Florida's Turnpike Enterprise — Open Road Tolling

America's Prototype User-Financed Highway for the 21st Century
A key to the success of Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (Turnpike) has been our ability to recognize and implement new technologies that improve the level of service we offer our customers. The Turnpike has identified the Sawgrass Expressway as the ideal corridor for the latest roadway technologies, including open road tolling (ORT), an all electronic toll collection (ETC) system, and other ITS. Our vision is to transform the Sawgrass Expressway into a model for all future highways — America’s Prototype User-Financed Highway for the 21st Century.

Sawgrass Expressway Background
The Sawgrass Expressway was opened by the Broward County Expressway Authority in 1986. Because initial traffic did not meet expectations, the Florida Legislature authorized the Turnpike to purchase the Sawgrass Expressway in 1990. As a result, since 1990, all construction and maintenance on the Sawgrass Expressway has been funded through Turnpike tolls and not gas taxes.

Over the past ten years, traffic on the Sawgrass Expressway has increased fourfold, leading to increased traffic congestion during the morning and afternoon peak hours. Other issues that also need to be addressed include:

• Operational concerns at barrier toll plazas;
• Proximity of barrier toll plazas to major interchanges;
• Upgrading of the “pill box” ramp toll plazas; and
• Widening improvements needed.

The traditional approach to these issues is to build more lanes and larger toll plazas, but customers still have to wait in line to pay their toll. With new tolling technologies, the Turnpike can offer a different and better solution to these issues by transforming the Sawgrass Expressway into the prototype highway of the future.

Open Road Tolling — An All ETC System
The Turnpike envisions the Sawgrass Expressway as a high-tech facility with the latest toll collection technology, known as open road tolling (ORT), an all ETC system. Under ORT, there are no toll plazas, no toll collectors, and no lane restrictions. Customers no longer have to stop to pay a toll; they can continue to drive at highway speeds while paying their toll electronically with SunPass^®. Toll collection would be completely transparent to the customer.

There are many benefits to ORT. The all ETC system will:

• Improve customer safety by removing toll plazas;
• Eliminate customer delays associated with toll collection; and
• Provide flexible and fair toll pricing.

Currently the Turnpike utilizes ETC through the use of a SunPass^® transponder or other compatible transponder. There are over 800,000 SunPass^® transponders currently in use, with an average of 20,000 transponders sold monthly. On the Sawgrass Expressway, SunPass^® accounts for over 44% of the daily toll transactions and 51% of the peak hour toll transactions (January 2003).

Multiple purchase and payment options would be available for infrequent users of the Sawgrass. The Turnpike anticipates customers being able to purchase temporary low-cost SunPass^® devices:

• By phone;
• Over the Internet;
• At the Turnpike Service Plazas;
• At kiosks in airport/rental car locations; and
• At major retail outlets statewide.

Other ITS on the Sawgrass Expressway
Other ITS roadway technologies would provide real-time information about roadway conditions, weather, and emergencies. These ITS roadway technologies would include traffic detection equipment in the pavement, video cameras along the roadway and interchanges, and fiber-optic cable for communications with the regional Transportation Management Center. These ITS roadway technologies would quickly identify traffic incidents and congestion and then transmit this information to our customers through upgraded dynamic message signs and highway advisory radios. The Turnpike also anticipates increasing the coverage of Florida’s Highway Patrol, Troop K, and the Road Rangers service patrol to provide better management of roadway incidents and accidents.

Widening and Improvements
Based on recent traffic growth and traffic forecasts, the Turnpike is planning to widen the entire Sawgrass Expressway. The two planned widening projects are:

• Sunrise Boulevard to Atlantic Boulevard, which is currently under construction and scheduled to open in late 2004 and
• Atlantic Boulevard to the Turnpike Mainline, with the Project Development and Environment Study underway.

