Florida Pursues Integrated Corridor Management Federal Funding Opportunity

Florida is pursuing a federal funding opportunity to assess its capability to implement Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) through a cooperative agreement funded by SAFETEA-LU. Up to eight sites around the United States will be selected for participation in this program, administered jointly by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Joint Program Office. The initiative consists of three stages:

• Stage One – Pioneer Sites
• Stage Two – Pioneer Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation (AMS) Sites
• Stage Three – Pioneer Demonstration Sites

Up to eight Pioneer Sites will develop site-specific Concept of Operations and requirements documents for their own ICM systems in Stage One. Up to four of these sites will be chosen to proceed to Stage Two for detailed analysis and evaluation of benefits. USDOT will select up to four recipients from the original eight to move onto Stage Three where the Pioneer Sites will be expected to conduct an ICM demonstration as well as cooperate with the evaluation efforts. The entire process will occur over a five year period.

After a statewide assessment of several prospective corridors, Broward and Palm Beach Counties were selected as an ideal candidate corridor for three primary reasons:

• ITS and other facilities have been established which will support the ICM concept,
• Strong, proven relationships and cooperative, mutually beneficial operating agreements are already in place, and
• The area will see additional, long-term benefits from further integrated traffic management strategies.

FDOT Central Office ITS Program representatives invited key stakeholders from local and state agencies in the Broward / Palm Beach County region to kick-off and information gathering meetings. These stakeholders were asked to sign a Letter of Intent that committed their support and involvement in the ICM project. Partners who signed the Letter of Intent included FDOT District 4, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, Broward County, Palm Beach County, City of Boca Raton, PalmTran, and TriRail. Subsequent meetings were held with individual stakeholders to gather information for preparation of the ICM application submittal.

With nearly 3 million residents, Florida’s famous Gold Coast has a thriving blend of residential, commercial, business, visitor, and cultural resources. Broward and Palm Beach Counties are a living laboratory when it comes to moving people and goods in a coordinated fashion along one of the most heavily traveled corridors in the United States. Mobility options include highways and arterials, transit, and passenger rail. The sophisticated transportation options include both planned and deployed elements of ITS, coordinated signal systems, and transit / rail technology innovations; the corridor is ripe with advanced traveler management and public transportation and traveler information systems.

Encompassing all of Broward and most of Palm Beach Counties, Florida’s candidate ICM corridor’s boundaries are the Atlantic Coast to the east, Everglades National Park to the west, I-95 north of the SR-826 / Turnpike interchanges at the Miami-Dade – Broward County line to the south, and I-95 at Mangonia Park / Florida’s Turnpike at PGA Boulevard to the north. The corridor encompasses numerous principal highway and intermodal facilities, including I-95 and 595, Florida’s Turnpike and Sawgrass Expressway; major arterial routes, including US-1, US-441, Hollywood, Sunrise, and Commercial Boulevards in Broward County; Glades Road, and Southern and Okeechobee Boulevards in Palm Beach County; signal systems operated by Broward and Palm Beach Counties and City of Boca Raton; Tri-Rail tracks that parallel I-95; and a bus transit system operated by PalmTran in Palm Beach County.

The candidate corridor has numerous networks that can be operated independently and autonomously; however, transportation partners have made concerted efforts to coordinate and communicate more effectively with the creation of the South Florida Regional ITS Coalition and its associated operations, technical, and management committees. Members who encompass all facets and levels of transportation recognize the importance of resource-sharing and regional ITS integration. The corridor derives strength from other partnerships between agencies, vendors, and the community that lead to better management of multiple networks in the region. Ultimate results include better response to congestion and transportation demands, definitive measures that address system reliability, and improved customer satisfaction.

