Grandview Triangle, Kansas City, Mo.
The Grandview Triangle in Kansas City, Mo., is a junction for three major roadways, I-435, I-470 and US 71. One of the most congested interchanges in the state, carries 250,000 vehicles each day, exceeding the initial design capacity of 170,000.
Due to high traffic, the Missouri DOT plans to keep the same number of highway lanes open throughout the seven-year project. A task force known as Team Millennium Forward has come up with a comprehensive approach that promotes efficient transportation to reduce backups caused by congestion.
Measures taken to reduce and manage traffic include ramp lanes replacing tapered merges in order to allow merging traffic to smoothly merge with existing traffic; night and off-peak construction hours for most work to prevent traffic delays due to construction; as well as ITS applications under the moniker Kansas City Scout, designed by HNTB.
5. Southeast Corridor (T-REX), Denver
A collaborative effort between the Colorado DOT and Regional Transportation District, Denver’s Transportation Expansion Project results in a project to increase mobility, enhance accessibility and transportation options in the area. It includes highway expansion and improvements and the addition of light rail along I-25 and I-225.
Traffic management strategies required by a design-build contract include: an incident management program with courtesy patrol for the project corridor by early 2002; deployment of message signs and CCTV cameras to provide traveler information and monitor traffic; and maintenance of the existing number of travel lanes during peak drive times.
6. Arizona SR 68, Northwest Arizona
The Arizona DOT, along with partners Kiewit Western Co. and Parsons Transportation Group, has adopted innovative ITS measures to keep traffic moving through 13.5 miles of the design-build project on Arizona State Route 68 from Bullhead City to Golden Valley in northwestern Arizona.
Detailed information on lane closures is provided via VMS and portable message signs placed at both ends of the project. Traveler information regarding the project is available through www. highway68construction.com.
7. I-495, Long Island Expressway, N.Y.
The INFORM Traffic Management System for the New York State DOT plays a major role in the management of traffic on Long Island’s I-495 as well as the other arteries on the island. Designed by Parsons Brinckerhoff, INFORM handles traffic on an extensive lane widening project on I-495.
INFORM reduces construction delays by: providing timely information to motorists allowing them to change their schedules or take alternative routes; implementing signal timing changes to optimize traffic flow through construction zones; and employing roadwork conflict software to highlight planned construction projects that would interfere with each other on the alternative routing of traffic.
INFORM receives construction information from weekly published construction schedules, daily updates from project supervisors, 110 CCTV cameras, 2,152 vehicle detectors, call-ins from INFORM inspectors, and the monitoring of police scanners.
8. Borman Expressway, Gary, Ind.
The new traffic management center located in Gary, Ind., monitors and supports the advanced transportation management system that has been deployed in northwest Indiana.
Currently, motorist information is at the epicenter of the TMC. The facility houses traffic management operators as well as the equipment needed to monitor the 16-mile Borman Expressway and a seven-mile stretch of I-65.
Roadway sensors and CCTV cameras feed information through a wireless communication system to the TMC in Gary and another located in Indianapolis. Changeable message signs, HAR and a website (www.trafficwise.org) distribute the information back to the drivers, allowing them to avoid congestion and plan trips in advance. As a major incident management center, the Gary TMC also houses the "Hoosier Helpers," the state’s incident response units.
9. I-64, Lexington, Ky.
Completed seven weeks ahead of schedule, the $22 million I-64 Improvement Project incorporated a simple traffic management strategy during construction—traffic was prohibited in the work zone. Work was completed from 9 PM on Fridays through 6 AM Mondays, and any traffic that encountered the work zone was detoured to alternative routes.
Disruptions of the normal traffic routine was held to a minimum and it was estimated that construction was completed at least a year sooner than under a normal construction and maintenance scenario.
10. Peace Bridge, Fort Erie, Ont./Buffalo, N.Y.
Traffic congestion on the Peace Bridge, which connects Fort Erie, Ont., and Buffalo, N.Y., has resulted in dedicated commuter lanes incorporating E-ZPass electronic toll lanes. In addition to serving as ETC tags, the E-ZPass transponders also serve as an International Trade Data System. All told, the transponders have three applications: ETC, commercial vehicle electronic customs and freight clearance and passenger vehicle electronic customs clearance.
The ITDS does not eliminate the requirement to stop for verification upon border crossing, but rather speeds the process, which may free agents to focus on other transportation-related border issues.
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