Intelligent Transportation Systems 

Benefits, Costs, and Lessons 

Learned

2014 Update Report

www.its.dot.gov/index.htm

Final Report — June 2014

Publication Number: FHWA-JPO-14-159

1.1.1.1.1.1
Produced by Noblis, Inc.

U.S. Department of Transportation

ITS Joint Program Office

Cover Photo Credit:

Top Row (Left to right) – ThinkStock, U.S. DOT, ThinkStock

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Notice

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of 

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Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. 

The U.S. Government is not endorsing any manufacturers, products, or 

services cited herein and any trade name that may appear in the work has been 

included only because it is essential to the contents of the work.
Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No.

FHWA-JPO-14-159

2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No.

4. Title and Subtitle

Intelligent Transportation Systems Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Report 5. Report DateJune 2014

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s)

Greg Hatcher, Carolina Burnier, Elizabeth Greer, Dawn Hardesty, Drennan Hicks , Amy Jacobi, 

Cheryl Lowrance, Mike Mercer, 

8. Performing Organization Report No.

9. Performing Organization Name And Address

Noblis 

600 Maryland Ave., SW, Suite 755 

Washington, DC 20024 

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

11. Contract or Grant No.

DTFH61-11-D-00018

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

ITS-Joint Program Office 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590 

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

Final Report

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

HOIT-1 

15. Supplementary Notes

Marcia Pincus, COTR 

16. Abstract

Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) provide a proven set of strategies for advancing transportation safety, mobility, and environmental sustainability by integrating 

communication and information technology applications into the management and operation of the transportation system across all modes. In the future, ITS technologies will 

transform surface transportation by offering a connected environment among vehicles, the infrastructure and passengers' wireless devices, allowing drivers to send and 

receive real-time information about potential hazards and road conditions.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) ITS research program focuses on the overall advancement of ITS through investments in emerging ITS technologies, 

as well as supporting the evaluation of deployed ITS. This report presents information on the benefits, costs, and lessons learned regarding ITS planning, deployment, and 

operations obtained from almost twenty years of evaluation data. 

The report is based upon three related Web-based databases, known collectively as the ITS Knowledge Resources (KRs). The Knowledge Resources were developed by 

the U.S. DOT’s ITS Joint Program Office (JPO) evaluation program to support informed decision making regarding ITS investments by tracking the effectiveness of deployed 

ITS. The Knowledge Resources contain over eighteen years of summaries of the benefits, costs, and lessons learned of specific ITS implementations, drawn primarily from 

written sources such as ITS evaluation studies, research syntheses, handbooks, journal articles, and conference papers. They can be accessed online at 

www.itskrs.its.dot.gov.

The report has been developed as a collection of factsheets presenting information on the performance of deployed ITS, as well as information on the costs, and lessons 

learned regarding ITS deployment and operations. The report has been designed to be flexible for the user. There are a total of 20 factsheets representing the 16 taxonomy 

areas. Four of the taxonomy areas (arterial management, freeway management, transit management, and driver assistance) have enough data to require more than one 

factsheet.

17. Key Words

Benefits, Costs, Lessons Learned, Intelligent Transportation Systems, 

Connected Vehicles

18. Distribution Statement

19. Security Classif. (of this report) 

Unclassified 

20. Security Classif. (of this page)

Unclassified 

21. No. of Pages 

125

22. Price 

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized
Preface/Acknowledgements 

This report was produced as an outcome of work performed by Noblis for United States Department 

of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) 

under contract DTFH61-11-D-00018, as part of the ITS Evaluation program. The authors wish to 

thank James Pol and Marcia Pincus of the U.S. DOT for their expertise and support, as well as the 

many transportation industry personnel who contributed evaluation findings to the ITS Knowledge 

Resources.

U.S. Department of Transportation

Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office

ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Report – Final | i
Table of Contents

Executive Summary................................................................................................................1

FINDINGS........................................................................................................................................1

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF SUMMARIES........................................................................................3

ITS EVALUATION HIGHLIGHTS.........................................................................................................4

1 Introduction .....................................................................................................................9

1.1 ITS LEADS THE WAY ...............................................................................................................9

1.2 THE 2014 ITS BENEFITS, COSTS AND LESSONS LEARNED FACTSHEETS................................9

1.3 MEASURING ITS PERFORMANCE.......................................................................................... 10

1.4 ITS KNOWLEDGE RESOURCES............................................................................................. 10

1.5 2013 TAXONOMY UPDATE.....................................................................................................11

1.6 REPORT ORGANIZATION ........................................................................................................11

1.7 ITS EVALUATION TRENDS..................................................................................................... 12

1.8 MOVING TO A FUTURE CONNECTED VEHICLE AND AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ENVIRONMENT... 13

2 Arterial Management ....................................................................................................14

2.1 OVERVIEW............................................................................................................................ 14

2.1.1 Introduction.......................................................................................14

2.1.2 Benefits.............................................................................................15

2.1.3 Costs.................................................................................................17

2.1.4 Lessons Learned..............................................................................18

2.3 TRAFFIC CONTROL ............................................................................................................... 20

2.3.1 Introduction.......................................................................................20

2.3.2 Benefits.............................................................................................21

2.3.3 Costs.................................................................................................23

2.3.4 Lessons Learned..............................................................................24

2.3.5 Case Study - Eco-Traffic Signal Timing: Preliminary Modeling 

Results 25

3 Freeway Management ..................................................................................................27

3.1 OVERVIEW............................................................................................................................ 27

3.1.1 Introduction.......................................................................................27

3.1.3 Benefits.............................................................................................28

3.1.4 Costs.................................................................................................30

3.1.5 Lessons Learned..............................................................................31

3.1.6 Case Study - Kansas City Ramp Metering Implementation (2013-

00852) 32

3.3 INTEGRATED CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT................................................................................ 34

3.3.1 Introduction.......................................................................................34

3.3.2 Benefits.............................................................................................34

3.3.3 Costs.................................................................................................35

3.3.4 Lessons Learned..............................................................................37

3.3.5 Case Study - Dallas North Tollway (2013-00868)............................40

4 Roadway Operations and Maintenance .....................................................................41

4.1 WORK ZONE MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................. 41

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Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office

ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Report – Final |ii
4.1.1 Introduction.......................................................................................41

4.1.2 Benefits.............................................................................................41

4.1.3 Costs.................................................................................................43

4.1.4 Lessons Learned..............................................................................44

4.1.5 Case Study - SafeTrip 21 Initiative...................................................44

5 Crash Prevention and Safety.......................................................................................46

5.1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 46

5.2 BENEFITS ............................................................................................................................. 47

5.3 COSTS.................................................................................................................................. 50

5.4 LESSONS LEARNED .............................................................................................................. 51

5.5 CASE STUDY - WISCONSIN DOT’S RURAL INTERSECTION COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM 

(RICAS)...................................................................................................................................... 51

6 Road Weather Management.........................................................................................53

6.1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 53

6.3 BENEFITS ............................................................................................................................. 54

6.4 COSTS.................................................................................................................................. 55

6.5 LESSONS LEARNED .............................................................................................................. 57

7 Transit Management .....................................................................................................58

7.1 OPERATIONS AND FLEET MANAGEMENT ............................................................................... 58

7.1.1 Introduction.......................................................................................58

7.1.2 Benefits.............................................................................................58

7.1.3 Costs.................................................................................................59

7.1.4 Lessons Learned..............................................................................60

7.1.5 Case Study - Mobility Services for All-Americans (MSAA) 

Coordination Simulation Study ......................................................................60

7.3 INFORMATION DISSEMINATION .............................................................................................. 61

7.3.1 Introduction.......................................................................................61

7.3.2 Benefits.............................................................................................61

7.3.3 Costs.................................................................................................62

7.3.4 Lessons Learned..............................................................................63

8 Transportation Management Center...........................................................................64

8.1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 64

8.2 BENEFITS ............................................................................................................................. 65

8.3 COSTS.................................................................................................................................. 66

8.4 LESSONS LEARNED .............................................................................................................. 67

8.5 CASE STUDY - IDAHO STATEWIDE COMMUNICATIONS CENTER ............................................. 67

9 Alternative Fuels ...........................................................................................................69

9.1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 69

9.2 BENEFITS ............................................................................................................................. 71

9.3 COSTS.................................................................................................................................. 71

9.4 LESSONS LEARNED .............................................................................................................. 72

9.5 CASE STUDY - LONDON’S WIRELESS INDUCTIVE CHARGING TRIAL....................................... 72

9.6 CASE STUDY – THE I-710 CORRIDOR PROJECT: ZERO EMISSIONS CORRIDOR.................... 72

10 Traffic Incident Management .......................................................................................74

10.1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 74

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ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Report – Final |iii
10.2 BENEFITS..................................................................................................................... 75

10.3 COSTS ......................................................................................................................... 77

10.4 LESSONS LEARNED...................................................................................................... 78

10.5 CASE STUDY - MOBILE FIELD REPORTING/ARIZONA PUBLIC SAFETY ........................... 79

11 Emergency Management .............................................................................................80

11.1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 80

11.2 BENEFITS..................................................................................................................... 80

11.3 COSTS ......................................................................................................................... 81

11.4 LESSONS LEARNED...................................................................................................... 82

12 Traveler Information......................................................................................................83

12.1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 83

12.2 BENEFITS..................................................................................................................... 83

12.3 COSTS ......................................................................................................................... 84

12.4 LESSONS LEARNED...................................................................................................... 84

12.5 CASE STUDY - I-64 FULL CLOSURE – ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI .......................... 85

13 Driver Assistance..........................................................................................................87

13.1 CONNECTED ECO DRIVING, INTELLIGENT SPEED CONTROL, ADAPTIVE CRUISE 

CONTROL, PLATOONING .............................................................................................................. 87

13.1.1 Introduction.......................................................................................87

13.1.2 Benefits.............................................................................................88

13.1.3 Costs.................................................................................................88

13.1.4 Case Study - Safe Road Trains for the Environment (SARTRE)....88

13.3 NAVIGATION / ROUTE GUIDANCE, DRIVER COMMUNICATIONS, AND IN-VEHICLE 

MONITORING ............................................................................................................................... 90

13.3.1 Introduction.......................................................................................90

13.3.2 Benefits.............................................................................................90

13.3.3 Costs.................................................................................................92

13.3.4 Lessons Learned..............................................................................93

13.3.5 Case Study - Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership (CAMP) Driver 

Acceptance Clinics [35] .................................................................................93

14 Information Management.............................................................................................95

14.1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 95

14.2 BENEFITS..................................................................................................................... 96

14.3 COSTS ......................................................................................................................... 96

14.4 LESSONS LEARNED...................................................................................................... 97

14.5 CASE STUDY – REGIONAL INTEGRATED TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION SYSTEM 

(RITIS) 98

15 Commercial Vehicle Operations................................................................................100

15.1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................... 100

15.2 BENEFITS................................................................................................................... 101

15.3 COSTS ....................................................................................................................... 103

15.4 CASE STUDY - WIRELESS ROADSIDE INSPECTION FIELD OPERATIONAL TEST............ 104

16 Intermodal Freight.......................................................................................................106