The candidate corridor set the stage for ICM prior to 2000 with local agreements that formalized decisions on mutually beneficial transportation management and resource development. The cooperative ITS infrastructure management – as evidenced by the joint TMC operations in Broward and Palm Beach Counties, make the Broward – Palm Beach corridor such a compelling candidate for ICM. Early efforts have led to strong, lasting relationships that are the foundation for integrated approaches to transportation needs on a wide scale. Leaders in partnership and teamwork, corridor members are highly involved in ITS implementation strategies locally, statewide, and nationally. The corridor is already benefiting from a seasoned, stable approach to transportation management on a regional basis. The Integrated Corridor Management project provides a unique opportunity to showcase this region’s capabilities and provide lessons learned to other partners and stakeholders involved in ITS, with the ultimate result being truly integrated networks that work together to provide seamless mobility options to travelers and customers of our transportation systems.

This article was provided by Ingrid Birenbaum, PBS&J. For more information, please contact Ms. Birenbaum at (954) 733-7233 ext. 324 or email IngridBirenbaum@pbsj.com.

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Real-time Route Diversion Research Project

It became evident during the last hurricane season that the current route diversion plan is not as effective as it could be—possibly since the Districts were not involved in developing the route diversions for evacuation, re-entry, or diversion. This developed into a problem because FDOT Districts are the first responders after a storm, and it is their responsibility to clear the roads and repair the storm-damaged signalized intersections. This responsibility enables them to provide firsthand knowledge as to which routes are the best to use based on roadway conditions.

In cooperation with the Statewide Traffic Incident Management Teams and the District Traffic Operations Engineers, a need to select real-time route diversions, before and during an incident (i.e., homeland security issues, natural disasters, planned major events, and traffic crashes), has been identified. Proper planning and coordination are essential in setting up effective evacuation and diversion routes and ensuring attention to important details.

Currently, route diversion planning is done at a local level using historical data, and managed only after an incident has occurred. The delay of proper route diversion and incident management can generate secondary incidents that lead to longer incident clearance times.

The objective of this research project is to develop criteria for processing real-time route diversion incident management data and also a computer model for planned and real-time strategies to be used for incident management. The computer model developed will be able to process real-time incident management data and apply a dynamic traffic assignment method using the DYNASMART model in order to provide a real-time route diversion plan.

The goal, upon completion of this research project, is to have real-time route diversion plans in place that can be used, both effectively and efficiently, in emergency situations throughout the state.

This article was provided by Gail Holley, FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office. For more information, please contact Ms. Holley at (850) 410-5414 or email Gail.Holley@dot.state.fl.us.

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I-75 Alligator Alley Safety Barrier Cable System ITS Improvements

Early in 2003, FDOT District 1 completed the installation of a Safety Barrier Cable System (SBCS) along a portion of Interstate 75 (I-75) in Collier County, commonly known as Alligator Alley. The SBCS is designed to prevent vehicles that leave the highway from running into the nearby canal, which runs alongside the interstate. The SBCS was designed as a vehicle arresting system consisting of cables installed along the fence line that act as a catch net. Strobe lights mounted to the system’s poles at regular intervals indicate the location of a crash to passing motorists as well as to law enforcement agencies and emergency personnel responding to the incident. The strobe light is activated when the system’s cables are deflected due to vehicle impact.

The SBCS has accomplished its intended purpose—having prevented vehicles from running into the canal on many occasions since its inception. A review of the crash data for ten months prior to the installation of the SBCS indicates there were 62 crashes with vehicles hitting the fence that resulted in three fatalities and four serious injuries. For ten months after the SCBS was installed there were 32 crashes with vehicles hitting the cable that resulted in one fatality and no serious injuries. Satisfied that the SBCS was helping to reduce fatalities and serious injuries, FDOT District 1 included ITS enhancements for the system into the freeway management system (FMS) project currently under construction. By adding ITS devices to the system, it will provide an automated notification and alert the regional transportation management center (RTMC) directly rather than the authorities having to wait for passing motorists to see the activated strobe light and call for emergency help.

