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ITS
Florida Training and Education Statewide
Transportation Management Center |
SunGuideSM Disseminator Crossword Challenge |
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The
SunGuideSM Disseminator if a publication of: |
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The “Coming Revolution”
in Transportation
My wife, Krista, gave me a wonderful gift for Father’s Day this year – an edition of a National Geographic magazine from the month and year I was born (I must now say – September, 1969). The lead article is entitled “The Coming Revolution in Transportation” by Frederic Appel. This 32-page exposition revealed many of the same needs, issues, problems, challenges and visions for all modes of transportation that we are working to solve and implement today. Surprisingly, the promise of “proven” technologies that would solve many of these problems in the “eminent future” can still be found in nearly every transportation journal article we might find in our mailboxes today. Consider the following concept for the future of our industry, long before there was an intelligent vehicle highway system (IVHS) program or an industry called intelligent transportation systems (ITS).
“Detroit designers, already preparing for the day your vehicle will drive itself, are getting practical experience with the automatic devices on today’s cars. When more electric devices are added, and the first computer-controlled highways are built, the era of the automated car will be here.”
“Automated highways – engineers call them guideways – are technically feasible today,” said Dr. Hafstad (then GM’s Vice President in Charge of Research Laboratories). “In fact, General Motors successfully demonstrated an electronically controlled guidance system about ten years ago [1959]. A wire was embedded in the road, and two pickup coils were installed at the front of a car to sense its position in relation to that wire. The coils sent electrical signals to the steering system, to keep the vehicle automatically on course. More recently, we tested a system that also controlled spacing and detected obstacles. It could slow down an overtaking vehicle — even stop it, until the road was clear!”
This article went on to discuss the “certainty” of this revolution in transportation:
“Electric cars should be commonplace within a decade [by 1980]. They will be “pure” electrics, if batteries become lighter, more powerful, and longer lasting; otherwise “dual-mode” vehicles – battery-powered in town and gasoline engines on cross-country trips.”
“Computer-controlled highways will almost surely become a reality, for when the human element is removed, vehicles can travel safely at faster speeds, closer together. In fact, most experts believe that each lane of automated highway could move the traffic of three or four of today’s uncontrolled lanes...”
“Many of the workers of the future will not commute to work,” stated Dr. John Pierce, Executive Director of Bell Laboratories. “They will communicate to work. Their homes will be connected to work via an electronic communications. It is entirely within the realm of existing technology.”
The certainty of this revolution has not yet become reality, or at least as optimistically as prophesized. This year, the first widely produced and distributed hybrid automobiles were placed in major metropolitan markets. We now know that a lack of consensus on technology, public fear of releasing control of their automobile to a computer for steering and control, and the additional costs required to implement an automated highway have been more serious challenges than originally envisioned. Although many of us rely on our PC, the internet and email, which has resulted in dramatic productivity increases, these technologies have not replaced the need for integrated teams in the work place nor has there been the significant traffic mitigation effect promised from telecommuting.
At the time the article was published, the National Interstate System Program was in full swing. Construction of new “labyrinths of spaghettis,” such as four-level directional interchanges, as the author identified the “titanic building program,” were widely criticized by urban planners, academia and even the Assistant Secretary of Transportation of that time. Dr. Paul Cherington stated, “In the United States, we have enough car seats on the road for every man, woman and child - with enough seats available to hold the entire population of continental Europe... In New York City, a truck moves at a slower pace today than it did in a horse drawn carriage in 1900... We have been operating on a mistaken principle - that transportation should go where the people are... People go where the transportation is!”
The author went on to quote experts who stated that more and wider roadways would simply result in more cars stuck in the same congestion on wider roadways. Little has changed since these words were written! We are now able to move more people and goods on wider roadways, but congestion costs the State of Florida $1.4 billion per year in lost wages and productivity. We are not able to keep pace - congestion grows at more than 3.5 percent per year, while roadway construction (lane-miles) increases at less than 1 percent per year on our priority system of roadways, the Florida Intrastate Highway System (FIHS).
The power of comfort, convenience, independence and privacy in our travel behavior is dramatic and considered a fundamental right in American society. Our Declaration of Independence includes the right to pursue happiness which implies the freedom of travel. The Bill of Rights includes the right to assemble which also implies the freedom of travel. Even when we discipline our children, we take away their right to move freely by “restricting” them to their rooms or homes as punishment. Not only do we want to go where we want, when we want to do it, but we want cheap, even free, travel.
So, what does this mean to our ITS profession today? First, we must continue working to implement a vision of using technology to get the most out of our transportation system, much like our professional predecessors did a generation ago. In many instances we are still working to implement the same vision with the same technologies. Even as self-proclaimed “techno-geeks,” our profession needs to be cautious about the promise of dramatic new changes in the market place. Think of the much-proclaimed revolution of business through the internet - few people were more excited and optimistic about the potential of the internet to revolutionize consumer behavior than "internet professionals.” The American marketplace moves slowly in many ways.