Other improvements scheduled for 2003/2004 include the addition of SunPass^®-only lanes, including:

• Conversion of the Sunrise Toll Plaza with triple dedicated SunPass^®-only lanes;
• Conversion of the Deerfield Toll Plaza with double dedicated SunPass^®-only lanes; and
• Addition of SunPass^®-only lanes at Lyons Road, US 441, and Oakland Park Boulevard.

Conclusion
The Turnpike invites our customers, neighbors, and local officials to be involved in the development of this project. A feasibility study has been initiated to examine ETC systems and various toll pricing strategies. The study of the improvements to the Sawgrass Expressway will be performed in coordination with local governments, the public, FDOT District 4, and the Federal Highway Administration.

This article was provided by Ingrid Birenbaum, Florida's Turnpike Enterprise. For more information, please contact Kevin Hoeflich, Project Manager, at (407) 532-3999 or e-mail Kevin.Hoeflich@dot.state.fl.us.

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Florida's Turnpike SunPass^® Marketing Program Hits High Gear

“The Less Stressway”
“The Less Stressway” — three words that motorists are becoming very familiar with now that the Florida’s Turnpike SunPass^® marketing program has kicked into high gear.

Recently, billboards touting Florida’s Turnpike and SunPass^® have been going up all over central and south Florida. Several billboards have been placed strategically along congested arteries, such as I-95, telling travelers where they can catch the Less Stressway.

“We think it is a win-win for everybody,” said Kim Poulton, Communications and Marketing Director for Florida’s Turnpike. “By pulling motorists off other roads we are improving conditions there while at the same time increasing Turnpike revenue.”

Radio advertisements, another facet of the Florida’s Turnpike SunPass^® marketing program, began hitting the airwaves last month. The ads are aimed at selling “Life in the SunPass^® Lane” by portraying motorists who are elated because they are privileged to bypass annoying toll lines. The ads air on several radio stations, in both English and Spanish.

Billboards and radio advertisements are not the only weapons in the Florida’s Turnpike SunPass^® marketing program arsenal. Recently, Burma Shave-style signs have begun popping up along the Florida’s Turnpike Mainline south of Orlando.

One set of signs reads:

That quarter by your feet

The dime under your seat

All the coins in your car

Can stay where they are

Get SunPass^® 1-888-TOLL-FLA

“The Burma Shave signs have been a big hit with Turnpike travelers,” Ms. Poulton said. “They are nostalgic and fun and help break up what can be a monotonous drive.”

In addition, about 20 Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise fleet vehicles have been decorated with the same design as the famous toll collector shirts. The vehicles attract drivers’ attention and inform them where they can purchase SunPass^®.

The Florida’s Turnpike SunPass^® marketing program efforts couldn’t have come at a better time, since SunPass^® recently become available at nearly 600 Eckerd stores statewide.

With the Florida’s Turnpike SunPass^® marketing program driving the retail availability of SunPass^®, Florida's Turnpike Enterprise is well on its way to acheiving its goal of 50 percent SunPass^® participation by December 2004. Currently SunPass^® participation is at approximately 40 percent.

This article was provided by Chad Huff, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise Public Information Office. For more information, please contact Mr. Huff at (954) 975-4855 or email Chad.Huff@dot.state.fl.us.

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Preliminary Performance Measures for ITS Deployments

As most of you are aware, the Florida Transportation Commission (FTC) annually publishes its Performance and Production Review of the Department of Transportation (the most recent report is dated September 22, 2003). Up to this point, the impacts of FDOT’s ITS deployments have not yet been reported. Given the current stage of statewide ITS deployments, the FTC’s senior analyst, Mark Reichert, recently approached the ITS Florida^TM Advisory Committee and tasked it with identifying suitable ITS performance measures. It is the intention of the FTC to publish the recommended initial ITS performance measures in its 2004 annual report.

As a prelude to this assignment, the ITS Florida^TM Advisory Committee organized and conducted a statewide ITS performance measures workshop in Orlando on October 14 and 15. Over 50 invited ITS professionals from traffic operations, safety, transit, and commercial vehicle operations participated in this ITS performance measures workshop.