16.1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................... 106

16.2 BENEFITS................................................................................................................... 107

16.3 COSTS ....................................................................................................................... 108

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ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Report – Final |iv
16.4 LESSONS LEARNED.................................................................................................... 109

17 Electronic Payment and Pricing................................................................................112

17.1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................112

17.2 BENEFITS....................................................................................................................112

17.3 COSTS ........................................................................................................................114

17.4 LESSONS LEARNED.....................................................................................................115

17.5 CASE STUDY - I-394 MNPASSAND I-35W EXPANSION ..............................................116

References ...........................................................................................................................118

APPENDIX A. List of Acronyms ....................................................................................122

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ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Report – Final | v
List of Tables

Table ES-1: Summaries in the Knowledge Resources Databases. .........................................2

Table ES-2: Summaries by Taxonomy/Application Area. .........................................................2

Table ES-3: Summaries by Program Area................................................................................3

Table 2-1: Benefits of Arterial Management............................................................................16

Table 2-2: Benefit-cost Ratios for selected Traffic Control Systems.......................................23

Table 2-3: Adaptive Signal Control Project Costs. ..................................................................24

Table 3-1: Selected Benefits of Ramp Metering in Kansas City. ............................................28

Table 3-2: Selected Benefits of Variable Speed Limit Systems on Freeways........................28

Table 3-3: Selected Benefits of Freeway Management..........................................................29

Table 3-4: I-70 Corridor ITS Project - Estimated Costs (2013-00287)...................................30

Table 3-5: Benefits of ICM. ......................................................................................................35

Table 3-6: Cost Estimates for ICM Implementations. .............................................................35

Table 3-7: Combined ICM Strategies, I-880 Corridor Estimate (2009-00194). ......................36

Table 4-1: System Costs for Smart Work Zones.....................................................................43

Table 5-1: Selected Benefits for Crash Prevention and Safety Strategies.............................47

Table 5-2: Selected Benefits for In-vehicle Safety Technologies............................................48

Table 5-3: System Costs for Crash Prevention Systems........................................................50

Table 6-1: Benefit-cost Ratios of Road Weather Management Strategies.............................54

Table 6-2: Public Agency Consumers of Private Sector Data. ...............................................56

Table 9-1: Alternative Fueling Stations in the United States (Source: U.S. DOE Alternative 

Fuels Data Center [27])...................................................................................................70

Table 10-1: Benefit-Cost Ratios for Incident Management Systems......................................75

Table 10-2: Selected Benefits for Incident Management Strategies. .....................................75

Table 10-3: Annual Operating Costs for Incident Management Systems..............................77

Table 11-1: Virginia Crash Data System Costs.......................................................................81

Table 13-1: Benefits of Navigation/Route Guidance...............................................................91

Table 13-2: Benefits of Driver Communication. ......................................................................91

Table 13-3: Benefits of In-Vehicle Monitoring..........................................................................92

Table 14-1: Benefits of Information Management...................................................................96

Table 14-2: System Costs of Archived Data Management Systems......................................97

Table 14-3: Selected Archived Data Management Costs.......................................................97

Table 15-1: Wireless Roadside Inspection (WRI) Benefit-Cost Ratios, Nationwide (Source: 

U.S. DOT)......................................................................................................................102

Table 16-1: Estimated and Minimum Estimated Monthly Per Truck Benefits Derived Using 

Wireless Communications with GPS Vehicle Positioning System...............................107

Table 16-2: Per Truck-Specific Technology Costs (Wireless Communications with GPS 

Tracking Capabilities)....................................................................................................108

Table 16-3: Costs, Benefits, Benefit-Cost Ratios, and Payback Periods by Industry Segment 

(Wireless Communications with GPS Tracking Capabilities).......................................108

Table 17-1: Benefit-Cost Ratios of Congestion Pricing Strategies. ......................................113

Table 17-2: Congestion Pricing Capital Costs.......................................................................114

Table 17-3: Congestion Pricing Operating Costs..................................................................115

U.S. Department of Transportation

Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office

ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Report – Final | vi
List of Figures

Figure ES-1: ITS Knowledge Resource Summaries by State..................................................4

Figure 2-1: Safety Benefit Metrics Used in Studies of Speed Enforcement (Source: ITS 

Knowledge Resources)...................................................................................................15

Figure 2-2: Range of Benefits for Automated Red Light Running Enforcement (Source: ITS 

Knowledge Resources)...................................................................................................17

Figure 2-3: Advanced Signal Control benefits found in the Knowledge Resource database 

from 2003 to 2013 (Source: ITS Knowledge Resources). .............................................21

Figure 2-4: Adaptive Signal Control benefits found in the knowledge resource database from 

2003 to 2013(Source: ITS Knowledge Resources)........................................................22

Figure 2-5: Diagram of the AERIS Eco-Traffic Signal Timing application (Source: U.S. DOT).25

Figure 4-1: Work Zone ITS Benefits (Source: ITS Knowledge Resources)...........................42

Figure 5-1: Range of Benefits for Crash Avoidance Technologies (Source: ITS Knowledge 

Resources). .....................................................................................................................49

Figure 5-2: Range of Crash Reduction Benefits from Collision Warning Systems (Source: 

ITS Knowledge Resources)............................................................................................49

Figure 7-1: Benefits of Transit Signal Priority Systems (Source: ITS Knowledge Resources).59

Figure 7-2: Benefits of Providing Transit Traveler Information (Source: ITS Knowledge 

Resources). .....................................................................................................................62

Figure 7-3: Bus arrival prediction website for WMATA in Washington, D.C. (Source: 

www.nextbus.com)..........................................................................................................63

Figure 8-1: Range of Benefits for Transportation Management Centers (Source: ITS 

Knowledge Resources)...................................................................................................65

Figure 8-2: Range of Costs for Transportation Management Centers (Source: ITS 

Knowledge Resources)...................................................................................................66

Figure 9-1: Inductive Charging. Position marking for a wireless charging system with coils 

integrated in the road surface (Source: Conductix-Wampfler).......................................70

Figure 9-2: Proposed Catenary System for I-710 Zero-Emissions Corridor (Source: Siemens 

Mobility). ..........................................................................................................................73

Figure 10-1: Range of Benefits of Traffic Incident Management (Source: ITS Knowledge 

Resources). .....................................................................................................................76

Figure 10-2: Range of Vehicle Delay and Fuel Consumption Benefits (Source: ITS 

Knowledge Resources)...................................................................................................77

Figure 12-1: I-64 Full Closure General Information. ...............................................................85

Figure 13-1: Range of Benefits for Connected Eco-Driving, Intelligent Speed Control, 

Adaptive Cruise Control, and Platooning (Source: ITS Knowledge Resources)...........88

Figure 13-2: Percentage of fuel savings of each vehicle in the platoon at varying gaps 

(Source: SARTRE Final Report).....................................................................................89

Figure 14-1: RITIS System Overview (Source: Maryland CATT Lab)....................................98

Figure 15-1: Summary of Benefits for Core CVISN Functions (Source: U.S. DOT, 2008 [40]).102

Figure 17-1: Range of Benefits for Congestion Pricing (Source: ITS Knowledge Resources).113

U.S. Department of Transportation

Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office

ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Report – Final | vii
Executive Summary

Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) provide a proven set of strategies for advancing transportation 

safety, mobility, and environmental sustainability by integrating communication and information 

technology applications into the management and operation of the transportation system across all 

modes. In the future, ITS technologies will transform surface transportation by offering a connected 

environment among vehicles, the infrastructure and passengers' wireless devices, allowing drivers to 

send and receive real-time information about potential hazards and road conditions.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) ITS research program focuses on the overall 

advancement of ITS through investments in emerging ITS technologies, as well as supporting the 

evaluation of deployed ITS. This report presents information on the benefits, costs, and lessons 

learned regarding ITS planning, deployment, and operations obtained from almost twenty years of 

evaluation data. 

The report is based upon three related Web-based databases, known collectively as the ITS 

Knowledge Resources (KRs). The Knowledge Resources were developed by the U.S. DOT’s ITS 

Joint Program Office (JPO) evaluation program to support informed decision making regarding ITS 

investments by tracking the effectiveness of deployed ITS. The Knowledge Resources contain over 

eighteen years of summaries of the benefits, costs, and lessons learned of specific ITS 

implementations, drawn primarily from written sources such as ITS evaluation studies, research 

syntheses, handbooks, journal articles, and conference papers. They can be accessed online at 

www.itskrs.its.dot.gov.

The report has been developed as a collection of factsheets presenting information on the 

performance of deployed ITS, as well as information on the costs and lessons learned regarding ITS 

deployment and operations. The report has been designed to be flexible for the user. The purpose is 

to make the information readily available, whether by accessing it through the web, a mobile device or 

tablet, or by printing sections on one or more application areas. There are a total of 20 factsheets 

representing the 16 taxonomy areas. Four of the taxonomy areas (arterial management, freeway 

management, transit management, and driver assistance) have enough data to require more than one 

factsheet.

Findings

As of April 2, 2014, there were a total of 1,668 summaries of ITS benefits, costs, and lessons learned 

in the ITS Knowledge Resources databases from the United States and around the world, as shown 

in Table ES-1. Of the 1,668 summaries, 325 summaries have been added since the last report was 

completed in late 2011.

U.S. Department of Transportation

Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office

ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Report – Final | 1
Executive Summary

Table ES-1: Summaries in the Knowledge Resources Databases.

Summary Type Number of Summaries

Benefits 804

Costs 282

Lessons Learned 582

Total 1,668

Table ES-2: Summaries by Taxonomy/Application Area.

Taxonomy/Application Area Number of 

Benefit 

Summaries

Number of Cost 

Summaries

Number of 

Lesson 

Summaries

Arterial Management 147 54 67

Freeway Management 104 48 100

Roadway Operations & Maintenance 63 29 36

Crash Prevention & Safety 83 37 16

Road Weather Management 61 47 37

Transportation Management Centers 17 47 67

Alternative Fuels 1 0 0

Traffic Incident Management 71 40 66

Transit Management 106 45 74

Emergency Management 16 17 39

Traveler Information 85 39 73

Driver Assistance 85 22 18

Information Management 10 8 28

Commercial Vehicle Operations 63 21 18

U.S. Department of Transportation

Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office

ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Report – Final | 2
Executive Summary

Taxonomy/Application Area Number of 

Benefit 

Summaries

Number of Cost 

Summaries

Number of 

Lesson 

Summaries

Intermodal Freight 20 3 13

Electronic Payment & Pricing 81 36 73

An important addition to the Knowledge Resources in the last three years is the inclusion of benefit, 

cost, and lessons learned summaries for the Connected Vehicle Program, the Urban Partnership 

Agreement Program and the Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Program. As these programs 

continue to evolve and become deployed across the country, the number of summaries will continue 

to increase, providing timely data to those interested in deploying similar technologies. Table ES-3

below shows the number of summaries in each of these areas.

Table ES-3: Summaries by Program Area.