For ITS to achieve its full potential in the market place, we will need to work within our existing infrastructure and plan for incremental changes in travel behavior and acceptance of new technologies. Of course, there are “pivot points” where people's perceptions and behavior can change, such as with the tragedies of September 11, 2001. In these instances, the public may be more willing to sacrifice some perceptions of privacy for protection, but these are rare and the lasting effects can be short-lived.
In the short-term, we need to continue to instrument our streets and highways through freeway and incident management systems and advanced traveler information systems. Nearly 15 years since the backbones of the Interstate and other limited-access facilities in Florida were completed, we do not have significant operations or management in place. Our current system of streets and highways was designed to last 20 years or more and this investment needs to be protected. In many areas of the State, we are ready to embark on major widenings and reconstructions (the second generation of infrastructure) before the first generation of operations management is in place. The first steps must be to detect, verify and effectively respond to incidents and to provide traveler information to our customers. The more than $700 million of ITS projects and programs from district, expressway and statewide managed funds that are identified in the Department's Ten-Year ITS Cost-Feasible Plan will result in a comprehensive information and communication system on most of our urbanized limited-access highways. However, there is much more to do. Many major rural sections of this system will be incomplete and the communications required for full center-to-center communications will be dependent on wireless technologies that are less reliable. The need to link these centers is most important when inclement weather conditions and high-use of wireless systems make communications less reliable, such as during evacuations and other major incidents.
Beyond this plan, we need to address needs for the system integration of all traffic and transportation systems in Florida. Although limited-access facilities are less than 2 percent of public roads in Florida, they carry nearly 20 percent of all traffic and should be our highest priority. The integration of this backbone with arterial management systems and public transit systems is needed to provide a single-source of traffic and traveler information to the public and a seamless management approach to maximize efficiency.
In the longer-term, we need to continue to look for other technologies that will have a more dramatic effect on travel behavior and congestion. Some of the concepts proposed in the National Geographic article are unrealistic today, such as “tubular, air-powered transportation systems” where we would ride around in capsules at 100 MPH propelled by air pressure similar to the systems at banks today for sending your checks to cashiers from the drive-thru line. Yet, other visions, such as placing highways underground like other utilities to provide pedestrian friendly malls and greater land use efficiencies above ground, are becoming reality – the “Big-Dig” in Boston, for example.
Whether our visions become reality or not, we need to continue to dream big and act locally and incrementally. I don't know about you, but I look forward to comparing the vision of today with the reality of 2030 and helping make that reality come to fruition – see you then.
For information, please contact Terrel Shaw, PE, ITS General Consultant Program Manager, PBS&J, the FDOT ITS Office in Tallahassee, (850) 410-5614.
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ITS Florida Training and Education
The ITS Florida Board of Directors has formed a Professional Capacity Building Program to coordinate and provide statewide ITS Training. The ITS training information is available at:
http://www.itsflorida.org/html/itstraining.html.
The ITS Florida Professional Capacity Building Program presents ITS training and seminars in Florida, which are offered at a discount, or for free, to ITS Florida members. An ITS training calendar will be posted including all ITS training provided by the FDOT, National Highway Institute (NHI), ITS America, and Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE).
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Additionally, ITS Florida and the Florida Section ITE will be hosting TRANSPO 2002, “Safety Under the Sun: Technology for Safe and Secure Transportation,” December 9-11, 2002 in Orlando, Florida. The event will include presentations, discussions, exhibitions and technical tours related to ITS, traffic engineering and transportation planning in the State of Florida. Technical program tracks include Security, Transportation Innovations, and Management and Operations. Pre-conference training sessions are also available. More information for TRANSPO 2002, together with contacts and registration forms can be found at http://www.itsflorida.org. |
Following the guidelines of the Florida Board of Professional Engineers, the FDOT ITS Office has processed the required Professional Development Hours (PDHs) for professional engineers attending ITS training courses provided or co-sponsored by the FDOT ITS Office after September 16, 2001. Professional engineers can apply these PDHs for next spring's license renewal.
For information, please contact Mr. Liang Hsia at the FDOT ITS Office in Tallahassee, (850) 410-5615.
