# Presentation: 577805

## Freeway Management &  Traffic Operations  Program Goals, Measures & Thresholds

- TMC PFS Meeting
- Jon Obenberger
- June 4, 2003

## Freeway Management & Traffic Operations:

*Primary Program Products:*
- Freeway Management & Operations Handbook (Update 	as needed ~ 5 years)
- State-of-Practice Paper (Update as needed ~ 2 years)
- Program Performance Measures White Paper (Update as 	needed ~ 2 years)
- ITS Deployment Tracking Survey Results & Trends in 	Practice (Update as needed ~ 2 years)
- Traffic Management Toolbox Cd-rom (Updated annually)
- Roadmap of Program & Proposed Initiatives (Annually)
- Legislation, Regulations & Policies
- Technology Outreach & Awareness (e.g., web sites)

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Freeway Management Handbook: 

*Intended Audience:*
- Professionals involved with or responsible for any 	phase in life cycle of freeway network
*Purpose:*
- Provide understanding of potential strategies, tools & 	technologies that may be used to support the 	management & operation of freeway network
*Current Draft:  *_[http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/Travel/traffic/](http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/Travel/traffic/freeway_management.htm)_* *

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Freeway Management Handbook:

*Chapters:*
- Freeway Management & Operation of Surface 	Transportation Network
- Performance Monitoring & Evaluation
- Freeway & Traffic Operations Programs
- Roadway Improvement Projects
- Roadway Operational Improvements
- Ramp Management & Control
- Managed Lanes
- HOV Systems

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Freeway Management Handbook: (Cont.)

*Chapters:*
- Traffic Incident Management (Handbook)
- Planned Special Event Management (Handbook)
- Emergency & Evacuation Management
- Information Dissemination
- Transportation Management Systems
- Detection & Surveillance (Handbook plus)
- Regional Information Sharing & Integration
- Communications

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Inventory Current Practices & Trends :

*ITS Deployment:*  Top-78 metro areas, statewide, 30 	mid-sized areas & sampling
- Web access to survey results & information
- White paper report summarizing results & trends
- Basis for reporting progress on achieving program 	performance measures & thresholds
*Planning & Outreach for Specific Initiatives:*
- Managed lanes
- Corridor Traffic Management
- Planned Special Events
- Feedback From Specific Projects

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Current State-of-Practice, Trends & Needs:

**Highway Traffic Operations & Freeway Management:  State-of-practice “White Paper”:**
*Purpose:*  Summarizes the state-of-the-practice and state-of-the-art nationally associated with the operation and proactive management of traffic on freeway facilities
*Input:  *Planning for* *future federal activities
*Focus:* managing & operating freeways, expressways, & toll roads.  Its primary intended audiences are:
*Intended Audience:* traffic operations managers & people who directly support them

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## State-of-practice White Paper: (Cont.) 

*Relationship to Program:*
- Inter-related to & companion document w/ Freeway 	Management & Operations Handbook
- Planning for* *future federal activities
*Intended Use by Public Agencies:*
- Assess current traffic operations program, 	management systems & how they manage & 	operate freeway facilities
- Compare current practices to state-of-practice & 	state-of-art nationally
- Develop ideas, initiatives, & plan to improve upon 	current practices & move toward recommended 	national practices

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## State-of-practice White Paper: (Cont.)

*Report Overview:*
-  Background:
- Institutional Arrangement
- Organizational Aspects
- System Functions
- Benefits
- State-of-Practice (Institut., Organizational, Technical)
- State-of-Art
- Gaps Between SOP & SOA
- Recommended Actions: Research, Technical Guidance, 	Best Practices, Training, & Outreach

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## FHWA: Freeway Management & Traffic 	Operations

**Program Area Initiatives:**
- TMCs
- Freeway Management & Operations
- Managed Lanes
- Planned Special Events
- Corridor Traffic Management & Control
- HOV Systems
- Technology Transfer

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Possible Goals, Measures & Targets:

**Current Status & Next Steps:**
- Develop goals & performance measures
- Verify & revise data from surveys
- Trends w/ performance measures & draft targets for measures
- Draft white paper
- Outreach, review & feedback on white paper draft(s)
- Final white paper submitted – end of July

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Possible Goals, Measures & Targets:

**Goal 1:***  *TMCs actively monitoring traffic & roadway conditions within top XXX metropolitan areas & statewide in XXX States
*Measure 1:*  TMCs deployed, monitoring roadway & 	traffic conditions & proactively managing traffic on 	freeway facilities w/in top XXX metropolitan areas
*Measure 2:* TMCs deployed, monitoring roadway & 	coordinating in response to traffic conditions & 	proactively managing traffic on freeway facilities 	statewide in XXX states

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Possible Goals, Measures & Targets: (Cont.)