A fiber communications backbone will be installed under the FMS project to support RTMC communications. The fiber backbone will provide the interface between the field devices along Alligator Alley and the RTMC. Communication at the local field level from the strobe light to the ITS field cabinet will be wireless communication using a radio frequency (RF) modem. Based on the distances and line-of-sight, several transmitters from the various strobe light locations will be configured to transmit to a single receiver mounted at an ITS field cabinet location. The ITS field cabinet will also house a programmable logic controller (PLC). This device will provide the capability to remotely turn off the strobe light and reset the breakaway switch. The PLC will interface with the strobe light, the breakaway switch, and the communication transceivers so that all alarms can be individually configured based on location as well as equipment failure.

The SunGuide^SM central software will be installed at the RTMC to control and monitor all ITS field equipment along Alligator Alley. A software module was developed for the SBCS and will provide an incident identification mechanism; incident verification using closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs), graphical user interfaces (GUIs), and alarms.

District 1 is looking forward to the automated incident notification the ITS improvements will provide. This is a valuable ITS that will help to improve safety and save lives along this remote section of highway.

This article was provided by Chris Birosak, FDOT District 1. For more information, please contact Mr. Birosak at (863) 519-2507 or email Chris.Birosak@dot.state.fl.us.

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Trash Trivia!

On any given day, work in the ITS Program involves a host to many communications projects—ranging from the call boxes located on the interstate to the radio maintenance systems within the Districts. On occasion, we can have something that is out of the ordinary which keeps us on our toes.

FDOT utilizes an extensive microwave system that provides traffic data from District to District, to the State Emergency Operations Center and the TERL here in Tallahassee. Due to the critical nature of the system, its day-to-day operations are continuously monitored and/or maintained. Several weeks ago the system was demonstrating an intermittent problem with high data rate losses which were noted to be only on weekdays. During the weekend the system would return to its normal performance levels which left us puzzled as to why. After some extensive research it was determined that our problem was centralized around a single microwave antenna located in Indian River County on the I-95 corridor.

Engineers were dispatched to the site and determine the nature of this problem to be the landfill. Apparently, over the years, the Indian River County Landfill has grown from its original height, during the microwave tower construction, to a new height that matches the tower height of the microwave antenna. Matching hill and tower heights would not typically affect the microwave path; however, during the weekdays, trucks and other equipment associated with the landfill create a block or shadow the microwave path.

According to the landfill officials the current height of 125 feet will continued to grow to the landfill’s projected height of 185 feet. The current microwave antenna also resides at this height. As such, FDOT is now undertaking steps to create a temporary path around the landfill.

Sometimes things just continue to pile up!

This article was provided by Randy Pierce, FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office. For more information, please contact Mr. Pierce at (850) 410-5608 or e-mail Randy.Pierce@dot.state.fl.us.

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Celebrating Ten Years of Keeping Georgia On The Move

On April 27, 2006, the Georgia NaviGAtor ITS celebrated ten years of excellent service. The ITS Georgia Chapter honored several champions of the original NaviGAtor system at an anniversary luncheon held at the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Transportation Management Center (TMC). Panelists included Marion Waters (formerly of GDOT), Joe Stapleton (formally of GDOT), Mike Hendon (formerly of GDOT), Hallie Smith (formerly of MARTA), Rand Bundy (formerly of the City of Atlanta), Robert “Tip” Franklin (formerly of TRW), Martin Knopp (FHWA), and Susie Dunn (ARC and Atlanta Committee for Olympic Games). The NaviGAtor system was the result of an entire “team that grew together and built the flagship for traffic management.” Tip Franklin recalls, “I am proud to have been a part of that great legacy.”

Fond memories and lively discussions filled the TMC—remembering the struggles and successes that were encountered when creating NaviGAtor. Susie Dunn remembered, “Planning was a challenge—there were many cooks in the kitchen—local transportation planning partners, events personnel, international sports federations, law enforcement and so on.” Most audience members had some part in the creation of NaviGAtor and all were ready and willing to share their personal experiences. Marion Waters recalls, “Looking back on those times, there is no question that they were hard, but they were fun too. I am proud to have been part of that effort and to understand the lives that have been saved, the thousands of hours of time saved, and the hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel that were not burned because of the past decade of operation of NaviGAtor.”