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Statewide Transportation Management Center (TMC) Software Project
| Following the recommendations of Southwest Research Institute’s TMC Software Study, the Florida and Michigan Departments of Transportation have received approval from respective upper managements and endorsement from districts to proceed with the statewide TMC Software Project. The FDOT ITS Office has consulted with the Procurement Office about options for an Invitation to Negotiation (ITN) or Request for Proposal (RFP) and decided to use an ITN to select the best qualified software developer/integrator. |
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Following is the ITN Schedule:
| 04/11/2002 | ITN Scope Development (Analysis Process and Requirement Specifications) |
| 07/09/2002 | Steering Committee Meeting |
| 07/26/2002 | Final ITN Scope |
| 07/30/2002 | Procurement Office Processes |
| 08/03/2002 | Advertisement |
| 09/13/2002 | Short-list |
| 09/15/2002 - 10/04/2002 | Negotiation |
| 10/25/2002 | Final Contract / NTP |
| 10/25/2002 - 03/25/2004 | Software Development |
The FDOT ITS Office developed a task work order to apply systems engineering processes to analyze the needs and requirements of TMC software. Russell J. Kelly of the Kelly Development Group, Inc. and John Bonds of PBS&J have reviewed available existing in-state and out-of-state TMC software development scopes. To identify the individual needs and requirements, each state, central and district office identified a member for a comprehensive steering committee to guide the entire project. Members of the committee are as follows:
For information, please contact Mr. Liang Hsia at the FDOT ITS Office in Tallahassee, (850) 410-5615.
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A Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 511 deployment grant received by FDOT has initiated a Statewide 511 Implementation Plan, beginning with deployment of 511 telephone-based traveler information service in Orlando and Southeast Florida. The FDOT District 5 office launched the Orlando Traveler Information Service on June 24 and the District 6 office launched Southeast Florida SunGuideSM Advanced Traveler Information Service (operating under the SmarTraveler® brand name) on July 16. |
In Orlando, the 511 service focuses on delivering traveler information along I-4 through the Orlando area. Callers from within Orange, Seminole, Brevard, Volusia, Lake and Osceola Counties have access to the service simply by dialing 511, and the service is free! District 5 has plans to expand the service eastward to the coast, including parts of I-95 near Daytona Beach, I-95 near the Bee Line Expressway and State Road 408 through Orlando.
With over 180,000 drivers along I-4 on a daily basis, call volumes are expected to reach 5,000 calls per day. Peak call volumes will normally be felt during rush hours, while adverse weather or major traffic incidents may cause calls to peak at any time.
Southeast Florida has information available on all major interstates and many state highways throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, as well as public transportation and airport information. Callers from within these counties, as well as Monroe County through the Florida Keys, have access to the service through the 511 dialing code.
In Orlando, cellular callers using Sprint PCS, Cingular Wireless, Nextel, VoiceStream, and AT&T Wireless have access to the service. By the end of July, BellSouth and Sprint landline telephone users will also have access to the service through the 511 code.
In Southeast Florida, BellSouth landline callers, and Sprint PCS, Cingular Wireless, Nextel, VoiceStream and AT&T Wireless cellular callers all have access to the service simply by dialing 511.
Regrettably, Verizon Wireless customers in Florida do not have access to the service due to a business decision on the part of the carrier.
As noted, the service is free, though cellular callers should expect to be charged airtime for their calls. No premium charges apply as they might for using other abbreviated dialing codes on wireless phones. Since all of the 511 calls are translated to a toll-free number, the call is completely free for users on landline phones.
Traffic Management, Inc. (TMI) working at the Orlando Regional Traffic Management Center near State Road 436 and State Road 50 is responsible for collecting information from road sensors, closed-circuit video cameras and the Florida Highway Patrol's 911 operators for inclusion in the 511 system. TMI announcers then record information for different road segments, with updates being recorded at least every 20 minutes, or sooner should conditions warrant. Information includes accidents, breakdowns and delays, as well as general traffic congestion. However, except for extreme circumstances, such as a full road closure and detour, alternate route information will not be included in the recordings. Instead, the system will try to pinpoint trouble spots thus empowering users to make their own decisions on alternative routing or travel.
Callers then retrieve the information using a voice recognition telephone system that responds to their commands. A caller can state the name of a city/town, county, intersecting roadway or even an area such as “the attractions” and receive information for I-4 through that area.
The 511 calls are “translated” to a toll-free number and routed to a voice recognition system developed and customized for FDOT by TellMe, Inc. of Mountain View, California. Calls are automatically answered at TellMe's call center, and the system responds to user requests for information. TellMe's system provides redundancy and on-site technical oversight in the event of a system problem. The announcer's messages are recorded to the same system and are updated as soon as the announcer finishes the recording. In other words, there is no waiting for the system to update every few minutes.
In Southeast Florida, SmartRoute Systems' operations center is located in Miami where system operators collect traveler information from public sources, as well as sources developed by SmartRoute Systems. Operators gather information from police and emergency services personnel, as well as aircraft and mobile units. Information is entered into a database and announcers record incident and general travel information about traffic, transit and airport travel conditions for the telephone service. Callers use DTMF (touch-tone) codes to select specific route segments and service information within the coverage area.