**Goal 1:** (Cont.)**  **
*Measure 3:*  XXX Freeway miles where traffic data is 	being collected & monitored in real-time
- % of freeway miles in metro areas?
- % of freeway miles in state?
*Measures 4:*  XXX TMCs archiving & reporting on 	freeway traffic conditions & performance
- # of TMCs?
- # of statewide TMCs

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Possible Goals, Measures & Targets: (Cont.)

**Goal 2: **XXX TMCs proactively managing & controlling traffic on freeway facilities** **
*Measure 1:  *Freeway miles with real-time surveillance 	to manage and control traffic* *
- # of TMCs?  # of Metro Areas?
*Measure 2:  *Freeway miles operating under various 	lane management operational strategies* *
- # of TMCs?  # of Metro Areas?
*Measure 3:  *Freeway miles operating under access 	control or ramp metering control strategies* *
- # of TMCs?  # of Metro Areas?

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Possible Goals, Measures & Targets: (Cont.)

**Goal 3:  **XXX TMCs coordinating & sharing information in real-time between public safety interests & traffic signal control systems** **
*Measure 1:  *TMCs coordinating, sharing information & control in real-time w/ traffic signal control systems in response to changing roadway & traffic conditions* *
- # of TMCs?  # of Metro Areas?
- 1, 2 or 3 capabilities?
*Measure 2:  *TMCs coordinating & sharing information in real-time between public safety interests in response to changing roadway & traffic conditions* *
- # of TMCs?  # of Metro Areas?
- Coordinating?  Coordinating & Sharing?

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Possible Goals, Measures & Targets: (Cont.)

**Goal 3: (Cont.)**
*Measure 3:  *XXX TMCs w/ responsibility to coordinate & share information w/ other TMCs in real-time based on changing roadway & traffic conditions within state
- # of TMCs?  # of States?
- Coordinate & Share Information Only?

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Possible Goals, Measures & Targets: (Cont.)

**Goal 4:**  Agencies proactively managing & controlling traffic within urban freeway corridors **  **
*Measure 1:*  XXX freeways w/ established agreements  & operational procedures documented to manage & control traffic in real-time w/in urban corridors
- # of freeway miles?  % of freeway miles w/in metro area?  % of urban corridors w/in urban areas?
- Need for rural corridors?  Statewide measure needed?
*Measure 2:*  XXX freeways w/ interfaces developed between TMCs & traffic signal control systems to manage & control traffic in real-time w/ urban corridors
- # or % of freeway miles w/in metro area?
- % of urban corridors?

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Possible Goals, Measures & Targets: (Cont.)

**Goal 4: (Cont.)**
*Measure 3:  XXX* freeway where operational strategies & control plans developed, documented & proactively being used in real-time to control traffic on & between freeways & surface streets w/in urban corridors
- # or % of freeway miles w/in metro area?
- % of urban corridors?

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Possible Goals, Measures & Targets: (Cont.)

**Goal 5: **Proactively managing & coordinating traffic control activities for planned special events
*Measure 1: * XXX metropolitan areas with a multi-agency traffic management plan, team, procedures, & control plans being applied for at least 1 specific planned special event
- # of events?  # of new?
- # of characteristics?

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Possible Goals, Measures & Targets: (Cont.)

**Goal 5: **(Cont.)
*Measure 2: * XXX metropolitan areas w/ multi-agency 	initiative focusing on continuously improving the 	management & control of traffic for all planned 	special events that may occur w/in region
- # of events?  # of new?
- # of characteristics?

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Goals & Perf. Measures:  White Paper

- Purpose:
- Context & justification for established perf. measures & targets
- Facilitate review, comments & buy-in from stakeholders
- Key issues to address:
- FM & O overview, background, objectives & measures
- FM & O program goals, performance measures, & indicators
- Relationship & synergy w/: congestion vital few objectives, 	ITS Deployment & Integration Programs, & FHWA strategic 	plan (e.g., goals, objectives, measures, etc.)
- Measuring & tracking data & performance measures
- Survey & sampling
- Baseline & trends
- Proposed PM & target values

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## EXAMPLE:

**Goal 1:** Deployment & Operation of TMCs
***Measure 1:****  *TMCs managing & controlling traffic

| 
Indicator | 
2000 | 
2002 | Project
2008 | 
Target 2008 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Top 78 Metro Areas w/ TMCs | 
 56  | 
59 | 
73
 | 
78 *** |
| # TMCs  in Top
78 Metro Areas | 
84 | 
86 | 
101 | 
N.A. |
| # of Metro Areas
w/ TMCs | - | 71 | 89
 | 100 |
| Total # of TMC 
in US  | 
- | 
125 | 
149 | 
170 |

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## ITS Integration Program:  FM Indicators

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations

## Goal X: Measure X:  HOV facilities in operation

- Current & Planned HOV Facilities in Operation:

- Freeway Management & Traffic Operations