Program Area Number of 

Benefit 

Summaries

Number of Cost 

Summaries

Number of 

Lesson 

Summaries

Connected Vehicle 16 0 0

Urban Partnerships 4 0 7

ICM 6 3 13

Geographic Location of Summaries

Figure ES-1 shows the distribution of the summaries across the United States. There are also 214 

international summaries located outside the United States. The relative size of the circle in each state 

corresponds to the total number of summaries in that state, with the section of the circle shown as 

blue, red, or tan representing the proportion of benefits, costs, and lessons learned summaries. In 

general, the number of summaries in the Knowledge Resources closely aligns with the level of 

deployed ITS, with some of the larger states providing the higher number of summaries (for example, 

California, followed by Florida, Washington, Texas, Minnesota, New York, Michigan, Virginia, 

Maryland, Illinois). As shown in the bottom left of the figure, 229 summaries are classified as 

nationwide rather than attributed to a specific state or states. Nationwide summaries are often based 

upon the experiences of several states, such as from a crosscutting study, or are based on average 

values from survey results across the U.S.

U.S. Department of Transportation

Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office

ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Report – Final | 3
Executive Summary

Figure ES-1: ITS Knowledge Resource Summaries by State.

Several observations can be drawn from this geographic information:

• States with large numbers of summaries generally are those with larger metropolitan 

areas, where more ITS is likely to have been implemented, while predominately rural 

states, such as those in the Midwest and upper New England, tend to have fewer 

summaries in the Knowledge Resources.

• Some states can be identified as “early adopters” of ITS technologies, having been 

involved in model deployment projects and field operational tests. Many of these states 

continue to evaluate their systems on a yearly basis, see the benefits from their ITS 

investments, and continue to expand their systems. Florida and Washington, for

example, consistently do yearly evaluations.

• Other states in the same region can benefit from these early ITS investments by using 

the evaluation data summarized in the Knowledge Resources to choose cost effective 

technologies, which provide substantial impact, while avoiding common pitfalls in 

implementation.

ITS Evaluation Highlights

In the eighteen years that the ITS JPO has been tracking the evaluation of ITS technologies, there 

has been steady growth in the number of studies documenting the benefits, costs and lessons learned 

of ITS. Looking back over the last three years, the most recent additions to the ITS knowledge 

resources indicate the following evaluation highlights from each of the Application Areas:

U.S. Department of Transportation

Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office

ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Report – Final | 4
Executive Summary

Arterial Management

• A Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) smart parking system found that more efficient 

management of transit station parking lots improved parking space utilization rates and 

increased BART ridership (2011-00695). 

• Local traffic measures such as controlling traffic demand, banning heavy duty vehicles or 

restricting speeds during periods of peak pollution can contribute to significant reductions 

in air quality measures (2011-00754).

• SPaT applications, used in the connected vehicle environment, have the potential to 

increase safety, mobility, and reduce environmental impact at traffic signals.

• Improved traffic signal control continues to be one of the most cost effective ways to 

improve safety and mobility in most jurisdictions.

Freeway Management

• Technologies such as adaptive ramp metering, variable speed limits, dynamic merging, 

dynamic pricing, and information dissemination can influence traveler behavior in realtime to improve safety, reduce emissions, and improve system efficiency and reliability.

• Variable Speed Limit (VSL) systems have been shown to reduce crash occurrence and 

can also reduce system travel time and vehicle emissions through increased uniformity in 

traffic speeds.

• With Integrated Corridor Management (ICM), transportation professionals can manage 

the transportation corridor as a multimodal system rather than a fragmented network of 

individual assets. ICM solutions projected benefit-cost ratios range from 10:1 to 25:1 over 

10 years.

Roadway Operations & Maintenance

• Mitigation strategies for roadway 

operations have shifted from a capacityoriented approach that relies on 

increasing capacity to reduce travel times, 

to a reliability-oriented approach that 

focuses on maintaining existing capacity 

while minimizing disruptions to improve 

travel time reliability.

• Portable Traffic Management Systems 

(PTMS) can be rapidly deployed to 

improve safety and mobility regardless of 

work zone location. These systems can automatically monitor traffic conditions and 

communicate with vehicles and drivers to improve situational awareness, harmonize 

traffic flow, and lessen the impacts of reduced capacity at work zones.

Crash Prevention & Safety

• Crash avoidance technologies have been shown to decrease crashes and can reduce 

occurrences of driver injury and fatalities by up to 57 percent.

• The new wave of crash prevention and safety strategies includes the integration of 

vehicle and infrastructure safety systems and implementation of connected vehicle 

technologies for safety applications. 

U.S. Department of Transportation

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ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Report – Final | 5
Executive Summary

Road Weather Management

• Three types of mitigation measures may be 

employed in response to environmental 

threats: advisory, control, and treatment 

strategies. Advisory strategies provide 

information on prevailing and predicted 

conditions to both transportation managers 

and motorists. Control strategies alter the 

state of roadway devices to permit or restrict 

traffic flow and regulate roadway capacity.

Treatment strategies supply resources to 

roadways to minimize or eliminate weather impacts.

• Weather-Responsive Traffic Management systems have the potential to reduce rear-end 

conflicts by approximately 22 percent for moderate volume levels and 43 percent for high 

volume.

Alternative Fuels

• Wireless charging technologies will allow drivers to charge their electric vehicles in small 

amounts on a more frequent basis. Dynamic charging may complement local stationary 

charging, removing range anxiety. As a result, electric batteries could be smaller, with the 

resulting reduction in electric vehicle cost and weight.

• The potential benefits of a catenary-accessible hybrid truck platform may be significant. 

Trucks, when connected to the catenary system, will have zero-emissions which can 

significantly reduce overall emissions along a corridor.

Transportation Management Centers

• Recent initiatives and concepts such as Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) and 

Active Traffic and Demand Management (ATDM) integrate more functionality into a single 

center for more responsive or even predictive traffic operation strategies.

• TMCs are collecting more and more data with the potential to collect data directly from 

vehicles in the near future. Social media is being used to disseminate traveler 

information, while crowdsourced data is being used to gather data from drivers to get 

travel times, incidents, and other roadway information from driver reports.

Traffic Incident Management

• Benefit-cost analysis of Incident Management Systems show that these systems have a 

high return on investment with B/C ratios ranging from more than 4:1to over 38:1.

• Incident management programs have the ability to significantly reduce the duration and 

clearance time of traffic incidents, resulting in significant reductions in vehicle delay, fuel 

consumption and secondary crashes.

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Executive Summary

Transit Management

• Providing transit travel times and 

departure information on highways can 

lead to a 1.6 to 7.9 percent mode shift 

from automobile to transit.

• The use of traveler information tools such 

as trip planners and station parking 

information encourages individuals who 

have never tried transit options to take 

them at least once and encourages 

existing riders to use the transit system 

more frequently.

• Deploying ITS technologies for transit operations and fleet management can help 

improve service reliability; decrease running time; reduce bus delays at intersections, 

missed trips, and emissions; and allow for increased service without additional staff or 

vehicles.

Emergency Management

• Tools and operational strategies that help manage traffic operations can be used in 

emergency operations for the purpose of increasing traffic capacity on evacuation routes 

and responding to traffic incidents that hinder the evacuation effort.

• Research shows that the effects of transit signal priority on emergency evacuation 

clearance times for transit vehicles can provide significant time savings without having a

significant impact on evacuation clearance times or evacuee travel times for non-transit 

vehicles.

Traveler Information

• The next generation of en-route traveler 

information is in-vehicle traveler 

information through connected vehicle 

technologies and other “infotainment” 

applications.

• Researchers indicate that a welldesigned trip planning website should 

be more than just an itinerary-trip 

planner; it should be able to effectively 

capture and convey real-world factors 

that make transit an increasingly 

attractive option.

Driver Assistance

• Connected Eco-Driving shows potential for reduction in fuel consumption and emissions 

for individual drivers as well as fleets.

• Vehicle platooning has great potential to combine several technologies for safety, 

mobility, and environmental benefits for drivers and the transportation system.

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Executive Summary

• Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) Systems have the potential to be in every 

vehicle in the future, are very easy for drivers to use, and have the potential for up to a 37

percent reduction in fuel consumption in some scenarios.

• Costs for Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) based On-Board Equipment 

for connected vehicle technology are expected to be priced in the $200-233 range in 

2017 for aftermarket devices.

• Following on the success of in-vehicle navigation, driver assistance technologies are now 

moving into the marketplace.

Commercial Vehicle Operations

• With sufficient economies-of-scale, a network wide deployment of Smart Roadside 

applications can yield benefit-cost ratios ranging from 3.5:1 to 6.2:1 over 10 years.

• Dynamic mobility applications that improve data sharing among commercial vehicle 

drivers can improve freight travel times up to 20 percent.

Intermodal Freight

• Using wireless communications with GPS vehicle positioning systems can improve 

commercial vehicle utilization by reducing empty container miles.

• Intermodal terminal gate appointment systems have the potential to dramatically improve 

operations inside the terminal and at the gate, resulting in reduced congestion on the 

roadway system and reduced harmful emissions in neighboring communities.

Electronic Payment & Pricing

• Recent lessons learned show that 

educating the public about the benefits of 

congestion pricing and engaging political 

champions early in the process lead to 

successful congestion pricing projects.

• The benefits of HOV to HOT conversions 

and expansion have been maintained 

over time with lower operating costs.

Information Management

• The 2012 transportation reauthorization law Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st 

Century (MAP-21) will require greater use of real time and archived data to support 

development and monitoring of performance measures.

• Information management systems incorporate data fusion from multiple sources and/or 

agencies, integration of both real time and archived information, and in some cases, data 

visualization.

• Data archiving enhances ITS integration and allows for coordinated regional decision 

making.

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1 Introduction

In 2014, the U.S. transportation system faces the ongoing challenges of improving safety, meeting 

rising demand, and mitigating congestion and environmental impacts. Motor vehicle crashes continue 

to be the leading cause of death among Americans aged one to 34 years old, with the total societal 

cost of crashes exceeding $230 billion annually [1]. Fatalities from motor vehicle crashes rose 5.3 

percent in 2012, the first time since 2005 that fatalities have gone up [2]. In 2011, congestion caused 

urban Americans to travel an extra 5.5 billion hours and to purchase an extra 2.9 billion gallons of fuel 

for a congestion cost of $121 billion, up one billion dollars from the year before and translating to $818 

per U.S. commuter [3]. The Texas Transportation Institute estimated the additional carbon dioxide 

(CO2) emissions attributed to traffic congestion at 56 billion pounds – about 380 pounds per auto 

commuter [3].

1.1 ITS Leads the Way

Over the past 30 years, the demand for the use of public 

roads has increased approximately 95 percent, as 

measured in vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Over this 

same period the number of lane miles on public roads 

has increased less than 9 percent. These statistics 

indicate a sharp rise in demand while capacity, in terms 

of the number of lane miles, has stayed relatively 

constant [4].

Recognizing that we can no longer build our way out of 

these problems, transportation professionals have 

turned to information and communications technology 

for solutions. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) 

provide a proven set of strategies for advancing 

transportation safety, mobility, and environmental sustainability by integrating communication and 

information technology applications into the management and operation of the transportation system 

across all modes. Connected vehicle technology has the potential to enable many services provided

by infrastructure or vehicle based ITS by benefiting from enhanced communication between vehicles 

and the infrastructure.

