SunGuide Transportation Partners Guarantee South Florida a Winning Score for Super Bowl XLI

When the South Florida area played host to the National Football League’s (NFL's) two conference champions on February 4, 2007, in Super Bowl XLI, months of planning and preparation by the Southeast Florida Regional Transportation Management Center Operations Committee (SEFRTOC) were put to the test. Super Bowl XLI was the first time since 1999 that the South Florida area had played host to the NFL’s biggest game of the year; thus, the first time that many of the regional roadways, such as Florida’s Turnpike, were able to offer the support of an extensive ITS in managing travel and traffic conditions surrounding the Super Bowl and related week-long activities. Florida’s Turnpike is the primary access to Dolphins Stadium from multiple directions, including roads that feed into the stadium, such as nearby adjoining freeways like I-95 and State Road 826/Palmetto Expressway in Miami-Dade County and Interstate 595 in Broward County.

The SEFRTOC group, which includes Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE), FDOT Districts 4 and 6, Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) and the region’s contracted 511 service provider, SmartRoute Systems, spent countless hours planning for and coordinating with the Super Bowl’s Host Committee and Transportation Committee members. SEFRTOC, formed in 2003 by the South Florida ITS Coalition, provides a forum among the region’s TMCs and advanced traveler information system providers for coordinated communications, decision-making, and resource sharing towards a regional approach in traffic operations and incident management. The SEFRTOC platform allows South Floridians to experience a seamless approach in receiving their travel information; whether through various agencies’ dynamic message signs (DMS), highway advisory radio (HAR), or 511 services. In four short years, the partnership has:

• Adopted Standard Operating Guidelines for managing regional traffic events,
• Established center-to-center protocols for incident-related messaging,
• Developed contingency plans for hurricane events, and
• Worked collectively to improve the area’s 511 information content.

For Super Bowl XLI, SEFRTOC members began attending meetings with transportation providers, security agencies, and event coordinators in April 2006. Transportation Committee meetings were held monthly to assist in planning between event promoters, private transportation providers, and public agencies, such as SEFRTOC. Super Bowl XLI brought over 120,000 visitors to South Florida for the game and other surrounding festivities, including over 25,000 non-local support staff. These festivities began more than one week prior to Super Bowl Sunday and were scattered across the entire tri-county area, with heavy concentrations in Miami Beach, Downtown Miami, and Downtown Fort Lauderdale/Las Olas.

Super Bowl XLI was projected to have transportation impacts substantially different than that of a typical Miami Dolphins football game. For example, a majority of game attendees came to the stadium via modes other than personal vehicles, and most vehicle parking was located off-site due to security requirements and the size of the NFL Experience events. Therefore, public transit, privately chartered buses, and private limousines represented major routes for visitors to access the game. SEFRTOC members worked with Ridgeway Transportation, the NFL’s hired event managers, in order to collaborate on plans for ingress/egress and find the best ways to deliver real-time traffic information to these varied transportation providers. Pre-planned DMS messages were developed to assist the event providers in delivering valuable information to attendees regarding parking restrictions, traffic congestion, and incidents. SEFRTOC’s collective ITS provided the partnership real-time access to 150 distinct, permanent DMS locations on the region’s limited access roadways to support any traffic event.

Beyond coordination on traffic and incident management issues, FTE was able to coordinate with transportation providers to encourage the use of SunPass®, Florida’s prepaid toll program, by most buses. Event promoters made arrangements with Florida’s Turnpike to pre-pay for outbound tolls at nearby plazas, in order to provide more efficient exiting traffic conditions. Additionally, SEFRTOC partners met with those responsible for security to the transportation system like Department of Homeland Security, Florida Highway Patrol and Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was ideal for the region’s TMCs to have a direct contact with these agencies to assist in case unplanned events were to impact the roadway system.