For information, please contact Mr. Gene Glotzbach at the FDOT ITS Office in Tallahassee, (850) 410-5616.
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The FDOT has developed applications for three grants of which two have been approved. The third is pending selection by the FHWA. The two grants that have been approved are directed to the deployment of 511 and to hurricane evacuation. The grant that is pending is to convert the existing traveler information phone system in Southeast Florida to an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system.
A fourth grant, which the Department is pursuing, was recently announced in mid-June and will address security, reliability and safety issues of the surface transportation system.
511
Deployment Assistance
This grant is for $100,000 to assist in the deployment of 511. The money
was split up to provide some assistance to Districts Five, Six, and the
ITS Office. District Five will utilize a portion of the funds to cover
some of the cost involved with the implementation of their 511 traveler
information service that is now operational. District Six will utilize
a portion of the funds to help cover the costs of a media campaign to
promote the usage of 511 as the traveler information phone number for
Southeast Florida. The ITS Office will utilize the remainder of the funds
to supplement the development of a statewide deployment plan for 511.
Hurricane
Evacuation
This grant is for $60,000 to develop a prototype Graphical User Interface
(GUI) for the Florida Emergency Transportation Information System/Design
Support System (FLDSS) and the abbreviated hurricane evacuation transportation
models developed by PBS&J, and to conduct a workshop with the stakeholders
that are involved with hurricane evacuations. The output of the existing
FLDSS is displayed through the use of tables and spreadsheets. To make
the model user-friendly, a GUI will be developed utilizing $50,000 of
the grant to allow system users to more easily and quickly input and interpret
evacuation-related data from the FLDSS. The other $10,000 will be utilized
to bring together hurricane evacuation stakeholders to exchange ideas
and to discuss lessons learned.
Southeast
Florida IVR System
District Six has applied for a grant to convert their existing traveler
information phone system to an IVR system, which will allow users of the
system to navigate through the menus in a hands-free mode. Information
can be retrieved utilizing voice commands as opposed to entering a prescribed
number. The grant is for $700,000 and selection of the winning application
has not been publicly disclosed. Ten grant applications were received
by the FHWA and the selection is waiting approval from Congress.
Surface
Transportation Security and Reliability Information System Model Deployment
The FHWA is seeking applications for a Surface Transportation Security
and Reliability Information System Model Deployment grant which, in
the past, has been referred to as the “Infostructure” grant.
The recipients of this grant will participate in a model deployment to
enhance the security, reliability and safety of the surface transportation
system through the widespread availability of real-time information. This
model deployment will examine how surface transportation security and
reliability can be improved under five specific situations or scenarios
listed below:
- Major metropolitan areas
- Statewide information systems
- Security of critical infrastructure
- Non-metropolitan evacuation, and
- Weather response.
The US DOT will provide $10,000,000 in funds over a four-year period for this model deployment. In addition, the selected applicant must provide a matching share of 20%, which translates to $2,500,000.
State departments of transportation are expected to take the lead role; however, partnerships with other public agencies, as well as the private sector, are encouraged. The FDOT will submit a grant application with District Five taking the lead. Support will be provided through the ITS Office General Consultant. Applications are due by September 13, 2002.
For information, please contact Mr. Gene Glotzbach at the FDOT ITS Office in Tallahassee, (850) 410-5616.
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Tampa Bay SunGuideSM ATIS Invitation to Negotiate
| The FDOT and local stakeholders in the Tampa Bay area, including the Pinellas and Hillsborough County MPOs, the Hillsborough and Pinellas County Public Works Departments, the cities of Tampa and Clearwater, HARTline, Bay Area Commuter Services, the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority, the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission, and the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research, have formed a working group tasked with developing a Scope of Work to be used as the foundation for an Advanced Traveler Information Service (ATIS) Invitation to Negotiate (ITN). Procurement of this ATIS via an ITN should result in a contract with a private firm to design, implement, operate and maintain the system. It is intended that this ATIS system will serve all stakeholders in the six counties in and around the Tampa Bay area (as illustrated by the DRAFT Coverage Map). Deployment of these ATIS services should begin towards the end of 2003, although some elements may come into service prior to that. For background on existing ITS elements and projects planned for the area, documentation is available at www.floridaits.com |
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As currently envisioned, contractor selection will proceed according to the following timeline:
- ITN advertisement distributed - Late August 2002
- Full ITN distributed - September 2002
- Proposals due - November 2002
- Negotiations begin - December 2002
- First Year Program Management Plan due - June 2003
The project will be initiated by means of five parallel task orders:
- Program Management - the contractor will be responsible for providing the program management (including day-to-day operations management) and administrative support necessary for the successful operation of the Tampa Bay SunGuideSM ATIS.