1.2 The 2014 ITS Benefits, Costs and Lessons Learned 

Factsheets

This collection of factsheets presents information on the performance of deployed ITS, as well as 

information on the costs, and lessons learned regarding ITS deployment and operations. The 

factsheets, and the collection of three Web-based resources upon which it is based, have been 

developed by the ITS Joint Program Office (JPO) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. 

DOT) to support informed decision making regarding ITS planning and deployment.

The ITS Knowledge 

Resources Database can be 

accessed at

http://www.ITSKnowledge

Resources.its.dot.gov

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1 Introduction

1.3 Measuring ITS Performance

ITS deployment impacts transportation system performance in six key goal areas: safety, mobility, 

efficiency, productivity, energy and environment, and customer satisfaction, each with its own set of 

performance measures. 

• Safety is measured through changes in crash rates or other surrogate measures such as 

vehicle speeds, traffic conflicts, or traffic law violations. 

• Mobility improvements are measured in travel time or delay savings, as well as travel 

time savings, and on-time performance. Travel time reliability is emerging as a new 

measure of travel dependability.

• Efficiency is typically represented through increases in capacity or level of service within 

existing road networks or transit systems. 

• Productivity improvements can be documented in cost savings to transportation 

providers, travelers, or shippers. 

• Energy and Environment benefits are typically documented through fuel savings and 

reduced pollutant emissions. 

• Customer Satisfaction findings document the perception of deployed ITS by the traveling 

public, usually in the form of survey results.

Each factsheet highlights recent benefits, costs and lessons learned for the ITS technologies used in a 

specific application area. The findings presented include reference information and short identification 

numbers that are hyperlinked directly to the ITS Knowledge Resource database source for the 

information. These links provide additional information on each finding cited, along with links to the 

original source documents, when available.

1.4 ITS Knowledge Resources

The ITS Knowledge Resources (KR) database (www.ITSKnowledgeResources.its.dot.gov) contains 

summaries of the benefits, costs, and lessons learned regarding ITS deployment and operations. The 

Knowledge Resources organize eighteen years of information on specific ITS implementations, drawn 

primarily from written sources such as ITS evaluation studies, research syntheses, handbooks, journal 

articles, and conference papers. The database is maintained by the U.S. DOT’s ITS JPO Evaluation 

Program to support informed decision making regarding ITS investments by tracking the effectiveness 

of deployed ITS.

• The ITS Benefits Database provides measures of the effects of ITS on transportation 

operations according to the six goals identified by the U.S. DOT: safety, mobility, 

efficiency, productivity, energy and environmental impacts, and customer satisfaction. 

Each benefit summary includes a title in the form of a short statement of the evaluation 

finding, context narrative, and identifying information such as date, location, and source, 

as well as the evaluation details and methodologies that describe how the identified ITS 

benefit was determined.

• The ITS Costs Database contains estimates of ITS costs that can be used for 

developing project cost estimates during the planning process or preliminary design 

phase, and for policy studies and benefit-cost analyses. Both non-recurring (capital) and 

recurring or operations and maintenance (O&M) costs are provided where possible.

Three types of cost data are available: unit costs, sample unit costs and system cost 

summaries. 

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1 Introduction

• The ITS Lessons Learned Database provides access to the knowledge gained through 

the experience of deploying ITS experience primarily from case studies, best practice 

compendiums, planning and design reviews, and evaluation studies. 

The ITS Knowledge Resources Home page integrates the Knowledge Resources databases 

described above, as well as provides a mapping application, help information, an upload feature to 

encourage the collection of new information sources, and comment and feedback mechanisms.

1.5 2013 Taxonomy Update

The ITS Knowledge Resources are organized according to a taxonomy of 16 application areas, with 

sub-categories for each application area. With the emerging research in ITS technologies such as 

connected vehicles, the taxonomy has been updated and reorganized since the last ITS Benefits, 

Costs, Deployment, and Lessons Learned Update in 2011.

The most significant change to the previous taxonomy classifications is the removal of the division 

between Intelligent Vehicle and Intelligent Infrastructure technologies. As emerging ITS technologies 

make use of the integration between vehicles and infrastructure, the new taxonomy of ITS 

Applications no longer uses the first level category and has organized all application areas under one 

umbrella of ITS. For example, in the previous taxonomy classification, the Crash Prevention and 

Safety application area fell under the Intelligent Infrastructure category, while the Collision Avoidance 

application area was categorized under the Intelligent Vehicle category. In the new classification 

scheme, these two areas have been combined under Crash Prevention and Safety with subcategories representing both crash prevention and safety technologies and collision avoidance 

technologies.

Another improvement is the addition of specific application categories and sub-categories for new 

emerging research areas and trends. Some examples include alternative fuels, congestion and 

emissions pricing, speed harmonization and performance management. In addition, the new 

taxonomy includes an accompanying document with detailed definitions of all taxonomy categories 

and sub-categories.

As ITS research continues to evolve, additional updates to the taxonomy, including new application 

areas and sub-categories, may be identified.

1.6 Report Organization

This report has been designed to be flexible for the user. The purpose is to make the information 

readily available, whether by accessing it through the web, a mobile device or tablet, or by printing 

sections on one or more application areas. There are a total of 20 factsheets representing the 16 

taxonomy areas. Four of the taxonomy areas (arterial management, freeway management, transit 

management, and driver assistance) have enough data to require more than one factsheet.

The factsheets include tables, charts, images, and case studies that are available to use in reports or 

briefings as needed to convey the advantages of using ITS technologies and applications in specific

areas or regions. The citation for these resources is: U.S. DOT. ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons 

Learned: 2014 Update Report. 2014. Publication Number: FHWA-JPO-14-115.

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1 Introduction

The online versions of the factsheets feature interactive graphs that contain various metrics 

represented by the bars of the graphs. The bars represent a numeric range, indicating the range of 

impacts reported by sources in the databases. Each metric has a number after the text, representing 

the number of data points used to create the range; no number means only there was only one data 

point. When moused over and selected or clicked, the bar opens a ‘tooltip’ with more detailed 

information. The tooltip contains the sub-headline of each benefit or cost entry with the data point from 

the entry that is incorporated into the range of the bar. The text is hyperlinked to the entry on the ITS 

Knowledge Resource website (www.itsknowledgeresources.its.dot.gov). All data depicted is from 

2003 to 2014 unless otherwise stated in the factsheet. To remove the tooltip from the screen, select or 

click the same bar a second time and the tooltip will disappear.

The findings presented in these factsheets include reference information and short identification 

numbers that are hyperlinked directly to the ITS Knowledge Resource database source. These links 

provide additional information on each finding cited, along with links to the original source documents, 

when available online.

1.7 ITS Evaluation Trends

Looking back over the last three years, the most recent additions to the ITS knowledge resources 

indicate the following trends:

• Increasing benefits from congestion pricing, not only in added revenue, but also in better 

utilization of excess capacity in High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes achieved through 

HOV to High Occupancy Toll (HOT) conversions. There is increasing acceptance among 

travelers of paying for reliable trip times (2011-00769). 

• Advances in Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) strategies that allow transportation 

subsystems to operate in a coordinated and integrated manner. ICM solutions developed 

for three busy commuter corridors had projected benefit-cost ratios ranging from 10:1 to 

22:1 over 10 years (2011-00736, 2011-00757, 2012-00804).

• The emergence of crash avoidance technologies that utilize advanced radar and sensor 

technologies. In 2011, NHTSA evaluated an Advanced Collision Mitigation Braking 

System (A-CMBS) designed with forward sensing radar, an on-board electronic control 

unit, and sensors to monitor vehicle speed, brake pressure, steering angle, and yaw to 

predict and warn drivers of impending collisions, and automatically implement 

countermeasures to avoid or mitigate collisions. The report found that light vehicles that 

automatically activate in-vehicle alerts, seat belt tensioners, and braking systems can 

reduce fatalities by 3.7 percent (2013-00833).

• Integration of new and traditional data sources to support performance measurement 

required by MAP-21 (2013-00649), and adoption of regional approaches to collecting and 

maintaining such data, such as the Regional Integrated Transportation Information 

System (RITIS) for the Washington DC metro area (2011-00583).

• The adoption of adaptive signal control and transit signal priority to improve traffic flow 

resulting in reduced fuel consumption and emissions. For example, installation of 

adaptive signal control systems in two corridors in Colorado reduced fuel consumption by 

2 to 7 percent and pollution emissions by up to 17 percent (2012-00808).

• Demonstrations of connected vehicle technologies, such as the initial deployment of 

Smart Roadside Inspection Stations (SRIS), are showing the potential to reduce 

emissions and save money. SRIS showed the potential to reduce emissions annually by 

6.57 metric tons by eliminating needless commercial vehicle inspections. SRIS enables 

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1 Introduction

inspectors to improve efficiency while maintaining enforcement levels at lower cost. At an 

average agency personnel cost of $45 per hour, the system would save $1,149,750 per 

year (2013-00859).

1.8 Moving to a Future Connected Vehicle and 

Autonomous Vehicle Environment

Connected vehicle research represents an opportunity to improve a number of the vehicle-based ITS 

applications described in the factsheets. Updated information provided to vehicles through in-vehicle 

technologies could, for example, provide warnings of cross traffic at approaching intersections or 

enable navigation systems to avoid congested areas based on current traffic conditions. Advances in 

autonomous vehicles offer the prospect of vehicle control systems that automatically accelerate and 

brake with the flow of traffic, preventing crashes, reducing congestion, and conserving fuel. Mobility for 

those disabilities will be greatly enhanced if the basic driving functions could be safely performed by 

the vehicle itself. For more information on connected vehicle and autonomous vehicle research 

activities, visit the website: www.its.dot.gov/connected_vehicle/connected_vehicle.htm.

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2 Arterial Management

2.1 Overview

2.1.1 Introduction

Arterial management systems manage traffic along arterial roadways, employing vehicle detectors, 

traffic signals, and various means of communicating information to travelers. These systems make 

use of information collected by traffic surveillance and detection technologies such as microwave or 

video imaging detector systems (VIDS) to smooth the flow of traffic along travel corridors. They also 

disseminate important information about travel conditions to travelers via technologies such as 

dynamic message signs (DMS), highway advisory radio (HAR), or mobile devices. Traffic sensors and 

surveillance devices may also be used to monitor critical transportation infrastructure for security 

purposes. 

A variety of techniques are available to manage the travel lanes available on arterial roadways, and 

ITS applications can support many of these strategies. Examples include dynamic posting of highoccupancy vehicle restrictions and the use of reversible flow lanes allowing more lanes of travel in the 

peak direction of travel during peak periods. Variable speed limits (VSL) can be used to adjust speed 

limits in real-time based on changing traffic conditions, adverse weather, and work zone activities. 

Parking management systems, most commonly deployed in urban centers or at modal transfer points 

such as airports and outlying transit stations, monitor the 

availability of parking and disseminate the information to 

drivers, reducing traveler frustration and congestion 

associated with searching for parking spaces.

Transportation agencies can share information collected by 

arterial management systems with road users through 

technologies within the arterial network, such as DMS and 

HAR. They may also share this information with travelers via 

broader traveler information programs such as 511, the 

Internet, and most recently with smartphone applications.