Two of the five SEFRTOC members were able to place TMC staff on-site at the stadium’s Transportation/Public Safety Command Center; more partners would have attended if not for the extreme limited amount of space. FTE ’s TMC was able to extend monitoring and reporting capabilities of its SunNav^SM system to this location; and District 4 was able to establish a remote link to view closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at this command center. Even more crucial, these two team members provided a communications platform between the SEFRTOC centers and the Super Bowl’s event managers on the game day, when specific issues arose and public traffic information requests were made of the SunGuide partners. Parking lots open to the public were filled quicker than expected and DMSs approaching the stadium were able to be changed to give appropriate directions.

Additional Road Rangers, State Farm Safety Patrols, and wrecker coverage were provided on behalf of the SEFRTOC partners to expedite responses to incidents and provide a higher level of service to any stranded motorists. FTE staged service plaza wreckers at four interchange locations in close proximity to Dolphins Stadium. Super Bowl Sunday wound up being a rainy day and in the 16 hours surrounding the game, 22 lane-blocking incidents occurred in the 20 miles closest to Dolphin Stadium, requiring 32 tows, including 5 incidents involving vehicle rollovers. Having additional resources for the TMCs to dispatch helped roadway lanes to be opened faster.

All said, the close-to-one-year spent on the front end coordination with transportation providers and officials ensured a positive Super Bowl XLI experience for most involved and helped South Florida prove worthy to host Super Bowl XLIV in year 2010.

This article was provided by John Easterling, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise. For more information, please contact Mr. Easterling at (954) 934-1292 or email John.Easterling@dot.state.fl.us.

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New Test Intersections for the TERL

With responsibility for testing and certifying devices submitted by manufacturers and vendors for placement on the Approved Products List (APL), the Traffic Engineering Research Lab (TERL) needs on-site facilities to test devices in an environment as near to actual "real-life" field conditions as possible. This includes the ability to test a wide range of devices employed at intersections, the most obvious being traffic signal components and systems.

There has been a four-way test intersection at the TERL since the 1970s. With assistance from the FDOT Districts, an attempt was made in the late 1990s to upgrade this intersection. Reinforced concrete poles, intended to replace the older creosoted-wood "telephone" poles, were obtained and installed, but resource limitations at both the Central Office and Districts prevented further work, and the upgrade was never completed. Signal brackets, span wires, electrical cabling, etc. were not installed, and the existing test intersection still employs the original wooden poles, span wires, and cabling. The concrete poles remain unused.

With the much-appreciated support of FDOT Assistant Secretary Kevin Thibault, Chief Engineer Ananth Prasad and State Traffic Standards Engineer Chester Henson, plans are being drawn up for three TERL test intersections—a renovated existing intersection at the south end of the TERL property and two new intersections. One new intersection will be located at the north end of the TERL and the other in the central area.

Also, stored at the TERL is a large stock of replacement traffic-signal components (signal heads, LED modules, brackets, span wire, cable) which was purchased for the 2006 hurricane season and (fortunately) not needed. Some of these components will be used to outfit the renovated south intersection.

These new testing facilities will enable multiple tests to be conducted simultaneously, significantly improving the TERL's ability to process the increasing number of devices in the queue for APL testing.

This article was provided by Bill Lueck, FDOT Traffic Engineering and Operations Office. The article is based on information provided by Jeff Morgan, TERL Program Manager. For more information, please contact Mr. Lueck at (850) 443-8744 or email Bill.Lueck@dot.state.fl.us. Mr. Morgan may be reached at (850) 921-7354 or email Jeffrey.Morgan@dot.state.fl.us.

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ITS Wide Area Network Update

South Florida Deployment
The ITS wide area network (WAN) for center-to-center communications continues to move closer to reality. The Invitation to Bid (ITB) for the South Florida Deployment (SFD), the first phase of the ITS WAN, is being advertised, the notice having been posted on February 20, 2007. Other important near-term dates on the ITS WAN SFD calendar are:

• March 7: ITB pre-bid conference (mandatory for all bidders).
• March 15: Deadline for submission of written technical questions.
• March 27: Bid opening (deadline for submission of bids).
• April 3: Posting of award.
• April 6: Deadline for written notice of protest.
• April 16: Deadline for written text of protest.