After the panel discussions, attendees adjourned to the patio to hear heartfelt remarks and birthday toasts by GDOT Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl. Commissioner Linnenkohl praised NaviGAtor champions for the system’s success and expressed his commitment to continue enhancing NaviGAtor for the next ten years.

Final remarks were followed by a catered lunch and an anniversary cake cutting ceremony. Participants continued to reflect and share stories of the creation of NaviGAtor throughout the afternoon.

Why the System was Created
Thousands cheered when Atlanta was chosen to host the Centennial Summer Olympic Games in 1996. However, in “welcoming the world,” it also invited a traffic onslaught that would add more gridlock to the already strained interstates. Widening the roads was not the answer. The GDOT joined forces with federal and local authorities to create an ITS to address traffic congestion. NaviGAtor was introduced in April 1996 at the opening of GDOT’s TMC.

How the System Works
NaviGAtor is a leader in ITS because it is comprehensive. TMC operators monitor roads using closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed approximately every mile. They can also determine incident locations via color-coded maps that display traffic speeds. These are fed into the system from video detection system (VDS) cameras spaced every one-third mile. Customer service representatives take calls from motorists reporting road hazards and accidents. All of this information is fed into NaviGAtor, which generates response plans. Travel times and incidents appear on changeable message signs (CMS) placed above the roads to alert motorists of congestion ahead. In addition, this information is fed to the NaviGAtor Web site, which is accessible 24 hours a day at www.georgia-NaviGAtor.com. Ramp meters, placed at key access points, assist in mitigating congestion due to merging traffic. Weather monitoring stations throughout the state keep the TMC and the public aware of road conditions and potential hazards. On the front lines of incident management, the Highway Emergency Response Operators (HEROs) patrol the interstates to keep the roads safe and open via traffic control and motorist aid.

GDOT introduced My NaviGAtor in 2004 to provide “customized” traffic information. Subscribers can set up travel profiles and have traffic alerts sent to their cell phones, computers, or personal digital assistants (PDAs). NaviGAtor To Go enables access to a Personal Traffic Page or the NaviGAtor Web site from a handheld wireless device. NaviGAtor Web, designed primarily for first responders, is a Web-based version of the system software with over 125 subscriber organizations.

System Statistics
NaviGAtor coverage has increased 400 percent since launch:

Since 1996:

• 525 million cars have passed under each CMS along I-75 and I-85;
• 292 million CCTV images have been viewed on the Web site;
• 1.75 million alerts have gone out to My NaviGAtor subscriber e-mail addresses, pagers, and cell phones; and
• The TMC has been open continuously for 87,600 hours.

In 2004, the Governor of Georgia launched the “Fast Forward” program to accelerate expansion for congestion relief and increased mobility. By 2007, NaviGAtor coverage will include 81 more miles of Interstate. The HERO program will add 30 units and 17 more routes.

System Benefits
In one year, NaviGAtor saved Georgians time, money, and in some cases, lives:

• Over 7 million vehicle-hours of incident-delay savings
• Smog reduction:
  • 186+ tons of HC
  • 2,457+ tons of CO
  • 261+ tons of NOx
• Fuel savings
  • 5.2 million gallons of gasoline
  • 1.6 million gallons of diesel fuel
• Help on the road:
  • 49,000+ motorist assists
  • 340+ crashed prevented
• Total value in US dollars—$186,799,012

Special Recognition
In recognition of their past and future partnerships, ITS Florida presented GDOT with an Outstanding Achievement Award during the ceremony. The citation read,