Workshop Participants Take in Advice Offered by National Experts

Dr. Joe Peters, Manager of ITS Program Assessment in the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) ITS Joint Program Office, led a national panel of experts in ITS performance measures development. Other national experts included Mark Hallenbeck, Director of the Washington State Transportation Center at the University of Washington in Seattle; Dr. Tim Lomax, Program Manager for Mobility Analysis at the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University; Dr. John Orban, Field Evaluation Leader for Battelle in Columbus, Ohio; and Grant Zammit, ITS Specialist from FHWA’s Southern Resource Center in Atlanta. These experts offered ideas and concepts and shared examples of current ITS performance measures being used throughout the country and how they are being reported.

Source: Texas Transportation Institute

Source: Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC)

Examples of “Visual” ITS Performance Measures Utilized by Others

Gene Glotzbach, FDOT ITS Office, led a state panel of speakers involved with and impacted by key areas of ITS deployments, including: Patrick Brady, FDOT Safety; Gordon Morgan, FDOT Mobility Statistics; Tahira Faquir, FDOT Traffic Operations (District 4); Ike Ubaka, FDOT Public Transportation; and Rick Schuman, PBS&J iFlorida Project Manager. This panel of speakers provided examples for existing and future ITS areas of impact where performance measures could potentially be focused.

Following the presentations and insights offered by the national and state panels, the ITS performance measures workshop participants were then assigned to one of three breakout groups:

• Mobility;
• Safety; or
• Operations & Maintenance.

After about five hours of intense discussion and debate, these breakout groups were each asked to recommend preliminary ITS performance measures (that can be captured now) relative to their respective group areas. The results and recommendations from the ITS performance measures workshop, including all presentations, may be viewed at http://www.dot.state.fl.us/Intelligent TransportationSystems/default.htm. The recommended ITS performance measures will be further evaluated, refined, and tested in each District. The ITS Florida^TM Advisory Committee will forward the final ITS performance measures recommendations to the FTC by early spring 2004. It is anticipated that a similar workshop will occur each year to review and refine these ITS performance measures.

Several significant conclusions were reached during this ITS performance measures workshop that can be reported at this time. In no particular order of importance, these were:

• The development of ITS performance measures is an on-going process that will change as more ITS is deployed over a larger area throughout the state (greater proliferation of integrated ITS should lead to greater performance and the ability to document such).
• ITS performance measures should match FDOT’s ITS Program goals and objectives.
• It will be difficult, but not impossible, to isolate the benefits derived from ITS deployments alone.
• Deployment tracking (output) measures may be more appropriate now; however, as ITS deployments become more extensive throughout the state, evolving measures should become more focused on reporting actual performance (outcome).
• ITS performance measures can be used to justify the need for dedicated funding sources.
• Any measure reported in economic terms (dollars saved) will be more effective.
• ITS performance measures should minimize or eliminate the need for additional data to be collected, and must be stated in terms that are easily understandable to policymakers and the general public.
• Ultimately, the degree of integration of ITS will be the best performance measure.
• The current FDOT Customer Satisfaction Survey should be modified to include questions relating to the value put on information provided by ITS.
• As ITS performance measures are identified, they will fall into one of three categories or levels: primary (those chosen for inclusion in the FTC’s Performance and Production Review of the Department of Transportation); secondary (those providing more comprehensive details of impacts), and internal (for FDOT use only).
• Besides actual ITS performance measures, it will also be important to account for ITS benefits measured through the use of simplified case study examples (e.g., feedback from SunPass® and Road Rangers customers).

Anita Vandervalk, Cambridge Systematics, is serving as chair of the ITS Florida^TM Task Force for ITS Performance Measures. Ms. Vandervalk can be reached at (850) 219-6388 or email AVandervalk@camsys.com. Mike Pietrzyk, Transportation Solutions, Inc., is preparing the interim and final documentation for this effort on behalf of the FTC. Mr. Pietrzyk can be reached at (813) 681-6881 or email mcptsi@tampabay.rr.com.