Arterial management systems may also include automated

enforcement programs that increase compliance with speed 

limits, traffic signals, or other traffic control devices. Arterial 

management systems can also apply unique operating 

schemes for traffic signals, portable or dedicated DMS, and other ITS components to smooth traffic 

flow during special events.

Information sharing between agencies operating arterial roadways and those operating other portions 

of the transportation network can also have a positive impact on the operation of the transportation 

system. Examples include coordinating operations with a freeway management system, or providing 

arterial information to a traveler information system covering multiple roadways and public transit 

facilities.

Education and 

engineering solutions 

continue to be important 

in combatting red light 

running and reducing 

speeding; however, 

automated enforcement is 

another effective tool.

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2 Arterial Management

The most prevalent ITS technologies used along arterials are traffic signal systems. There are many 

different applications for traffic signals including advanced systems, adaptive systems, and different 

types of preemption and priority. The arterial management taxonomy has been divided into two 

chapters: one addressing the benefits, costs and lessons of traffic control technologies and this 

chapter addressing other technologies such as parking management, variable speed limits, 

automated enforcement and information dissemination.

In addition, regional operations can provide coordinated strategies and applications that tie arterial 

management systems with other applications such as freeway management, transit management and 

transportation management centers. An example of this coordination is the Integrated Corridor 

Management (ICM) program. Additional information on the interaction of arterial management 

systems with these other technologies is further explored in other chapters within this report. 

2.1.2 Benefits

Parking Management

Parking management systems with 

information dissemination

capabilities, most commonly 

deployed in urban centers or at 

modal transfer points such as 

airports, monitor the availability of 

parking and disseminate the 

information to drivers, reducing 

traveler frustration and congestion 

associated with searching for 

parking.

Variable Speed Limits

Variable speed limits are speed 

limits that change relative to road, 

traffic, and environmental 

conditions. Traffic managers use 

variable speed limits to warn the 

driver that driving conditions are 

not conducive to the normal 

posted speed and speeds should 

be adjusted accordingly. Variable 

speed limit systems use sensors and/or vehicle probe data to monitor prevailing traffic, weather, and 

environmental conditions to determine the most efficient speed limits. Speed limits may be 

communicated to drivers via in-vehicle systems or DMS. These speed limits may or may not be 

enforced the same as normal speed limit signs, depending on the policies of state and local 

jurisdictions.

Information Dissemination

Motorists are able to receive relevant information on location-specific traffic conditions in a number of 

ways, including DMS, HAR, and in-vehicle messages. 

Figure 2-1: Safety Benefit Metrics Used in Studies of Speed 

Enforcement (Source: ITS Knowledge Resources).

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2 Arterial Management

Transportation operations staff can share information collected by sensors or vehicles associated with 

arterial management systems with road users through technologies within the arterial network, such 

as DMS or HAR. Traffic management staff may also send information to in-vehicle devices capable of 

displaying traveler information. Coordination with regional or multimodal traveler information efforts, as 

well as freeway and incident management programs, can increase the availability of information on 

arterial travel conditions. 

Table 2-1: Benefits of Arterial Management. 

Application Selected Findings

Parking 

Management

In St. Paul, Minnesota, an advanced parking management system reduced travel 

times by nine percent. (2008-00508) 

Parking 

Management

Thirty percent of commuters would like to see an expansion of the Automated 

Parking Information System (APIS) that provides heavy-rail commuters with 

station parking availability information at en-route roadside locations. (2011-

00702) 

Parking 

Management

A Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) smart parking system encouraged 30 percent 

of surveyed travelers to use transit instead of driving alone to their place of work. 

The smart parking project found that more efficient management of transit station 

parking lots improved parking space utilization rates and increased BART 

ridership. (2011-00695) 

Information 

Dissemination

An overheight warning system at a CSX bridge in Maryland decreased the 

number of tractor-trailer incidents by 75 percent. (2011-00750) 

Information 

Dissemination

Simulation models show that real-time on-board driver assistance systems that 

recommend proper following distances can improve fuel economy by 

approximately 10 percent. (2010-00645) 

Traffic 

Control/Variable 

Speed Limits

Local traffic measures such as controlling traffic demand, banning heavy duty 

vehicles or restricting speeds activated only during periods of peak pollution can 

contribute to significant reductions in air quality measures. (2011-00754) 

Automated enforcement systems, such as speed enforcement and stop/yield enforcement, improve 

safety, reduce aggressive driving, and assist in the enforcement of traffic signals and speed limit 

compliance. Still or video cameras, activated by detectors or radar, can record vehicles traveling 

through a red signal or traveling faster than the speed limit. Speed enforcement cameras can also be 

portable and set up along the side of the roadway or even within a vehicle such as a van to enable 

more flexibility in the enforcement strategy. 

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2 Arterial Management

Figure 2-2: Range of Benefits for Automated Red Light Running Enforcement (Source: ITS 

Knowledge Resources).

The Governors Highway Safety Association strongly supports the use of automated enforcement to 

enforce red light running and speeding violations. Education and engineering solutions continue to be 

important in combatting red light running and reducing speeding; however, automated enforcement is 

another effective tool [5]. Automated enforcement continues to demonstrate that it is a successful, 

cost-effective means of reducing traffic accidents, injuries, and deaths.

2.1.3 Costs

A smart parking field test conducted for the California Department of Transportation and the Bay Area 

Rapid Transit estimated capital cost at $150 to $250 per space; O&M costs were estimated at $40 to 

$60 per space. The smart parking system permitted pre-trip as well as en-route trip planning. 

Motorists could reserve a parking space at the Rockridge BART station up to two weeks in advance. 

While en-route and faced with congestion on Highway 24, motorists could see the display of real-time 

parking availability at the station lot and decide to use transit. Key passenger-interface technologies 

used in the field test were:

• Two portable DMSs, located on Highway 24, which displayed parking availability

information to motorists.

• A centralized intelligent reservation system that enabled commuters to check the

availability of parking spaces and then to reserve a space via telephone, mobile phone,

Internet, or personal digital assistant (PDA). The intelligent reservation system used the

up-to-the-minute counts of parking availability obtained through the vehicle count data

from the entrance and exit sensors at the BART station parking lot.

Fifty (50) parking spaces, of the 920 total, were made available for the smart parking field test – 15 for 

advance reservations and the remaining for same-day reservations by commuters who, upon seeing 

the DMSs on Highway 24, opted to take BART (2008-00134). 

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2 Arterial Management

2.1.4 Lessons Learned

In planning for a demand-responsive pricing 

based parking management system, involve 

executive leadership, seek strong 

intellectual foundations, strike the right 

balance between complexity and simplicity, 

and emphasize data collection and project 

evaluation. 

The SFpark pilot project of the San Francisco 

Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) uses 

a demand-based approach to adjusting parking 

rates at metered parking spaces in the SFpark pilot areas and at SFpark garages. SFpark’s 

combination of time-of-day demand-responsive pricing and off-peak discounts at garages is expected 

to reduce circling and double-parking, as well as influence when and how people choose to travel. 

Lessons learned from the project planning aspect of the SFpark pilot project are presented below:

• Do not underestimate the scope of work. It is easy to underestimate the scope, 

magnitude, and technological sophistication necessary to offer real-time parking data and 

provide demand responsive pricing. Agencies should develop the scope carefully 

incorporating expectations as well as challenges.

• Involve executive leadership. Many challenges accompanied planning and 

implementing a ground-breaking project with complex technology, significant policy 

changes, and a large amount of discovery and uncertainty. The support of a dedicated 

executive at the agency was critical, as was having appropriate financial resources.

• Understand the parking supply. Starting with the maxim that “you can’t manage what 

you can’t measure,” the SFMTA collected comprehensive data about San Francisco’s 

publicly available parking supply, both on and off-street, including existing parking 

regulations. Enabled by data, understanding the existing parking supply characteristics 

was a critical first step in the planning and implementation of the SFpark pilot project and 

will be just as important for its evaluation.

• Seek strong and coherent intellectual foundations. SFpark parking management 

approach was based on the pioneering academic work of Professor Donald Shoup from 

University of California, Los Angeles. Those foundations made it easier to develop 

policies, goals, and tools that were easily communicated and understood by customers. 

An academic advisory team offered early guidance and support for the design of the 

SFpark demonstration and how it could offer valuable data for evaluation of outcome.

• Strike the right balance between complexity and simplicity. SFpark had to balance 

the potential complexity of managing parking effectively with the need to have something 

simple enough to be communicated clearly and quickly to customers. It had to strike a 

similar technological balance between what is desirable and what is feasible.

• Emphasize data collection and project evaluation. As a federally funded 

demonstration of a new approach to managing parking, the SFpark project is collecting 

an unprecedented data set to enable a thorough evaluation of its effectiveness. This 

improved the project’s credibility among stakeholders.

The SFpark experience emphasizes the need for adequate planning when a demand-responsive 

pricing based parking management system is considered for implementation. Cities around the world 

are interested in the common and urgent goals of reducing traffic congestion and transportation 

related greenhouse gas emissions. To the extent that SFpark successfully manages parking supply 

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2 Arterial Management

and demand, rates, and reduces congestion and emissions, the project is relevant to other cities as 

well because it is easily replicable. SFpark is expected to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion and 

greenhouse gas emissions, increase safety for all road users, and enhance quality of life (2012-

00621). 

Install message signs at strategic locations to provide commuters en route with real-time 

information of the parking availability status at a major transit station.

An evaluation of automated parking information system in the vicinity of the Washington Metropolitan 

Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Glenmont Metro parking facility shows that the signs displayed at 

Georgia Avenue, Norbeck Road, and Glenallen Avenue are an effective tool to inform commuters 

about the parking availability at the Glenmont Metro Station parking facility. The system helps reduce 

congestion and improve mobility around the parking facility, and increases customer satisfaction. The 

automated parking information system at Glenmont Metro Station is intended to provide real-time 

information to commuters about the availability of parking spaces at the Glenmont Metro Station 

parking facility. If spaces are not available at the Glenmont facility, commuters are directed to use 

other lots with available spaces, especially the underutilized Norbeck Road park-and-ride lot and the 

Wheaton Metro Station parking facility (2011-00597). 

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2 Arterial Management

2.3 Traffic Control

2.3.1 Introduction

Traffic signal control systems are the primary tools used 

to manage the flow of traffic on arterial street systems. 

The primary objectives of these systems are to improve 

traffic flow, reduce traffic delays, and increase safety. 

Adaptive signal control systems coordinate control of 

traffic signals along arterial corridors, adjusting the 

lengths of signal phases based on prevailing traffic 

conditions. Advanced signal systems allow proactive 

traffic management by allowing traffic conditions to be 

actively monitored and archived, and may include some 

necessary technologies for the later development of 

adaptive signal control. Coordinated signal operations 

across neighboring jurisdictions may be facilitated by these advanced systems. Other related 

systems can be used to improve the safety of all road users at signalized intersections, including 

pedestrian detection, specialized countdown signal heads, and bicycle-actuated signals.

