# Presentation: 517940

## USDOT Congestion

**USDOT Congestion**
**Initiative**

- Baltimore – Washington Regional Traffic Signal Forum
- Maritime Institute
- Linthicum, MD
- March 14, 2007

- Regina McElroy
- Director, Office of Transportation Management
- Office of Operations
- Federal Highway Administration

## The Congestion Challenge

***“******Mobility is one of our country’s greatest freedoms,***
***but congestion . . . Limits predictable and reliable***
***movement of people and goods and poses a ***
***serious threat to continued economic growth.”***

**Secretary Mary Peters, October 2006**

## USDOT Congestion Initiative – Why Now

**Surging public discontent with congestion and “pork” barrel spending**
**New advances in technology that can greatly improve system management and pricing**
**Successful congestion reducing demonstrations in major cities around the world**
**Strong private sector investment interest in US infrastructure**
**Growing consensus that traditional financing mechanisms for highway and aviation infrastructure are unsustainable**
**Economic benefits of trucking, rail and aviation deregulation (estimated at $60B/year) increasingly threatened**

## USDOT Congestion Initiative – A Six Point Plan

**Relieve urban congestion**
**Unleash private sector investment resources**
**Promote operational and technological improvements**
**Establish a “Corridors of the Future” competition**
**Target major freight bottlenecks and expand freight policy outreach**
**Accelerate major aviation capacity projects and provide a future funding framework**

## Create urban partnerships
Promote HOV to HOT conversion
Implement meaningful congestion management process
Reduce impacts of bottlenecks

- Promote HOV to HOT conversion
- Implement meaningful congestion management process
- Reduce impacts of bottlenecks

- USDOT Congestion InitiativePoint 1

**Relieve Urban **
**Congestion**

## Implement broad congestion pricing
New or expanded bus rapid transit
Expanded telecommuting / flexible work schedules
Technology / operations strategies

- New or expanded bus rapid transit
- Expanded telecommuting / flexible work schedules
- Technology / operations strategies

- Urban Partnership Agreements

## Significant Interest
Congestion Pricing/Urban Partnership Agreements Workshops
 Washington, DC (March 21)
 Denver (March 23)
 Atlanta (March 30)
Frequently Asked Questions posted at grants.gov (March 2007)

- Congestion Pricing/Urban Partnership Agreements Workshops
-  Washington, DC (March 21)
-  Denver (March 23)
-  Atlanta (March 30)
- Frequently Asked Questions posted at grants.gov (March 2007)

- Urban Partnership Agreements

## Establish FHWA expert task force
Assess opportunities for HOV to HOT conversions
Champion HOV to HOT Conversions
Provide technical support/training

- Assess opportunities for HOV to HOT conversions
- Champion HOV to HOT Conversions
- Provide technical support/training

- HOV to HOT Conversions

## Bring Operations into the Planning Process
New SAFETEA-LU requirement
TMAs with certification reviews in FY07

- New SAFETEA-LU requirement
- TMAs with certification reviews in FY07

- Meaningful Congestion Management Process

## Reduce Impacts of Bottlenecks 

- Initiate dialogue with States to pursue innovative solutions with near-term impacts
- Distribute Primer and lessons learned from Lead States
- Promote establishment of comprehensive bottleneck reduction programs

## Traveler Information
Work Zones
Incident Management
Traffic Signal Timing

- Work Zones
- Incident Management
- Traffic Signal Timing

- USDOT Congestion InitiativePoint 3

**Promote Operational**
**and**
**Technological**
**Improvements**

## Real-Time Traveler Information

- Nationwide 511 deployment
- Travel time on all urban DMS signs
- SAFETEA-LU Section 1201 – Implementation (NPRM)

## Reduce Work Zone Delay

- Implement work zone safety and mobility final rule

## Reduce Incident Delay

- “Move it” laws
- Quick clearance policies
- Full function service patrols
- Integrated transportation / law enforcement technology

## Improve Traffic Signal Timing

- Increase awareness/funding (Self Assessments and National Report Card)
- Champion regular signal retiming programs
- Release ACS lite

- Springfield, MO

## Congestion Information Resources

_**USDOT Web Site:**_**  www.fightgridlocknow@dot.gov**
_**Operations Web Site**_**: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov**
**Urban Partnership Program Manager – Patrick DeCorla Souza, (202) 366-4076**
_**Congestion Mitigation Coordinator **_**– Rich Taylor, (202) 366-1327**