“In partnership with the U.S.DOT, regional and local agencies, and many other partners, the Georgia DOT created what, at the time was, and continues to be, one of the leading Intelligent Transportation Systems and Transportation Management Centers in the world. The NaviGAtor System formally opened on April 11, 1996, and was instrumental in helping manage traffic and incidents for the 1996 Olympic Games and Special Olympic that summer, and the Super Bowl the following January. It has continued to relieve congestion and save lives, time, and money for 10 years hence. ITS Georgia and GDOT have long been close partners with ITS Florida and FDOT, reaching a highlight in our joint sponsorship (with FHWA and the Florida and Georgia Sections of ITE) of Transpo2004 in Jacksonville. Also, during the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005, GDOT dispatched HERO units to assist evacuees from Florida and NaviGAtor posted informative messages in CMSs for those headed to Florida. ITS Florida and its members congratulate GDOT, its partners, and all who are associated with the system for their outstanding service to the state, region, and nation on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the NaviGAtor System.”

Past President Charles Wallace presented the award to Ms. Carla Holmes, State Traffic Operations Engineer, and she was joined by Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl and Director of Operations, Steve Henry.

Closing
Special thanks are extended to those who designed and launched NaviGAtor in 1996, to those who maintain NaviGAtor today and are expanding it for the future, and to all NaviGAtor partners for their continued support.

This article was provided by Monica Luck, GDOT Transportation Management Center, and Christine Macaulay, PB Farradyne. For more information, please contact Ms. Luck at (404) 635-8035 or email Monica.Luck@dot.state.ga.us, or contact Ms. Macaulay at (404) 364-2413 or email Macaulay@pbworld.com.

For more information on ITS Florida, please check the ITS Florida Web site at www.itsflorida.org or contact Diana Carsey, Executive Director, at (727) 409-5415 or email CarseyD@verizon.net.

If you wish to contribute an article to the SunGuide Disseminator on behalf of ITS Florida, please contact Erika Ridlehoover at (813) 376-0036, or email Erika.Ridlehoover@transcore.com.

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Editorial Corner – Moving Florida Toward Digital Transit With ITS

Transit systems in Florida and across the nation are increasingly deploying ITS technologies as a way to improve performance, increase safety, and reduce costs. ITS technologies, such as automatic vehicle locators (AVL), automatic passenger counters (APCs), electronic fare media, and real-time information systems, are often referred to as advanced public transportation systems (APTS) within the transit industry. These technologies have helped transit systems to achieve improvements in various areas of transit management and operations, including fleet management, on-time performance, scheduling, fare collection, security, etc. Ultimately these improvements result in higher ridership numbers and more satisfied riders.

In recent years, the pace of APTS planning and deployment activity has picked up considerably among Florida transit systems as many of them realize the potential positive impacts these systems can have on their services. The most common APTS technologies being deployed by Florida transit systems are improved communications systems. This makes a lot of sense because a major factor in achieving the benefits promised by APTS is a robust and up-to-date communications infrastructure.

APTS technologies help improve public transportation systems efficiency and performance by providing operators and decision-makers with tools to make more intelligent and expeditious decisions. For instance, by being able to monitor and manage the fleet in real-time with an AVL, system transit operators can quickly respond to emergency situations; bus stops can be announced automatically with voice annunciators, real-time bus arrivals/departures can be made available to the public with real-time information systems, and fare collection and passenger counting can be done automatically with electronic fare collection and APC sstems.

Data collected from APTS technologies can be used to provide service planners and transit management with the necessary information for service improvement decisions, such as tracking schedule adherence, utilizing realistic running times, identifying locations with heavy ridership and wheelchair activity, addressing safety and security issues, preparing a preventive maintenance plan, and providing better service in general. 