Connected vehicle technologies are facilitating research in new advanced signal systems. The 

Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) ITS Joint Program Office’s (JPO) Dynamic Mobility 

Applications (DMA) program is researching advanced signal operations under the Multi-Modal 

Intelligent Traffic Signal System (MMITSS) research bundle. One significant outcome from this 

research area is the Intelligent Traffic Signal System (ISIG) application. This application uses highfidelity data collected from vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I)

wireless communications as well as from pedestrian and non-motorized travelers. This ISIG

application seeks to control signals and maximize flows in real time. The ISIG application also plays 

the role of an overarching system optimization application, accommodating transit or freight signal 

priority, emergency vehicle preemption, and pedestrian movements to maximize overall network 

performance.

Collecting data from vehicles in a connected vehicle environment has the potential to help agencies 

optimize their signal systems according to the locally determined objectives, whether they are focused 

more on safety, mobility, or the environment. Other area of connected vehicle and traffic signal 

research is with signal phase and timing (SPaT) data. Several connected vehicle programs are

researching the potential of broadcasting SPaT data at intersections, allowing approaching (equipped) 

vehicles to know the current state of the signal, and then to determine if they will be able to proceed 

safely through the green light. This data has the potential to 

increase safety and mobility, and reduce environmental impacts 

at traffic signals.

The ITS JPO’s Applications for the Environment Real-time 

Information Synthesis (AERIS) program is also researching 

advanced signal systems to better understand and optimize for 

environmental goals. The AERIS Eco-Traffic Signal Timing 

application is similar to current adaptive traffic signal control 

systems; however, the application’s objective is explicitly to 

optimize traffic signals for the environment rather than for 

mobility. See the case study below for more detailed information on this AERIS application.

Benefit-cost ratios 

for Traffic Control 

Systems range from 

1.58:1 to 62:1.

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2.3.2 Benefits

Arterial management systems manage traffic along arterial roadways, employing traffic detectors, 

traffic signals, and various means of communicating information to travelers. These systems make 

use of information collected by traffic surveillance devices to smooth the flow of traffic along travel 

corridors. Advanced signal systems include coordinated signal operations across neighboring 

jurisdictions, as well as centralized control of traffic signals which may include some technology 

applications for the later development of adaptive signal control.

Figure 2-3: Advanced Signal Control benefits found in the Knowledge Resource database from 

2003 to 2013 (Source: ITS Knowledge Resources).

Figure 2-3 shows the ranges of reported benefits from advanced signal control systems. Benefits 

range across several measures including safety, mobility and environmental improvements. 

In August of 2012, New York City deployed an advanced traffic signal system that included an 

adaptive decision support system for 110 blocks of New York resulting in a 10 percent decrease in 

travel times throughout Midtown (2012-00810). The data collected through the technologies applied 

for this system has allowed the City to use historical data and analytics to develop more sophisticated 

algorithms to continually improve the movement of vehicles throughout the traffic signal system.

Adaptive Traffic Signal Systems coordinate control of traffic signals across a signal network, 

adjusting the lengths of signal phases based on prevailing traffic conditions. As agencies continue to 

implement innovative technologies, and the costs to implement adaptive signal systems continue to 

decline, these systems become a viable solution to improve safety, mobility and the environment 

along an arterial.

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According to FHWA’s Every Day Counts (EDC) program, the main benefits of adaptive signal control 

technology over conventional signal systems are that it can:

• Continuously distribute green light time equitably for all traffic movements;

• Improve travel time reliability by progressively moving vehicles through green lights;

• Reduce congestion by creating smoother flow; and

• Prolong the effectiveness of traffic signal timing [6].

Figure 2-4: Adaptive Signal Control benefits found in the knowledge resource database from 

2003 to 2013(Source: ITS Knowledge Resources).

Figure 2-4 shows the ranges of reported benefits from adaptive signal control systems. Benefits range 

across several measures including safety, mobility and environmental improvements. In July of 2012 

the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) released its evaluation of two different adaptive 

signal systems on two different corridors. The mobility benefits for both corridors combined included 9-

19 percent improvement in travel times and an increase in average speed by 7-22 percent. The 

environmental benefits found by CDOT included a 2-7 percent reduction in fuel consumption and a 

reduction of pollution emissions by up to 17 percent (2012-00809). 

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Table 2-2: Benefit-cost Ratios for selected Traffic Control Systems.

Selected Findings Benefit-cost

Ratio

In Oakland County, Michigan a two-phase project to retime 640 traffic signals 

resulted in a benefit-cost ratio of 175:1 for the first phase and 55:1 for the second. 

(2007-00313)

175:1 Phase 1

55:1 Phase 2

The Traffic Light Synchronization program in Texas demonstrated a benefit-cost

ratio of 62:1. (2008-00507)

62:1

Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) strategies that promote integration 

among freeways, arterials, and transit systems can help balance traffic flow and 

enhance corridor performance; simulation models indicate benefit-cost ratios for 

combined strategies range from 7:1 to 25:1. (2009-00614)

7:1 to 25:1

Adaptive signal control, transit signal priority, and intersection improvements

implemented during the Atlanta Smart Corridor project produced a benefit-cost

ratio ranging from 23.2:1 to 28.2:1. (2011-00758)

23.2:1 to 28.2:1

Installation of adaptive signal control systems in two corridors in Colorado had 

benefit-cost ratios ranging from 1.58 to 6.10. (2012-00807)

1.58:1 to 6.1:1

A decentralized adaptive signal control system has an expected benefit-cost ratio 

of almost 20:1 after five years of operation, if deployed city-wide in Pittsburgh. 

(2013-00822)

20:1

In addition to traffic signal control systems that primarily focus on vehicle interactions, there are traffic 

signal systems that are designed to improve pedestrian safety at roadway crossings. The HighIntensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) pedestrian beacon assists at pedestrian crossings by stopping 

vehicles so that pedestrians can cross the roadway and then permits the drivers to proceed as soon 

as the pedestrians have passed. A HAWK crossing uses several visual cues to alert drivers to the 

possible presence of a pedestrian. These visual cues include a unique beacon configuration, high 

visibility crosswalk markings, a stop bar approximately 50 feet from the crosswalk, 8 inch wide solid 

lane lines between through travel lanes, and signs that read “Pedestrian Crossing” or “School 

Warning.”

A HAWK pedestrian beacon deployment demonstrated a 69 percent reduction in crashes involving 

pedestrians. There was also a 15 percent reduction in severe crashes that result in injury and a 29 

percent reduction in total crashes where the HAWK system was deployed (2013–00848). 

2.3.3 Costs

ITS Knowledge Resource Cost database provides a variety of system costs for traffic control 

strategies including advanced and adaptive traffic control systems. As technology for adaptive traffic 

control systems continues to improve and mature, the costs to implement such systems continue to

go down. 

Adaptive signal control technologies (ASCTs) have been proven effective in providing operational 

benefits, but agencies in the United States have been slow to adopt these technologies. One of the 

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major reasons for slow ASCT implementation is lack of knowledge about the operational and safety 

benefits and costs of ASCT. A nationwide report found that the cost of ASCT per intersection was 

estimated between $46,000 and $65,000. Excluding the outliers, with seven agencies reporting, the 

average cost to implement ASCT technologies averages to $28,725 per intersection to implement. 

The average cost of ASCT was given by the type of system as well as the type of detection 

technology. The average cost of ASCT per intersection was highest when used with video detection 

and lowest when used with magnetometer detection technology (2013-00278). 

Table 2-3 provides system costs on a per intersection basis derived from several projects across the 

country. Details for each of these projects can be found in the Knowledge Resource Database.

Table 2-3: Adaptive Signal Control Project Costs.

Project 

Date

Total 

Project 

Cost

Number of 

Intersections

Cost per 

Intersection

Region Cost ID

January 

2013

$28,725 1 $28,725 (Average 

based on responses 

from 8 agencies)

Nationwide 2013-00278

July 

2012

$176,300 8 $22,037 Colorado 2012-00273

July 

2012

$905,500 11 $82,318 (Includes 

infrastructure 

upgrades)

Colorado 2012-00272

2010 $65,000 1 $65,000 Nationwide 2012-00249

2010 $1,708,029 18 $94,890 (includes 

infrastructure 

upgrades)

Georgia 2011-00237

2.3.4 Lessons Learned

Commit to acquiring the proper level of staffing and knowledge required for the operations 

and maintenance of Adaptive Traffic Control System (ATCS) prior to deployment.

Adaptive Traffic Control Systems (ATCSs) are powerful and complex tools that require a level of 

expertise for proper maintenance and operations. While ATCS may be viewed as a labor-reducing 

way of deploying signal timing plans, the experience of domestic and international ATCS agencies 

demonstrates the importance of having the level of staffing and knowledge in ATCS required for 

maintenance and operations. Key recommendations for ATCS agencies to consider in training, 

operations, and maintenance include the following.

• Beware of the perception that an ATCS is a hands-off type of system that will lower the 

labor or expertise requirements compared to standard traffic control systems.

• Be certain to receive ATCS training not only during the initial deployment of ATCS, but 

continuously throughout initial validation to solve operational problems or issues as they 

arise.

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• Develop a working understanding of the principles of an ATCS.

• Beware that implementing successful ATCS operations may require a switch in the type 

of labor from maintenance to operations.

ATCS deployments can bring significant benefits to traffic performance, but it requires a commitment 

to training and acquiring proper levels of staffing for operations and maintenance. ATCS operations 

are sufficiently complex that traffic engineers, in general, need at least four to six months to acquire a 

general understanding of these systems (in contrast to an experienced signal timing engineer who 

needs about two months). Indeed, one of the most important ATCS issues for smaller agencies is 

retaining ATCS-proficient staff. Acquiring the proper knowledge and technical expertise to operate an 

ATCS empowers an agency to maintain the system and realize substantial benefits to users of the 

transportation network in which it is deployed (2012-00619). 

2.3.5 Case Study - Eco-Traffic Signal Timing: Preliminary Modeling 

Results

The AERIS Eco-Traffic Signal 

Timing application is envisioned 

to be similar to current traffic 

signal systems; however the 

application’s objective is to 

optimize the performance of 

traffic signals for the 

environment. The application 

collects data from vehicles, such 

as vehicle location, speed, and 

emissions data using connected 

vehicle technologies. It then 

processes these data to develop 

signal timing strategies focused 

on reducing fuel consumption 

and overall emissions at the 

intersection, along a corridor, or 

for a region. The application 

evaluates traffic and 

environmental parameters at 

each intersection in real-time and adapts so the traffic network is optimized using available green time 

to serve the actual traffic demands while minimizing the environmental impact (2014-00912). 

Methodology

Preliminary simulation and modeling was conducted for this application using a 6 mile segment of El 

Camino Real in Northern California. The corridor contains 27 signalized intersections operating 

actuated coordinated signal timing plans; however for the purposes of this analysis, the baseline 

conditions assumed fixed timing plans. The modeling team used a genetic algorithm to optimize the 

traffic signal timing plans for the corridor with the objective of reducing fuel consumption and 

emissions. The genetic algorithm determined an optimal cycle length for the corridor, green times for 

each phase, and signal offsets for each signalized intersection. Phase sequences were not changed. 