This article was provided by Mike Pietrzyk, Transportation Solutions, Inc.

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Since late October 2003, if you tuned your radio to WFLP-LP or WFLU-LP (FM 98.7 or 107.9) while traveling from Fort Lauderdale to Naples along “Alligator Alley” on I-75, an entertaining and educational broadcast about the Everglades ecosystem has been on the air for your education and entertainment. The Everglades Radio Network (ERN) is a low-power FM station broadcasting a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week program from the headquarters of WGCU Public Media located at the Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida. The ERN is also available over the Internet at www.EvergladesRadioNetwork.org.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, in cooperation with FDOT, Florida Division of Emergency Management, Florida Gulf Coast University, and Senator Bob Graham’s office, brought the ERN from concept to reality. This consortium solicited input from the public and private sectors to develop the initial 3-hour programming radio segments that will be repeated around-the-clock. The South Florida Water Management District, Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Collier Seminole State Park, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida have all made contributions to this programming effort.

These 3-hour programming radio segments provide motorists with information about the Everglades ecosystem, particularly along the Alligator Alley area. The magazine-style format consists of features highlighting:

• Plant and animal life;
• Natural and man-made forces affecting the Everglades;
• Natural places to visit;
• Restoration activities; and
• People who have played important roles in shaping the history and future of the Everglades.

Public service announcements, weather updates, a calendar of events, highway advisory information, and Amber Alert notifications are also being aired. Programming will be updated quarterly and segments will be rotated daily to ensure that regular listening travelers have an opportunity to hear all of the available information. The radio broadcast is available to approximately 6.5 million vehicles that annually travel across Alligator Alley and countless listeners on the Internet.

The ERN will introduce millions of Florida residents and visitors to the Everglades and encourage them to visit the many natural places along the ‘Everglades Trail’ (www.evergladestrail.com). It is also hoped that the radio broadcast will inform residents and visitors of the ecological importance of the Everglades ecosystem to Florida, the nation, and the world.
David B. Struhs, Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection

This article was provided by John Outland, Florida Department of Environmental Protection. For more information, please contact Mr. Outland at (850) 245-2089 or email John.Outland@dep.state.fl.us.

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We invite you to have some fun and complete the SunGuideSM Disseminator Word Challenge! An answer guide follows the Web Site(s) of the Month. Enjoy and Good Luck! Across:   Down: 2. Florida's Turnpike SunPass® marketing program promotes the “Less _______.”   1. 3. Senior analyst with the FTC. Expressway on which ORT will be implemented. 4. 6. Everglades Radio Network. Request For Proposal.   5. Type of express lane planned for the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway. 10. Type of measures for ITS.   7. Florida Highway Patrol. 14. Variable message sign.   8. Portable document format. 16. Florida Transportation Commission.   9. Used by the Florida’s Turnpike to collect tolls. 17. 19. Standards, Specifications, and Estimates Processor. Senator’s office which assisted in bringing the ERN from concept to reality.   11. 12. 13. Portion of I-75 — “________ Alley.” Location of statewide performance measures workshop held in October 2003. Federal Highway Administration. 20. 22. Chair of the ITS FloridaTM Task Force for ITS Performance Measures. A temporary low-cost transponder for ETC may be purchased over the_______.   15. 18. 21. One of the breakout groups from the statewide performance measures workshop. Florida Department of Transportation. Statewide Transportation Management Center 24. Open Road Tolling.     Software Library Software. 25. Transportation Management Center.   23. Store selling SunPass®. 27. Electronic toll collection.   25. Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority. 28. 31. 32. Indian tribe in Florida which contributed to the ERN programming effort. Key disseminator in the Florida’s Turnpike SunPass® marketing program. The Florida’s Turnpike form of ETC.   26. 29. 30. Funding source for all construction and maintenance on the Sawgrass Expressway. City of Tampa. Type of professionals invited to participate in the statewide performance measures workshop.