- Supplemental Data Collection System- the contractor will be responsible for providing data collection capability, beyond what FDOT or its partners are currently able to provide, necessary to support the implementation of a quality ATIS system.
- Data Fusion System- the contractor will be responsible for developing a scaleable data fusion engine that will have the capacity to accumulate available data from a variety of resources (both static and dynamic in nature), subsequently merging this data into a single, standardized database.
- Data Dissemination System-
the contractor will be responsible for developing data dissemination
services utilizing the standardized data made available by the Data
Fusion System. These dissemination services will include:
a. 511 telephone service;
b. Internet web-site/e-mail alerts; and
c. Direct data feed for use by public agencies and licensed private firms. -
Marketing Plan Design - the contractor will be responsible for being the primary provider of marketing and public relations support for the ATIS (focused on increasing awareness and usage of the service), coordinating with FDOT, its partners, and other agency-related programs as appropriate.
For information, please contact Mr. Jerry Karp at the FDOT District 7 Office, (813) 975-6413.
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The Florida CVISN Team Participates in Demonstration of ITS Safety Technology
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The Florida CVISN Team facilitated a demonstration of the Infra-Red Inspection System (IRIS) brake testing technology at the Sneads Weigh Station located on I-10 in June. IRIS provides officers and inspectors with a method of screening commercial vehicles to identify those trucks that may have problems with their brakes. |
| This technology uses infrared video photography, which shows temperature differences to visually identify possible safety problems, thus targeting potential problems with a truck's brakes while the truck drives down the highway or through the inspection station. This gives officers or inspectors an opportunity to perform a more thorough hands-on inspection of trucks with visual indications of bad brakes resulting in more efficient use of the officers' time. |  |
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Participants in the demonstration included the FDOT ITS Office, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Florida Motor Carrier Compliance Office (MCCO), Florida Highway Patrol, MacKenzie Tank Lines, and the Florida A&M/Florida State University Civil Engineering Department. Participants were able to get a hands-on demonstration of an ITS technology that has been deployed in several states. During the demonstration, participants were allowed to observe an inspection of one of the vehicles that had shown a potential problem with its brakes. Visual inspection of the questionable axle verified what the infrared photo had shown, that the brakes on the axle in question were not working. After the IRIS demonstration and commercial vehicle inspection were completed, participants also viewed a demonstration by MCCO of the weigh in motion (WIM) and electronic clearance (PrePass®) technologies that are installed at the inspection station. |
Future
ITS Technology Demonstration - Gamma Ray Technology
Later this year, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
(DACS) will deploy gamma ray technology, another ITS technology designed
to help them perform their job more efficiently. This technology uses
gamma rays to show the contents of a trailer/container, including false
compartments, without opening it. The technology will be deployed in both
a fixed and a moveable capacity. The fixed location will be located on
I-95. The moveable unit will be assigned to other inspection stations
as needed.
DACS will provide a demonstration of this technology for the Florida CVISN Team in early 2003.
Florida
Adds Electronic Pre-clearance Option to Agriculture Inspection Stations
The Agriculture Electronic Screening Program in Florida is a one-of-a-kind
implementation using PrePass® technology. This program allows commercial
vehicles which do not typically carry agricultural products to bypass
the inspection station, thus allowing DACS officers to focus on agricultural
carriers.
In June, DACS completed PrePass® equipment installation and system training for officers at agriculture inspection stations on I-10, I-75, and I-95 in order to implement the Agriculture Electronic Screening Program in Florida. DACS reports that it has received over 200 applications from carriers for admission into the PrePass® program and five carriers have already been approved for participation.
PrePass® is an automatic vehicle identification (AVI) system that allows participating transponder-equipped commercial vehicles to bypass designated inspection stations. Electronically-cleared vehicles may proceed at highway speed, eliminating the need to stop, which means greater efficiency for shippers and improved safety for all highway users.
Commercial vehicles must be pre-qualified to participate in the Agriculture Electronic Screening Program. AVI antennas verify the identity and compliance of trucks as they approach the station. As a truck passes the AVI interrogates the PrePass® transponder verifying state requirements. The AVI antenna also communicates the bypass status to the driver. If credentials are satisfactory, a transponder green light and audible signal alerts the driver to bypass the station. Otherwise a red light and audible signal alerts the driver to pull into the station for processing.
To participate in the Agriculture Electronic Screening Program, a trucking company must be one that does not typically transport agriculture products and they must enroll in the electronic bills of lading (BOL) program. Participation in the BOL program requires carriers to electronically submit their BOL to the Department of Revenue (DOR). Before the Agriculture Electronic Screening Program, truckers were required to give their BOL to the DACS officer who would scan it and send the electronic document to DOR.