To determine the optimal timing plans, outputs from the Paramics microsimulation model were sent to 

an Application Programming Interface (API) that interfaced with the Environmental Protection 

Figure 2-5: Diagram of the AERIS Eco-Traffic Signal Timing 

application (Source: U.S. DOT).

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Agency’s MOtor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES) model. Traffic and emissions outputs from 

Paramics and MOVES, respectively, were then sent to the genetic algorithm which developed new 

timing plans. These new timing plans were then sent back to Paramics and the process continued for 

numerous iterations until the genetic algorithm determined an optimal timing plan that reduced CO2

emissions for the entire corridor. Sensitivity analysis included varying the following parameters: 

penetration rate of connected vehicles, congestion levels, percentage of trucks, and optimizing for 

emissions versus delay. The method used to determine optimized timing plans for this study 

considered an offline optimization approach. More advanced connected vehicle applications and 

algorithms may perform the optimization online, similar to adaptive signal control systems but 

leveraging connected vehicle data and technologies. 

Conclusions

• There is up to 5 percent improvement in fuel consumption and environmental measures 

at full connected vehicle penetration, with a 1 to 4 percent improvement at partial 

connected vehicle penetration in a fully coordinated network.

• Optimizing for the environment resulted in a 5 percent fuel consumption reduction, 

whereas optimizing for mobility resulted in 2 percent reductions in fuel consumption.

• Driving a typical vehicle 8,000 miles per year on arterials equates to $70 of savings per 

year per vehicle.

• SUV (lower MPG) savings are $110 per year per driver.

• A fleet operator with 150 vehicles would save $16,500 per year.

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3.1 Overview

3.1.1 Introduction

There are numerous ITS strategies to improve the 

operation of the freeway system. Traffic 

surveillance systems use vehicle detectors and 

cameras to support freeway management 

applications. Traffic control measures on freeway 

entrance ramps, such as ramp meters, can use 

sensor data to optimize freeway travel speeds and 

ramp meter wait times. Lane management 

applications can promote the most effective use of 

available capacity on freeways and encourage the 

use of high-occupancy commute modes. Special 

event transportation management systems can 

help control the impact of congestion at stadiums 

or convention centers. In areas with frequent events, large changeable destination signs or other lane 

control equipment can be installed. In areas with occasional or one-time events, portable equipment 

can help smooth traffic flow. Advanced communications have improved the dissemination of 

information to the traveling public. Motorists are able to receive relevant information on locationspecific traffic conditions in a number of ways including dynamic message signs (DMS), highway 

advisory radio (HAR), and even in-vehicle systems. (Other methods of providing traveler information, 

including those covering multiple modes or travel corridors, are discussed in the traveler information 

chapter.) Automated systems enforcing speed limits and aggressive driving laws can lead to safety 

benefits.

Many of the ITS strategies and applications are being used to actively manage traffic on our freeways 

today. Technologies such as adaptive ramp metering, variable speed limits, dynamic merging, 

dynamic pricing, and information dissemination can influence traveler behavior in real-time to improve 

safety, reduce emissions, and improve system efficiency and reliability.

Several other chapters of this report discuss ITS applications relevant to freeway management. There 

are chapters on Transportation Management Centers, Roadway Operations and Maintenance, Traffic 

Incident Management, Electronic Payment and Pricing, and Traveler Information, all of which use ITS 

technologies and applications that pertain to freeway management. In addition there is a separate 

chapter on Freeway Management: Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) that emphasizes the 

integration of freeway management, arterial management and transit management to combine 

strategies and apply a decision support system to operate facilities safely and efficiently.

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3.1.3 Benefits

Ramp Control

Traffic signals on freeway ramps alternate between red and green signals to control the flow of 

vehicles entering the freeway. Metering rates may be altered based on freeway traffic conditions, ramp 

or local arterial traffic, or real-time vehicle emissions data. The Kansas City Scout program has 

implemented and evaluated ramp metering over the past few years. Selected results from these 

evaluations are listed in Table 3-1.

Table 3-1: Selected Benefits of Ramp Metering in Kansas City.

Selected Findings

Initial findings from a ramp meter evaluation in Kansas City were consistent with findings in other cities 

that show ramp metering can reduce crashes by 26 to 50 percent. (2012-00795)

The Kansas City Scout program used ramp meters to improve safety on a seven mile section of I-435; 

before and after data indicated that ramp meters decreased crashes by 64 percent. (2012-00799)

Initial findings from a ramp meter evaluation in Kansas City show that ramp meters make it easier for 

drivers to merge and reduce overall travel times. (2012-00796)

The implementation of ramp metering in Kansas City increased corridor throughput by as much as 20 

percent and improved incident clearance by an average of four minutes, with these benefits remaining 

consistent in the long term. (2013-00852)

The Kansas City Scout program used ramp meters to improve traffic flow and reduce overall peak 

period travel times on a seven mile section of I-435 by 1 to 4 percent. (2012-00800)

Lane Management - Variable Speed Limits (VSL)

VSL systems have been used in a number of countries, particularly in Europe, as a method to improve 

flow and increase safety. VSL systems use detectors to collect data on current traffic and/or weather 

conditions. Posted speed limits are then dynamically updated to reflect the conditions that motorists 

are actually experiencing. Presenting drivers with speed limits that are appropriate for current 

conditions may reduce speed variance, a concept sometimes called speed harmonization. If properly 

designed, VSL systems have been shown to reduce crash occurrence and can also reduce system 

travel time and vehicle emissions through increased uniformity in traffic speeds.

Table 3-2: Selected Benefits of Variable Speed Limit Systems on Freeways.

Selected Findings

Field data collected over the last two decades show variable speed limit (VSL) systems can reduce 

crash potential by 8 to 30 percent. (2012-00806)

Variable Speed Limit System shows promise; crashes reduced to lowest level in a decade. (2011-

00733)

A variable speed limit system used to regulate traffic flow through work zones on a 7.5 mile section of 

I-495 saved motorists approximately 267 vehicle-hours of delay each day. (2011-00765)

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Collisions on I-5 in Washington State have been reduced by 65-75 percent in a 7.5 mile corridor 

where an active traffic management system was deployed. (2012-00803)

A Variable Speed Limit (VSL) system on the I-270/I-255 loop around St. Louis reduced the crash rate 

by 4.5 to 8 percent, due to more homogenous traffic speed in congested areas and slower traffic 

speed upstream. (2011-00735)

Implementing variable mandatory speed limits on four lanes with the optional use of the hard shoulder 

as a running lane resulted in a 55.7 percent decrease in the number of personal injury accidents on a 

major motorway in England. (2011-00724)

17 percent reduction in NOx on “Ozone Action Days” with Variable Speed Limits. (2014-00909)

Information Dissemination

Advanced communications have improved the dissemination of information to the traveling public. 

Motorists are now able to receive relevant information on location-specific traffic conditions in a 

number of ways, including DMS, websites and in-vehicle systems, or specialized information 

transmitted to individual vehicles.

Organizations operating ITS can share 

information collected by sensors or probe 

vehicles with road users through technologies 

within the freeway network, such as DMS or 

HAR. ITS operators may also send information 

to in-vehicle devices capable of displaying 

traveler information. Coordination with regional 

or multimodal traveler information efforts, as 

well as arterial and incident management 

programs, can increase the availability of 

information on freeway travel conditions.

Surveillance

Traffic surveillance systems use detectors and video equipment to support the most advanced 

freeway management systems. Surveillance technology, either in-ground or overhead, is used to 

provide real-time traffic data that is communicated to TMCs to assist agencies with decision making 

support to improve freeway operations. Table 3-3 includes selected benefits for freeway systems 

related to surveillance and information dissemination applications.

Table 3-3: Selected Benefits of Freeway Management.

Selected Findings

Information 

Dissemination -

DMS

When link travel times posted on DMS are twice as long as typical travel 

times, drivers begin to favor alternate routes. (2013-00846)

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Information 

Dissemination -

DMS

Ninety-four percent of travelers took the action indicated by the DMSs in rural 

Missouri and drivers were very satisfied by the accuracy of the information 

provided. (2013-00828)

Information 

Dissemination - InVehicle

Intelligent speed control applications that smooth traffic flow during congested 

conditions can reduce fuel consumption by 10 to 20 percent without drastically 

affecting overall travel times. (2010-00646)

Surveillance NY State DOT TMC operators and NY State Thruway Authority staff were able 

to reduce traffic queues by 50 percent using vehicle probe data available 

through the I-95 Corridor Coalition. (2010-00653)

3.1.4 Costs

The purpose of the I-70 Corridor Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Technology Applications 

Study was to evaluate and plan for innovative technologies that could enhance the safety and mobility 

within the I-70 Corridor between Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri. This report discussed the 

following ITS applications currently implemented or planned for deployment by the Missouri 

Department of Transportation (MoDOT).

Table 3-4 provides general cost estimates for data sharing components for I-70 Corridor ITS Project.

Table 3-4: I-70 Corridor ITS Project - Estimated Costs (2013-00287).

Application Description/Units Cost Estimates*

Road Weather Information 

Systems (RWIS)

Number of Electronic Sensor Stations/ <25 $10,000 each

Number of Electronic Sensor Stations/ >25 $12,500

Fog Warning Systems Cost of New Infrastructure $125,000

Cost of Modifying an Existing Road Weather 

Information System (RWIS)

$75,000

Dynamic Message Signs 

(DMS)

Relocate Existing Signs $30,000 to 

$40,000 each

New DMS Installed $100,000 to 

$120,000

Lane Control Signal System Per Ramp $80,000 to 90,000

Closed Circuit Television 

(CCTV)

Cost per camera site $50,000

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Traffic Flow Monitoring Transponder based systems – one direction of 

traffic

$15,000

Transponder based systems – both directions 

of traffic

$30,000

Emergency Response 

System

Web-based system $50,000

Virtual Weigh Stations $300,000 to $1.4 

million

Enhanced Work Zone 

Systems

$785,000

Tolling Systems Toll Gantry/Per Gantry $300,000

Toll Lane Equipment/Per Lane $200,000

Toll Vehicle Enforcement System (VES) Data 

Host/Per Toll System

$1.0 million to $1.5 

million

Host Servers and Functions/Per Toll System $300,000

TMC/Video Control/Per TMC $500,000

Transponders/each $10 to $40

Communications/Fiber Optic 

Backbone

Per Mile $70,000 to 

$200,000

*Estimates come from several sources including FHWA or based on national averages

3.1.5 Lessons Learned

Ensure proper placement of variable speed limit (VSL) signs in a work zone and operate the 

VSL system consistently on a long term basis.

In July 2008, a VSL system was installed along a segment of heavily traveled urban interstate in 

Northern Virginia (I-495) that will undergo several years of continuous construction. This was the first 

deployment of a traffic-responsive VSL system in Virginia. The following on lessons learned from this 

deployment:

• Ensure proper placement of VSL signs in a work zone. VSL signs are to be located in 

such a way that they facilitate driver understanding and smooth operations. Signs should 

be placed so that they are not at risk of being obstructed and are not generally difficult to 

see under normal circumstances.

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• Operate the VSL system consistently on a long term basis. A concept of operations 

for future VSL systems should be developed and followed to ensure consistent 

application of VSL.