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Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority ITS and Transportation Management Center Concept of Operations

The safe and efficient operation of the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority’s (THEA's) reversible express lanes, planned for the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway, is dependent on a computer-controlled protection system and field information devices that require human operation and supervision. The field information devices consist of variable messages signs (VMSs) that will provide advance information to drivers regarding the open or closed status of the reversible express lanes along with the proper routes to follow in the event of a closure. Computer-controlled protection systems consist of gate sets and impenetrable nets to prevent motorists from entering the reversible express lanes in the wrong direction. Additionally, a system of cameras permits operators to control and verify the circumstances of each opening and closing at the various gate sets and the messages on the VMSs. The computer-controlled protection system will also permit the identification of incidents that might occur on the reversible express lanes, thus allowing operators to follow-up with an appropriate action. The overall computer-controlled protection system design and the state-of-the-art control software are being provided by Transdyn Controls, Inc. of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The ITS construction plans are being undertaken by Tampa-based TEI Engineers & Planners.

Trained, qualified traffic management personnel will operate the hardware and software for the reversible express lanes under a unique plan developed with the City of Tampa (COT). A new THEA transportation management center (TMC) will co-locate the operation of the THEA’s reversible express lanes with COT’s traffic signal operations.

The TMC concept of operations is based on the THEA providing a new facility to house a traffic control room and the appropriate administrative space to house the COT’s traffic management personnel in exchange for the COT providing the staff necessary to operate the THEA’s reversible express lanes. The portion of the building related to the COT administrative space and control room operations is being designed with input from the COT staff. The schedules for the operation of the reversible express lanes are being developed cooperatively between the COT’s traffic management and THEA’s planning staffs.

The TMC is extremely important to the operation of the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway and the COT for a number of reasons:

• The COT currently manages the operation of approximately 550 traffic signals on state highways and city streets. The present operation is from a sub-standard facility that has no capability for future expansion. The design and construction of a new, modern control room and administrative space for the COT’s traffic management operations would be provided at no cost to the COT and would allow space for future growth of the COT’s staff by up to 50% over current staffing levels.

• The critical interface with the COT involves the need to closely coordinate the operation of the reversible express lanes with the computer-based traffic signal system in downtown Tampa. The downtown signal system requires constant supervision during rush hours (also the prime operational periods for the reversible express lanes) to manage the smooth flow of traffic into and out of the Central Business District. Operation of both the traffic signal system and the reversible express lanes by the same traffic engineers will ensure the highest level of coordination for this critical function.

The operation of the reversible express lanes is very important for commuters who live in Brandon and eastern Hillsborough County. These commuters are the primary users of the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway. Coordination with the timing of Hillsborough County’s traffic signals in the Brandon area is also required to ensure the safe, smooth operation of the new Brandon Parkway, State Road 60, and Lumsden Road — the prime feeder roads to the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway during the morning and afternoon rush hours.

To ensure proper signal coordination in Brandon, the TMC will be interconnected by fiber optic cable with a future TMC in the eastern portion of Hillsborough County. The THEA’s TMC will also be linked to the Tampa Bay SunGuide^SM Center, FDOT’s planned regional TMC, which will also serve as the FDOT District 7 Emergency Operations Center as well as the regional communications center (i.e., dispatch center) of the Florida Highway Patrol and other state law enforcement agencies.

The regional toll operations office of Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (Turnpike) has also been invited to occupy the building. The incorporation of Turnpike regional toll operations into the TMC would facilitate a closer working relationship between the THEA and Turnpike for both operations and future highway projects. Based on a current Turnpike/THEA partnership in the development of Open Road Tolling, the TMC could provide a location for the Turnpike regional toll operations for electronic toll collection and violation processing. The Turnpike has plans to incorporate ITS equipment at tollbooths on regional Turnpike facilities, so the TMC would offer an excellent location for these functions.