DACS performs approximately 11.5 million inspections per year within the state. Due to this large volume of commercial traffic, it becomes necessary to close some agriculture inspection sites from time to time and allow vehicles to by-pass rather than back up onto the interstate, which could create a hazard to the traveling public. To address this, DACS has implemented the PrePass® pre-clearance program at the agriculture inspection sites.
Adding electronic screening to the agriculture inspection stations will help limit delays for trucks and help DACS operate as efficiently as possible. Because electronic screening reduces the volume of trucks that pass through the agriculture inspection sites, it allows officers to use time more effectively.
For information, please contact Mr. Mike Akridge at the FDOT ITS Office in Tallahassee, (850) 410-5607.
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FDOT has been striving for several years to realize a goal of a fiber optic network spanning the state, with capacity for moving information from Pensacola to Miami. This process has been fraught with difficulty and subject to the ever-changing challenges of the economy and rapid technology advance. The following summarizes the activities over the past two years and provides a current status of the project. Milestone events will be posted as soon as practical to the FDOT ITS website at: |
http://www11.myflorida.com/Intelligent TransportationSystems/default.htm.
FDOT envisions the Florida Fiber Network (FFN) as a Public/Private Partnership, involving the leasing of the rights to install telecommunications facilities along the FDOT rights of way to telecommunications service providers and telecommunications infrastructure companies. In return, FDOT would receive consideration in the form of telecommunications capacity, or bandwidth, on fiber optic cable facilities installed by these firm(s). This bandwidth would take the form of dark fibers, which FDOT would then light to accommodate future FDOT ITS projects. The FFN would, thus, create the infrastructure for a statewide fiber optic network supporting the FDOT ITS program.
On July 14, 2000, FDOT issued a lease to Florida Fiber Networks, Inc., (FFNI), for the FFN project. FFNI had submitted the first-ranked proposal in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by FDOT on March 17, 2000. This lease agreement was to cover all of the Interstate mileage and Turnpike mainline within the State, a system length in excess of 2,000 miles. During the next ten months, FFNI tried diligently, but unsuccessfully, to obtain project financing and commitments from a variety of partners. Unfortunately, this very favorable arrangement for FDOT was not ultimately realized. FDOT cancelled the lease agreement with FFNI on May 14, 2001.
FDOT then opened discussions for negotiating a lease for the FFN with Universal Communication Networks, Inc. (UCN), on June 29, 2001. UCN was the second-ranked proposer to the RFP issued on March 17, 2000. FDOT met with UCN on several occasions to discuss rights of way and environmental permitting issues. FDOT, in coordination with the Florida Department of Management Services (DMS), met with UCN on several other occasions to begin negotiations on a lease agreement and resolve further technical details. Unfortunately, UCN notified FDOT on February 6, 2002, that financing was unavailable to fund their proposal. FDOT subsequently completely closed out the RFP from March 17, 2000.
FDOT received an unsolicited proposal from FFNI on October 22, 2001. This proposal was to install a fiber optic network in substantial conformance to the previous requirements of the March 17, 2000 RFP for approximately 1,950 miles of FDOT limited-access rights of way. FDOT performed a preliminary review of the proposal, deemed it worthy of further consideration, issued a public notice of receipt of this proposal and invited other firms to submit proposals in response. One other proposal was received, on January 31, 2002, from APTUS, Inc. (APTUS). FDOT has reviewed these two proposals, which are available for public access at:
http://www11.myflorida.com/Intelligent TransportationSystems/FFN/fiber/finalppa.htm.
FDOT performed a detailed review of the proposals from APTUS and FFNI during the months of February and March 2002. During that time, both firms responded to FDOT requests for additional information with further written materials and oral presentations. FDOT completed review of the proposals and issued its Agency Action on Selecting Proposals and Intent to Issue Leases on April 22, 2002. The agency action ranked the FFNI proposal first and stated that FDOT would enter into a lease with FFNI upon presentation of a suitable financial commitment to construct the project. The agency action ranked the APTUS proposal second and stated that FDOT would enter into a lease with APTUS upon presentation of a suitable financial commitment to construct the project. The agency action also required APTUS to provide a schedule of critical events for timely construction of the project and to provide fiber optic cable of equivalent or better quality and grade than that offered by FFNI. Also, at FDOT's discretion, APTUS could optionally provide consideration other than dark fibers, shelters, and maintenance of the outside plant.
FDOT has reviewed the financial commitments and capabilities as submitted by FFNI, supplemented by a series of requests for clarifications, and per the previously established deadline, found them to be not compliant with the conditions in the agency action. As detailed in a letter dated June 25, 2002, FDOT has now terminated any further consideration of the FFNI unsolicited proposal.