Recent APTS efforts in Florida include:

• South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) released a Request for Proposal (RFP) to acquire a regionally compatible Universal Automated Fare Collection System for the South Florida Region as well as APCs for Miami-Dade Transit. Participating transit agencies include Broward County Transit (BCT), Miami-Dade Transit (MDT), Palm Beach County Transit (PalmTran), and the Tri-County Commuter Rail Authority (Tri-Rail). A regional electronic fare media, will allow transit riders to seamlessly use the same fare media on all transit systems within the region.
• The Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART) is also pursuing a bundle of APTS technologies, as part of their ITS program. With the RFP and vendor selection process near completion, the agency is getting ready to deploy a comprehensive system that will take advantage of a full range of APTS technologies.
• Volusia County Transit (VOTRAN) is well underway in the process of implementing key APTS technologies, including AVLs, APCs, real-time information systems, and voice annunciators. Highlights of this project include the use of an integrator and consultants to ensure that the implementation goes as smooth as possible. These technologies are expected to enhance the agency’s operations, planning, and customer service as well as improve the delivery of transit service.

Other Florida transit systems that are planning or implementing significant APTS projects include: PalmTran in Palm Beach County, Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT), Lee County Transit (LeeTran), Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT), LYNX in the Orlando area, Lakeland-Polk County, RTS in Gainesville, and StarMetro in Tallahassee.

As part of an overall effort to improve public transportation in Florida, FDOT has been very supportive of the ITS/APTS efforts of Florida’s transit systems through grants and technical assistance. FDOT provides direct ITS/APTS technical assistance through ITS consultants and sponsors the Resource for Advanced Public Transportation Systems (RAPTS) program at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) of the University of South Florida. RAPTS was established to provide APTS research, Web site, information and awareness activities, technology case studies, and technical assistance. Visit the RAPTS Web site at http://www.rapts.org for additional information on planned and deployed APTS technologies and check often, as the Web site is constantly being updated. The site includes the update of the statewide APTS inventory.

This editorial was provided by Ike Ubaka, FDOT Transit. For more information, please contact Mr. Ubaka at (850) 414-4532 or email Ike.Ubaka@dot.state.fl.us. Other contacts for information include: Fabian Cevallos, Senior Research Associate, CUTR at Cevallos@cutr.usf.edu or Rob Gregg, CUTR Director of Transit Management & Innovation at Gregg@cutr.usf.edu.

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FDOT Equipment Certification

The FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office, through the Traffic Engineering Research Laboratory (TERL), is responsible for approving all traffic control signal devices. Approved devices are kept on the FDOT Approved Products List (APL), a listing of devices that may be relied upon as meeting FDOT specifications, standards, or other criteria.

The APL is a means for the FDOT to meet Florida Statute 316.0745, Uniform Signals and Devices, which states, “All official traffic control signals or official traffic control devices purchased and installed in this state by any public body or official shall conform with the manual and specifications published by the Department of Transportation pursuant to subsection (2).”

More information on the FDOT APL may be viewed at www.dot.state.fl.us.TrafficOperations/ TERL/APL.htm. Specific approved products in the FDOT APL may be searched at rite.eng.fsu.edu/iapl/page1.php.

For more information, please contact Carl Morse, FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office, at (850) 410-5417 or email Carl.Morse@dot.state.fl.us.

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Announcements

Don't Miss the 2006 National Rural ITS Conference—the “Last Best Place”
Don’t miss the 2006 NRITS Conference, to be held in Big Sky, Montana, August 13-16, 2006.

The 2006 NRITS Conference will provide an opportunity for transportation professionals dealing with rural transportation issues to discuss current topics, exchange information, and attend valuable and memorable networking events. This is a unique opportunity to learn first hand about new and innovative approaches to help solve the many challenges facing rural transportation.

Plan on attending NRITS, set in the majestic backdrop of the Rocky Mountains and Lone Mountain. More information is available on-line at http://www.2006nrits.org/.

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Changing Faces!
We are happy to introduce Ashleigh Smith, PB Farradyne, as a new addition to FDOT’s ITS Program as a System Analyst for the FDOT Telecommunications General Consultant. Ashleigh will take care of the computer system network needs for the Traffic Engineering and Operations Office. Please join us in welcoming Ashleigh!

We would also like to wish the best to our outgoing personnel—Shannon Chatwood, who has started his own business.

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