Barring any protests, site installations should begin no later than two months after the protest deadline, which would be mid-June. The ITS Program is working toward as rapid a deployment as is possible and prudent. The six ITS WAN SFD sites, in order of installation and with the abbreviations used for them in the ITB, are:

• Traffic Engineering Research Lab, Tallahassee (TERL).
• Tallahassee Florida Highway Patrol Microwave Site, Tallahassee (TFHP).
• McArthur/Sunrise Microwave Site, Plantation (MS).
• District 4 RTMC, Ft. Lauderdale (D4).
• District 6 RTMC, Miami (D6).
• Turnpike Enterprise Pompano Plaza Regional Transportation Management Center (RTMC), Pompano Beach (TPEP).

The ITS WAN SFD should be in place and operational by fall, 2007.

Central Florida Deployment
Funding for the ITS WAN Central Florida Deployment (CFD) should be available July 1. The ITS WAN CFD will be the second phase of the ITS WAN and will connect four additional RTMCs:

• Turnpike Enterprise Turkey Lake Plaza RTMC, Ocoee (TPEO).
• District 5 RTMC, Orlando (D5).
• District 2 RTMC, Jacksonville (D2).
• District 7 RTMC, Tampa (D7).

Work on the ITB for the ITS WAN CFD has already begun; specific scheduling will be dependent on the progress of the South Florida Deployment. The CFD should be completed in 2008.

Future Phases
The third phase of the ITS WAN will be the Southwest Florida Deployment (SWFD), connecting the District 1 RTMC at Ft. Myers (District 1). The fourth phase will be the Northwest Florida Deployment (NWFD), connecting the District 3 RTMCs planned for Pensacola (D3P) and Tallahassee (D3T). Funding and ITBs for these phases are planned, but further work is dependent on RTMC construction and completion.

This article was provided by Bill Lueck, Traffic Engineering and Operations Office. For further information, please contact Mr. Lueck at (850) 443-8744 or email Bill.Lueck@dot.state.fl.us.

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Managing High Technology Projects in Transportation

ITS Florida is proud to present an 8-hour course on "Managing High Technology Projects in Transportation," April 2-3, 2007, in Orlando.

Presented by Mr. Mac Lister, ITS Coordinator for FHWA’s Resource Center in Chicago, the course is provided through support of the ITS America's Research Integration, Training and Education (RITE) Forum. ITS America provides state chapter training through the RITE Forum in coordination with FHWA’s Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Director, Mr. Ron Giguere.

Course Description
The course is designed to improve project management skills of both public- and private-sector personnel responsible for managing the implementation of technology-intensive transportation projects, which are generally ITS projects.

The course provides training related to the fundamental principles and practices of good project management; the steps to be taken for the planning, design, procurement, and implementation through operations and maintenance of transportation systems projects; the types of project management tools available for managing transportation systems projects; and the basic skills required to be a good project manager. This course also covers project management techniques associated with all phases of system acquisition from planning through acceptance.

Presenter
The Managing High Technology Projects in Transportation Course is presented by Mr. Mac Lister, ITS Specialist, FHWA Resource Center in Chicago. Mac has over 35 years of experience in the field of information systems. Before joining FHWA 10 years ago, he worked as an IT manager for 25 years, the last 12 of which were for a public transit agency. His ITS areas of expertise are 511 technology/overall operations, the National ITS Architecture, ITS professional capacity building, and systems engineering.

Mac provides training, outreach, and technical support for the National ITS Architecture and Systems Engineering programs. He is also the team leader for the FHWA's National Field Support team, the field co-chair for the FHWA Operations Council's architecture and systems engineering working groups, and a member of the 511 Deployment Coalition Working Group.