Negotiations remain ongoing with APTUS. Adhering to the previously established deadline, FDOT expects to render a decision on the financial capabilities, clarifications and unresolved technical issues of the APTUS proposal on or about July 22, 2002.
For information, please contact Mr. Nick Adams at the FDOT ITS Office in Tallahassee, (850) 410-5608.
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Florida ITS Architectures - Where All the ITS Fun and Success Start!
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The Florida Statewide ITS Architecture, and the Corridor and District ITS Architectures, are the blueprints for successful ITS deployments in Florida. These architectures display current and future needs for real-time information exchanges among communication, transportation and institution layers. These ITS architectures are the rules of the game. These rules are where all the ITS fun and success starts. |
ITS Architecture stakeholder workshops have been conducted around the state. Thousands of invitations with brochures were distributed to representatives from FDOT Districts, cities, counties, law enforcement, transit, school board fleet management, emergency operation centers, and commercial vehicle operations. Many stakeholders attended these workshops which developed the blueprints for ITS deployment.
The participants were very excited and enthusiastic about the processes. Success stories include:
- District Four and Broward County representatives sat next to each other for several days to lay out the Southeast Florida Regional ITS Architecture for co-locating their transportation management center.
- From the District Two Stakeholder Workshop, the Gainesville City Traffic Engineer brought back a real-time communications option to Gainesville Transit for bus signal priority to help city and university campus traffic.
- The Brevard County Para-Transit Agency would like to apply Federal funds using the related ITS architecture to acknowledge the inter-agency commitment.
- The Statewide Transportation Management Center Software Scope applied Florida Statewide and Corridor ITS Architectures to identify all requirements.
- The Broward County TMC ITS project consultant identified agencies, projects requirements, real time communications, and associated ITS standards through ITS architectures.
- The University of Florida and the University of Central Florida Central Data Warehouse research teams checked Florida ITS Architectures to identify the current and future data links.
The architectures development and applications processes are excellent opportunities for cooperative decision-making, agencies involvement, statewide consistency and integration.
The success of the ITS architectures has been recognized through Florida ITS deployments. These architectures have also been recognized as model ITS architectures for other states, MPOs and local agencies. The processes used to develop these architectures, and the lessons learned through case studies of Florida ITS architectures, have been published in Federal publications and presented at several ITS America conferences. The broad attention related to many successful Florida ITS architectures' applications is a testament to the contributions and forward thinking leadership of the ITS community in Florida.
The Florida Statewide ITS Architecture, completed in February 2000, will be updated to address FHWA Final Rule 940 requirements, National ITS Architecture version 4.0, and the updated Florida ITS Strategic Plan. Major updates will include:
- Maintenance and Construction Operations User Service, the Florida specific user services and market packages for evacuation coordination,
- Harmonization of the Florida Statewide ITS Architecture, and Districts and Corridor Architectures, and
- Rule 940 requirements.
We are looking forward to refining the ITS blueprints together with all ITS participants.
Regards,
For information, please contact Mr. Liang Hsia at the FDOT ITS Office in Tallahassee, (850) 410-5615.
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Crossword Challenge Answers
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This section provides an update on recently completed or on-going ITS projects along the major intrastate facilities in Florida. Click on the following District links:
| District One | District Five |
| District Two | District Six |
| District Three | District Seven |
| District Four | Florida's Turnpike Enterprise |
| Advanced
Traffic Management Systems
Sarasota
Signal Retiming Project (197978 1 32 01) Manatee
Signal Retiming Project (196122 1 32 01) City
of Winter Haven Signal Retiming Project (197628 1 32 01) Sarasota-Manatee
Traffic Signal Systems Alternatives Analysis (202079 1 12 01) Sarasota-Manatee