This interconnection of the combined agencies with the TMC, together with the planned Tampa Bay SunGuide^SM Center and the future TMC in the eastern portion of Hillsborough County, would provide for more timely coordination of traffic operations and responses to major traffic events and incidents, thus providing better mobility for the entire region. The connection of the THEA’s fiber optic cable system to the FDOT, COT and Hillsborough County fiber optic networks will allow the development of a “self-healing ring” providing back-up communications for all four agencies. By dedicating fibers for each agency within the self-healing ring, each agency can be assured of having a “back door” for communications, should the cable ever be cut.

This article was provided by Marty Stone, Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority. For more information, please contact Mr. Stone at 813-272-6740 or email Marty@tampa-xway.com.

For more information on ITS Florida^TM, please check the ITS Florida^TM Web site at www.itsflorida.org or contact Diana Carsey, Executive Director, at (813) 623-5835, extension 2112, or email carseyd@hartline.org.

If you wish to contribute an article to the SunGuide^SM Disseminator on behalf of ITS Florida^TM, please contact Erika Ridlehoover at (813) 752-7193, or email Erika.Ridlehoover@transcore.com.

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Editorial Corner — The Importance of ITS Standards

Everyday life is full of activities that take us smoothly through our appointed rounds. The sun comes up; the paper gets thrown; the car starts; the traffic signal cycles through; and so forth — day after day. Of course, there is the occasional “bump in the road” to deal with. But, for the most part, our daily routine is . . . well, routine. There are many reasons why this is so, but one important reason is because of standards. Standards provide the technical specifications or precise criteria for systems to ensure that materials, products, and services are fit for their purposes. Things work smoothly because industry professionals develop and use standards to bring order out of chaos. After all, order is good and chaos is bad.

And so it is with traffic. We want traffic to flow smoothly, to be orderly, and to be less chaotic — so we can quickly get to work in the morning and back home in the evening. How do we do this? The answer, of course, is intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Real-time traffic information, incident response and recovery, and actuated traffic signals help speed us on our way to and fro. And, how do we make ITS work smoothly? The answer is complicated to be sure, but one way is through the use of standards.

The FDOT ITS Office is charged with developing and publishing the various standards (and technical specifications) that will be used to make the FDOT ITS Program a reality. Standards development is of such high import, that we have declared it one of our five FDOT ITS Office Core Processes. Implementing ITS standards in the months and years ahead will provide FDOT and the traveling public with many outstanding benefits.

FDOT will purchase the best ITS equipment available that it can afford. This equipment will meet the functional requirements of our harsh Florida environment while accommodating our maintenance needs and warranty expectations. The standards we adopt will inherently promote wise safety practices and ease of repair through smart, yet simple, solutions. FDOT’s ITS standards will favor proven and mature technologies to mitigate risk. And, from time-to-time, our ITS standards will promote a certain aesthetic appeal for our ITS hardware, but not to the point of sacrificing function over form.

The standards development effort, as just described, supports Federal Rule 940 on ITS architectures and interoperability. It also “builds into” our ITS a greater degree of uniformity, continuity, harmony, and even driver expectancy. Recall, order is good and chaos is bad.

The FDOT ITS Office is promulgating ITS standards through a carefully coordinated consensus-building process. The FDOT ITS Device Standards and Specifications Steering Committee, comprised of FDOT District ITS Representatives, has been established. Members of ITS Florida^TM and the Florida Transportation Builders’ Association are providing reviews and comments of draft standards. Also, FHWA is contributing review and comment through an ITS Standards Field Support Team. Finally, anyone may participate in the consensus-building process by downloading the draft standards which are available on our project Web site (www.FloridaITS.com/Standards.htm).

FDOT’s ITS standards will require constant renewal to reflect new technologies and changing ideas. As such, our standards development activities will continue throughout the life of the FDOT ITS Program. To support this need, we have published the Standards, Specifications, and Estimates Processor (SSEP) to foster and facilitate the continued development and renewal of ITS standards. We encourage you to learn more about the SSEP, use it, and participate in its growth.