Mac is a certified instructor and a master trainer for National Highway Institute (NHI). He teaches courses in ITS Software Acquisition, Systems Engineering, and National ITS Architecture. He has also been an independent consultant to ITS America. Mac is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe why tailored project management techniques are critical to success in managing advanced transportation projects
• Define key components in planning the project
• Identify the primary participants that need to be involved throughout the development of a project
• Identify the stages of the process and the management tools that are applicable at each stage 
• Identify and describe key general management skills that are applicable to managing projects for advanced transportation systems

Target Audience
Current and prospective project managers, project engineers, and designers from state DOTs and state and local transportation agencies, as well as those in the private sector who support the lifecycle implementation of advanced transportation projects.

This article was provided by Diana Carsey,ITS Florida. For more information, please contact Ms. Carsey at (727) 409-5415 or email CarseyD@verizon.net.

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 email Mary Hamill at MaryKHamill@global-5.com.

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Editorial Corner—FDOT's ITS Program: A National Leader

Having spent a number of years working shoulder-to-shoulder with the FDOT staff for the ITS Program, and as a consulting firm working in many states throughout the United States, we were asked to contrast FDOT’s ITS Program to those in other states. After carefully considering our knowledge of ITS deployments by other state departments of transportation (DOT), we can only conclude that FDOT is currently at the national vanguard for ITS deployments.

We feel that one of the primary reasons for the FDOT ITS Program’s success is the centralized ITS coordination that has developed within Florida’s DOT. FDOT’s Central Office ITS Program acts as a unifier for all ITS deployed throughout Florida. This has resulted in a cohesive effort in statewide ITS initiatives, which in turn, has saved millions of dollars, exponentially increased the spending power of the individual Districts, and created a platform for regional and statewide interoperability. Bringing all of the Districts together with the Central Office allows information-sharing, including lessons learned. Through this gained knowledge, the FDOT has initiated many efforts which continue to be leaders through out the country, such as:

• SunGuide^SM Software—The FDOT Central Office ITS Program spearheaded this software which enables Florida's transportation management centers (TMCs) to integrate numerous hardware, software, and network applications, as well as exchange data with other TMCs. Gone are the days of reinventing the wheel; Districts no longer need to redevelop TMC software for their individual needs. The benefit of this statewide initiative continues to be felt as each District receives regular upgrades and enhancements that are developed based upon a broader set of lessons learned. This statewide TMC software approach was not pioneered by Florida, but it has been significantly advanced by Florida as a model for other multi-urban area states.
• ITS Specifications Development—It quickly became apparent that FDOT needed to develop minimum specifications and standard drawings for ITS devices deployed in Florida. These standards are developed through consensus by the Central Office, Districts, and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise. Once finalized, the specifications are provided to the FDOT Specifications Office for review, distribution, comment, final editing, and ultimate inclusion in the Workbook of Implemented Modifications to the Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction. Other project design requirements for ITS deployments will be included in the FDOT’s Plans Preparation Manual, and typical drawings will be published in the Design Standards. To the best of our knowledge, no other state has undertaken any such endeavor.
• Florida’s Statewide 511—Florida is one of the country’s leaders in traveler information. Since inception of the Central and Southeast Florida 511 services in 2002, Florida’s 511 services have, on average, accounted for between 20 to 40 percent (depending on the time of year) of the 511 calls from all statewide and regional services in operation nationwide.
• Systems Engineering—Early in the ITS Program, FDOT realized that identifying and defining a consistent systems engineering approach through an appraisal and process review of current practices and methods for systems engineering in Florida was extremely important. To this end, FDOT developed the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) to enable an ITS engineer to manage a project using systems engineering principles and methods to maximize the quality of the system being implemented, while minimizing the budget and schedule required for its completion. Florida was the first state to implement a SEMP and has continued this FHWA requirement for ITS deployment funding.
• Florida’s Evacuation Management—Located in an area visited by much severe weather, evacuation has been a primary focus for the FDOT. In 2006, the FDOT initiated a best practices review with the end vision being a well planned contraflow for emergency evacuation. FDOT visited many coastal states to gain information from their lessons learned and Florida held a workshop, which was widely attended, in order for states to share information. Through this gathered information, Florida has developed contraflow plans for Districts with areas at risk. These plans are in great demand by other states hoping to follow in Florida’s footsteps.
• Traffic Engineering Research Laboratory (TERL) —TERL was originally founded to provide standardization and quality control for traffic signal equipment. That role is being expanded to include an ITS test bedfor the integration of field devices with the SunGuide^SM software. This standardization has made statewide procurement contracts for ITS devices and equipment possible and will result in millions of dollars in savings on future deployments. In addition to being an example for other states to emulate, Florida’s TERL facility could someday be the reference standard for other states’ ITS device deployments. Again, this is not a concept pioneered by Florida, but it is another bold activity that contributes to FDOT’s leadership role in the ITS industry.