Signal Computer System Update (198127 1) City
of Naples/Collier County Advanced Transportation Management System
(ATMS), Design Group I, Construction (195403 1 52 01) City of Punta Gorda/Charlotte
County Advanced Transportation Management System, Design Group I,
Construction (193821 1 52 01) City of Naples/Collier
County Advanced Transportation Management System, Design Group II,
Design (195403 2 32 01)
|
Advanced Traffic Management Systems (contd) City of Punta Gorda/Charlotte
County Advanced Transportation Management System, Design Group II,
Design (193824 1 32 01) Lakeland Signal Computer
System Update (197620 1 32 01) Incident Management Road Rangers Service
Contact, Alligator Alley (Unknown, part of asset management contract) Road Rangers Service
Contract, Lee County (408998 1 72 01) Road Rangers Service
Contact, Charlotte County/Sarasota County (409000 1 72 01) Road Rangers Service
Contract, Polk County (408999 1 72 01) Feasibility Study
For An Incident Management System For The Edison, Caloosahatchee,
Midpoint, and Cape Coral Bridges in Lee County (405462 1 22 01) I-75 Incident Management
Project Plan for Charlotte, Sarasota and Manatee Counties (202062
1 12 01) |
|
| Advanced
Traffic Management Systems
I-10/I-95 Incident
Management System Jacksonville Interstate Surveillance and Control
System, Phase 2 (2133261 & 2133061) Road Rangers Service
Patrol (21481727201) ITS Maintenance (Jacksonville
Interstate Surveillance and Control System, Ph 2) (2133261 &
2133061)
|
Emergency Management Systems Interstate 10 Reverse
Lane Implementation Plan (21511717106) Traffic and Travel
Management Jacksonville Interstate Surveillance and Control System,
Phase 3 (21329613201) FDOT Pursuit of "Infostructure"
Model Deployment ITS Partnership Agreement
- Florida Department of Transportation and Putnam County (2098825201)
Back to top of ITS Progress Reports
|
|
| Advanced
Traffic Management Systems
Okaloosa County Computerized
Traffic Control System - Phase 1 (220239-1-52-01) Okaloosa County Computerized
Traffic Control System - Phase 2 (220239-2-52-01) Okaloosa County Computerized
Traffic Control System - Enhancement (220239-1-52-02) Bay County ITS Integration
Project / Congressional Earmark (408412)
|
Advanced Traffic Management Systems (contd) Pensacola Urban Area
ITS Master Plan (223339-1-12-01) Incident Management System Hathaway Bridge IMS
/ Panama City (406214-1-52-01) |
|
| Advanced
Traffic Management Systems
Interim Traffic Management
System (ITMS) (411067 1 32 01) Incident Management Freeway Incident
Management Team (230357 1 32 03) Broward County I-95/595/75
Road Rangers Service Patrol (231723 1 72 01) Palm Beach County
I-95 Road Rangers Service Patrol (2319241-72-01) Advanced Traveler Information Systems Advance Incident
Information System (AIIS) (231655-1-32-01) Palm Beach County
Dynamic Message Sign System (404827-1-32-01) I-95/595 Broward
County Dynamic Message Sign System (231659-1-52-01, 231705-1-52-01)
|
Advanced Traveler Information Systems (contd) I-75 ITS Corridor
Plan (411196-1-22-01/251685-1-22-01) Advanced Public Transportation Systems Advanced Public Transportation
System Master Plan (411015-1-22-01 & 409047-1-22-01) Traffic Management Centers Broward County ITS
Operations Facility (231654-1-52-01) Palm Beach County
ITS Operations Facility Master Plan (231930-1-21-01) |
|
| Advanced
Traffic Management Systems
Regional Traffic
Management Center (RTMC) Upgrade / Retrofit (410725-1-52-01) City of Orlando Regional
Computerized Signal System (23945-1-54-01) Seminole County ATMS
(404674-1-54-01) ITS Fiber Optic Deland
Maintenance (Pushbutton Contract) ITS Fiber Optic Orlando/Oviedo
Maintenance ITS Fiber Optic Cocoa
Maintenance ITS Fiber Optic Leesburg
and Ocala Maintenance Freeway Management Systems I-4 SMIS I-4 SMIS (22 Miles)
Phase 3 - St. Johns River Bridge Replacement/Reconstruction (242702-1-52-01) I-4 SMIS (7 Miles)
Phase 4 / I-4 6-Lane Reconstruction Project (242523-1-52-01)
|
Freeway Management Systems (contd) I-4 SMIS Fiber Optic
Connection to DASH (410724-2-52-01) I-4 Auxiliary Lanes
from SR 536 to SR 528 (405515-1-52-01) I-4 Auxiliary Lanes
from SR 528 to SR 482 (4107032-1-52-01) I-4 Auxiliary Lanes
from SR 423 to SR 436 (242499-1-52-01) I-4 Auxiliary Lanes
from SR 435 to Turnpike (242496-1-52-01) I-95 Daytona Smart
Area Highway (DASH) I-95 Phase 2 I-95/SR
528 Hurricane Evacuation System (22250-1-52-01) I-95 Six Lanes Volusia
County I-95 / I-4 / US 92 (242715-1-52-01) I-95 Phase 3 (410730
-1- 52-01) I-95 Phase 4 (410729-1-52-01) I-4 Road Rangers
- Motorist Assistance Program (406358-1-54-01) |
|
| Advanced
Traffic Management Systems
ATMS - Signal System
Upgrade [249908-1 thru 249910-1 (Phase A); 249907-1 (Phase B)] | ||