This editorial was provided by Chester Chandler, FDOT ITS Office. For more information, please contact Mr. Chandler at (850) 410-5600 or email Chester.Chandler@dot.state.fl.us.

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                Wherein a compendium of various random facts and snippets of humor is presented on an irregular basis for purposes of cerebral edification and mental diversion!

• Hot dogs come in packs of ten, but buns come in packs of eight?

• Lemon juice in the plastic lemon is made of artificial flavor, but dishwashing liquid is made with real lemons?

• To turn off your PC, you have to click on “Start?”

• You have never seen the headline “Psychic Wins Lottery?”

• Doctors call what they do “practice?”

• People order double cheese baconburgers with large fries and a Diet Coke?

Web Site(s) of the Month

WWW.123cam.com
Sometimes it can be tough finding the site for a camera in a particular location. This Web site is a good place to start looking. It provides links to Web cameras from almost every corner of the globe. Cameras may be selected for traffic, bridges, city, streets, or airports, to name a few. Visit the site at www.123cam.com.

And, on a lighter note, try this one.

WWW.SkyHighAirlines.com
This is an airline unlike any other you've flown. Then again, maybe it's too much like those on which you have traveled. This site lets you book trips between places such as Sigourney, Iowa and Hawikuh Ruins, New Mexico. You can choose either a bench seat or ride in the cargo hold.

Searching for lost luggage? Type in your name and the site will find your bags in whatever corner of the globe they arrived at. The airline also offers “Super Scrimper Fares” in “Flightless Eagle Coaches,” also known as buses. This site was created by Alaska Airlines; but, outside of a few indiscreet links, you'd never be aware of the association. For those who look forward to their next flight as much as they look forward to a root canal, this site is a welcome example of the lighter side of flying. Visit the site at www.skyhighairlines.com.

If you would like to suggest an interesting Web site,
email Mike Akridge@dot.state.fl.us
All submittals welcome!

SunGuide^SM Disseminator Word Challenge Answers

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Announcements

Statewide Transportation Management Center Software Library System (STMCSLS) Project Started on October 7, 2003
Freddie Simmons, FDOT State Highway Engineer, signed and authorized the execution of the STMCSLS Project on October 6, 2003. The STMCSLS officially started when the FDOT ITS Office issued a Notice To Proceed to Southwest Research Institute on October 7, 2003.

A kickoff meeting is scheduled on November 13, 2003, to discuss the work plan, project schedule, project risks, user interface prototype, concept of operations, configuration management, and stakeholders’ concerns.

A project Web site has been developed and can be accessed at http://stmcsls.datasys.swri.edu. The Web site includes Meetings, Demonstrations, Contacts, and Links. Most project-related information will be located here. Your comments on the design and content of this Web site are welcome.

For more information, please contact Liang Hsia at the FDOT ITS Office in Tallahassee,(850) 410-5615 or email Liang.Hsia@dot.state.fl.us.

Vote for Your Choice in Renaming the STMCSLS!
With the participation of the SunGuide^SM Disseminator readership, the FDOT ITS Office has compiled a list of candidate names to rename this mouthful! Now it's time for you to vote. Simply email your choice to Karen.England@dot.state.fl.us from the following list of candidate names:

• SunExplorer - SunGuide^SM Management Software
• Sunsation
• SunWave
• TransFlorida
• TransFla
• T-Florida
• GuideFlorida
• GuideFla
• Icons

Don't be left out — Place your vote today!

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FDOT End-of-the-Year ITS Working Group Meeting
The FDOT ITS Office has set the FDOT End-of-the-Year ITS Working Group Meeting and associated ITS meetings for December 1-5, 2003 at the Deerfield Beach Resort in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

The following meetings/events have been scheduled:

• Change Management Board;
• FDOT Closed-Door Session;
• ITS Florida^TM Board of Directors Meeting;
• ITS Florida^TM Advisory Committee Meeting;
• ITS Florida^TM Annual Meeting and Scholarship Announcements;
• ITS Florida^TM Annual Social Event;
• FDOT End-of-the-Year Working Group Meeting;
• Tour of District 4/Broward County’s Regional Transportation Management Center; and
• ITS Project Specific Meeting and Standards, Specifications, and Estimates Processor Demonstration.