Florida has come a long way and isn’t set to rest on these achievements alone. Florida continues taking the steps needed to assure that their ITS Program moves forward and remains ranked as the national leader!

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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

Time is Running Out to Register for FDOT's Annual ITS Working Group Conference
This year’s Annual ITS Working Group Conference is on April 3-4, 2007, at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida (http://shinglecreekresort.com/).

The FDOT ITS Working Group committee has been at work developing the conference events. The meetings will start Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. and conclude Wednesday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. FDOT is preparing an agenda of exciting sessions, along with updates on Florida’s ITS projects. The tentative agenda and other conference materials are located on the FDOT Web site at http://www.dot.state.fl.us/trafficoperations/ITS/Projects_Deploy/WGM.htm.

Again this year, FDOT will have an Exhibitor Showcase, providing an opportunity to meet with exhibitors, make connections, and network. Exhibitor space is full!

FDOT's Annual ITS Working Group Conference has a $40.00 registration fee. In order to attend, you must register online at www.cmc-associates.com/Conferences.shtml (Scroll down to the FDOT Annual ITS Working Group Conference and select Secure On-Line Registration Here!).

If you have any questions about the conference, please contact KarenEngland@pbsj.com. If you have any questions about the registration process, please contact KCrawford@cmc-associates.com or MWozniak@cmc-associates.com.

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ITE 2007 Technical Conference and Exhibits
The ITE 2007 Technical Conference and Exhibit, “Managing Congestion—Can We Do Better?” will held on March 25-28, 2007 in San Diego, California, at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina. Those interested in improving transportation systems to better serve communities should plan to attend this conference. This includes community leaders, activists, local and elected officials as well as transportation professionals employed by federal, state/provincial, regional and governmental agencies, consulting firms, universities and manufacturers.

For more details, visit the conference Web site at www.ite.org/conference/default.asp.

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Invitation to Negotiate
The FDOT ITS Program submitted an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) package to the FDOT's Procurement Office on February 7, 2007. The ITN is for the procurement of the Next Generation Advanced Traveler Information System's dissemination component. The ad is expected to hit the streets in early March. If by publication of this month's Disseminator the ad is not out, be on the lookout for it—it should be out shortly here after.

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Good Luck Paul Clark!
Paul Clark has accepted a position with Gulf Industries. Paul was the Incident Program manager for about a year and a half. We will certainly miss him.

Please join us in wishing Paul good luck in his new position!

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Good Luck Elizabeth McCrary!
Elizabeth McCrary, FDOT District 7, is leaving FDOT to pursue career opportunities in the private sector. Elizabeth served in the public sector (FDOT) for almost 12 years. For the last 2-1/2 years as the ITS Freeway Operations Manager in District 7, Elizabeth performed in an outstanding manner. She will be greatly missed and we wish her the very best in
whatever future path she takes. Please join us in wishing Elizabeth good luck!

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FDOT's Telecommunications General Consultant Contract is Coming to an End!
The Telecommunications General Consultant Contract for the ITS Program under Traffic Engineering and Operations is coming to an end. FDOT is seeking a new contract to continue the work to support telecommunications within the ITS Program. A request for letters of interest was sent out and three qualified firms were short-listed. The three firms are Telvent Farradyne, Stantec Consulting, Inc., and PBS&J. Good luck to all the firms.

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