We hope you will make plans to attend!

For more information, please contact Ms. Kristen Blanton at (850) 410-5631 or email Kristen.Blanton@dot.state.fl.us.

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Standards, Specifications, and Estimates Processor Demonstration
One of the highlights of the End-of-the-Year ITS Working Group Meeting at the Deerfield Beach Resort in Deerfield Beach, Florida, will be a demonstration of the Standards, Specifications and Estimates Processor (SSEP), scheduled for December 4. The SSEP is a Web-based information tool developed to help FDOT project staffs keep pace with the rapid advancement of ITS technologies and the addition of new technology in relationship to changing standards and specifications for ITS devices.

An aid in project planning, estimation, and Request For Proposal (RFP), the SSEP consists of a navigational home page with links to ITS standards and specifications for particular ITS devices, along with links to detailed drawings and a RFP document provided in writable Adobe portable document format (pdf). Another feature will be a query engine with a “shopping cart” form that a user can fill out to request specific ITS device information for a project. Other links will be provided to documents that will automate the preparation of bid packages and assist in project planning with critical path management.

For more information, please contact David Jones at the FDOT ITS Office in Tallahassee,(850) 410-5612 or email DavidL.Jones@dot.state.fl.us.

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Show Your Support for SunGuide^SM
Cold weather’s ‘round the corner. Need a new jacket to fight off old Jack Frost? Want to buy yourself an early Christmas present? Consider a SunGuide^SM logo-embroidered Port Authority^TM Classic Poplin Jacket.

The cost per jacket is $32.85. If you are interested in ordering a jacket, please email your order, including color and size, to Ms. Kristen Blanton at Kristen.Blanton@dot.state.fl.us.

For additional information on the jacket, you may visit Port Authority's Web site at www.wearables4u.com/outerwear/jackets/J753.asp.

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District 1 Chris Birosak FDOT District 1 Traffic Operations PO Box 1249 Bartow, FL 33831 (863) 519-2507 District 2 Peter Vega FDOT District 2 Traffic Operations 2250 Irene Street, MS 2815 Jacksonville, FL 32204-2619 (904) 360-5463 District 3 Elizabeth McCrary FDOT District 3 Traffic Operations 1074 Highway 90 East Chipley, FL 32428-0607 (850) 638-0250 ext. 210 District 4 Tahira Faquir FDOT District 4 Traffic Operations 3400 W. Commercial Blvd. Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309 (954) 777-4370	District 5 Fred Ferrell FDOT District 5 Traffic Operations 719 S. Woodland Blvd., MS 3-562 Deland, FL 32720-6834 (386) 943-5309 District 6 Jesus Martinez FDOT District 6 1000 NW 111th Avenue, MS 6203 Miami, FL 33172 (305) 499-2446 District 7 Bill Wilshire FDOT District 7 Traffic Operations 11201 N. McKinley Drive Tampa, FL 33612 (813) 975-6612 ext. 7869 Florida's Turnpike Enterprise Ingrid Birenbaum Florida's Turnpike Enterprise PO Box 9828 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33310-9828 (954) 975-4855 ext. 1290	Chester Chandler ITS Office Manager (850) 410-5600 Gene Glotzbach ITS Deployments (850) 410-5616 Liang Hsia ITS Architectures, Standards, Research and Training (850) 410-5615 Mike Akridge Commercial Vehicle Operations and Electronic Toll Collection (850) 410-5607 Nick Adams ITS Telecommunications (850) 410-5608
		Physical Address Rhyne Building 2740 Centerview Dr. Suite 3-B Tallahassee, FL 32301	Mailing Address Burns Building 605 Suwannee St. MS 90 Tallahassee, FL 32399

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