• Design VSL control algorithm to facilitate rapid response to changing traffic 

patterns in a work zone. Agency operations staff has to ensure that the VSL control 

algorithm is designed to facilitate rapid response to changing traffic in a work zone.

• Consider operational and safety tradeoffs prior to installing VSL systems on roads 

where demand far exceeds capacity. Agencies should carefully consider operational 

and safety tradeoffs prior to installing VSL systems on roads where demand far exceeds 

capacity. VSLs do not appear to provide significant operational benefits where there is a 

sudden onset of severe congestion.

Virginia’s experience suggests that a well-configured VSL system can provide operational benefits 

and improvements in safety surrogate measures provided that demand does not exceed capacity by 

too large a margin. Prior to deploying future VSL systems, it is suggested that departments of 

transportation perform site specific simulations to determine likely operational impacts (2011-00599).

3.1.6 Case Study - Kansas City Ramp Metering Implementation 

(2013-00852)

In April, 2010, KC SCOUT, the joint 

Kansas and Missouri traffic management 

agency for the Kansas City region, 

deployed the first regional application of 

ramp metering on seven interchanges 

along a 5-mile corridor of the I-435 

corridor. This project was implemented 

because the corridor often experienced 

congestion during the peak commute 

periods, largely caused by friction and 

incidents due to merging at on-ramp 

locations. Increasing capacity or adding 

lanes would have been expensive and 

difficult given limited right of way.

KC SCOUT identified the following five objectives for the ramp metering system:

• Reduce rear end and side swipe accidents.

• Maintain or reduce travel time along the corridor even with greater traffic volume.

• Avoid ramp meter back up onto arterial streets.

• Limit motorist wait time at ramp to 1 minute or less.

• Reduce incident clearance time.

The activation of the system was supported by an intense public education campaign designed to 

educate drivers on the intended purpose of the system, how to safely navigate the newly implemented 

traffic control devices, and the enforcement activities that would accompany non-compliance. Several 

evaluations of the system were performed. In 2011 the initial evaluation was performed by the Kansas 

and Missouri Departments of Transportation six months following the activation of the meters, with a 

follow-up evaluation completed at the 12-month interval. Another evaluation study was performed in 

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2011-2012 using archived data to assess whether the initial impacts reported in the original year 

continue over time.

Results

Results of the initial 2011 evaluation include: 

• Accidents were reduced by 64 percent

along the I-435 ramp-metered corridor.

• Travel times decreased or stayed the 

same while increasing corridor 

throughput by as much as 20 percent.

• No ramp meter backed up on to city 

streets due to queue flushing policies.

• Motorist wait times were limited to less 

than 1 minute on all ramps.

• Incidents were cleared 16 to 22 minutes 

faster. 

Results of the 2011-2012 Long Term Impacts Evaluation:

• The change in the average volume in the corridor for the longer-term evaluation period 

was observed to decrease by less than 4 percent in the morning peak and less than 3

percent in the afternoon peak compared with volumes observed in the initial evaluation. 

These results were not statistically significant and are within the range of normal 

fluctuation in traffic levels on the corridor for each peak period, suggesting that travelers 

have not significantly changed their use of this corridor during peak periods as compared 

to after the initial deployment of the ramp meters.

• Since the time of the initial evaluation, incident clearance times also proved stable 

overall. Incident clearance times during the morning peak period from April 2011 through 

March 2012 were on average four minutes shorter than in the extended term following 

the first year activation of the metering system.

The analysis of the longer-term evaluation period from April 2011 through March 2012 concluded that 

peak period average speed, volume, and incident clearance time remain consistent in the period 

subsequent to the initial deployment and evaluation of the I-435 Corridor.

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3.3 Integrated Corridor Management

3.3.1 Introduction

As ITS technologies continue to evolve, new strategies for 

operating our roadways continue to be researched and deployed.

By focusing on ITS strategies that include freeways, arterials, 

transit, and transportation management centers, agencies can 

look beyond individual networks and explore regional corridors 

that may offer an opportunity to operate and optimize the entire 

system. The U.S. DOT has introduced the concept of Integrated 

Corridor Management (ICM), the purpose of which is to 

demonstrate that ITS technologies can be used to efficiently and 

proactively manage the movement of people and goods in major 

transportation corridors by facilitating integration of the 

management of all networks in a corridor. The results of the 

initiative will help to facilitate widespread use of ICM tools and 

strategies to improve mobility through integrated management of 

transportation assets. The ICM initiative will also demonstrate 

how proven and emerging ITS technologies can be used to 

coordinate the operations between separate corridor networks 

(including both transit and roadway facilities) to increase the 

effective use of the total transportation capacity of the corridor.

ICM Deployment demonstrations in Dallas and San Diego have 

been implemented and evaluations are currently ongoing. Additional information on this initiative is 

available at the ITS JPO's Web site: www.its.dot.gov/icms.

ICM is defined as a collection of operational strategies and advanced technologies that allow 

transportation subsystems, managed by one or more transportation agencies, to operate in a 

coordinated and integrated manner [7]. With ICM, transportation professionals can manage the 

transportation corridor as a multimodal system rather than a fragmented network of individual assets.

Using a wide variety of operating scenarios, operating agencies can manage demand and capacity 

across multiple travel modes in real-time to improve mobility, reduce fuel consumption and emissions, 

and increase travel time reliability and predictability. Initial guidance and lessons learned have been 

made available on the ICM Website.

ICM Implementation Guide and Lessons Learned

ICM Analysis, Modeling and Simulation (AMS) Guide

3.3.2 Benefits

Transportation researchers have used Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation (AMS) methodologies to 

estimate the impacts of proposed ICM solutions. Projected benefit-cost ratios range from 10:1 to 25:1 

over a 10 year period.

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Table 3-5: Benefits of ICM.

Evaluation Measures

San Diego 

(2011-

00736)

Dallas

(2011-

00757)

Minneapolis 

(2012-00804)

San 

Francisco 

(2009-00614)

Annual Travel Time Savings 

(Person-Hours) 246,000 740,000 132,000

1.2 million to

4.6 million 

Improvement in Travel Time 

Reliability 10.6% 3% 4.4% -

Gallons of Fuel Saved Annually 323,000 981,000 17,600

3.1 million to

4.6 million 

Tons of Mobile Emissions 

Saved Annually 3,100 9,400 175 20,400 to20,800

10-Year Net Benefit* $104 million $264 million $82 million $570 million

10-Year Cost $12 million $14 million $4 million $75 million

Benefit-cost Ratio 10:1 20:1 22:1 7:1 to 25:1

*The values of safety benefits were not included in the San Diego, Dallas, and Minneapolis estimates.

3.3.3 Costs

While the 10 year project cost estimate for a corridor-wide 

ICM solution can range from $4 million to $75 million, the 

cost of a traditional improvement such as lengthening 

commuter trains, expanding bus rapid transit (BRT), or 

building a new highway lane can be much higher ranging 

from $400 million to $1 billion over the same period [8]. 

ICM solutions are a better value over time compared to 

traditional improvements [9]. Cost estimates for ICM 

implementation are represented in Table 3-6.

Table 3-6: Cost Estimates for ICM Implementations.

Planned ICM Deployments Estimated Costs

ICM Strategies deployed on U.S. 75 in Dallas,

Texas (2011-00236)

$13.6 million with annualized costs of $1.62 million 

per year for 10 years.

ICM strategies implemented on the I-15 Corridor 

in San Diego, California (2011-00219)

$12 million with annualized costs of $1.42 million 

per year for 10 years.

ICM Strategies deployed in Minneapolis, 

Minnesota (2012-00270) $3.96 million

ICM Strategies deployed on the I-880 Corridor in 

San Francisco, California (2009-00194)

$7.5 Million Average Annual Capital and O&M 

Costs

The 10 year project cost 

estimate for a corridor-wide 

ICM solution can range from 

$4 million to $75 million.

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Consistent with the ITS National Architecture cost estimates can be derived from ITS costs data 

housed in the U.S. DOT ITS Knowledge Resources.Table 3-7 provides an example of a planning-level 

cost estimate developed for the I-880 corridor. Additional data sets are available in the ITS Costs 

Database.

Table 3-7: Combined ICM Strategies, I-880 Corridor Estimate (2009-00194).

ICM System 

Components (2008)

Life 

(Years)

Capital 

Cost

Annual 

O&M 

Cost

Annualized 

Lifecycle 

Costs

Amount

Total 

Annual 

Cost

Common 

Infrastructure

Basic TMC and 

Facilities $633,333 $633,333 

TMC Hardware and 

Software for 

Surveillance 

20 $150,000 $7,500 $15,000 $15,000 

Loop Detectors Double 

Set (each 0.5 mile) $3,350 120 $402,000 

Systems Integration 5-20 $1,435,000 $14,000 $155,750 $155,750 

Communications

DS3 Communications 

(Surveillance) 20 $2,700 120 $324,000 

DS3 Communications 

(Transit and Traveler 

Info)

20 $8,000 $96,000 $96,400 $96,400 

DS1 Communications 

(ETC and Signals) 20 $750 $6,000 $6,638 280 $1,858,500 

Arterial Signal 

Control

TMC Hardware for 

Signal Control 5 $22,500 $2,000 $6,500 $6,500 

Linked Signal System 

LAN 20 $55,000 $1,100 $3,850 $3,850 

Signal Controller 

Upgrade (per 

intersection)

$6,250 $350 $663 160 $106,000 

Labor for Arterial 

Management $540,000 $540,000 $540,000 

Ramp Metering

Ramp Meter (Signal, 

Controller) 5 $40,000 $2,000 $10,000 90 $900,000 

Loop Detectors (2) 5 $11,000 $4,500 $6,700 90 $603,000 

Transit and Traveler 

Information

TMC Hardware and 

Software for Info 5 $27,500 $1,375 $6,875 $6,875 

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ICM System 

Components (2008)

Life 

(Years)

Capital 

Cost

Annual 

O&M 

Cost

Annualized 

Lifecycle 

Costs

Amount

Total 

Annual 

Cost

Dissemination

Labor for Traffic 

Information 

Dissemination

$100,000 $100,000 $100,000 

Info Service Center 

Hardware and 

Software

20 $457,000 $21,525 $44,375 $44,375 

Map Database 

Software 2 $22,500 $11,250 $11,250 

Labor for Information 

Service Center $225,000 $225,000 $225,000 

Transit Center 

Hardware 10 $22,500 $2,250 $2,250 

Labor for Transit 

Center $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 

Electronic Toll 

Collection (ETC)

Electronic Toll 

Collection Structure 20 $30,000 $1,500 $1,500 

Electronic Toll 

Collection Software 10 $20,000 $2,000 $2,000 

Software for Dynamic 

Electronic Tolls 5 $55,000 $2,700 $13,700 $13,700 

Electronic Toll Reader 

(each 0.5 mile) 10 $10,000 $1,000 $2,000 120 $240,000 

High-Speed Camera

(each 0.5 mile) 10 $4,000 120 $480,000 

Labor for HOT Lanes 

Management $540,000 $540,000 $540,000 

TOTAL $7,461,283 

3.3.4 Lessons Learned

The U.S. DOT continues to encourage regions to become early adopters of Integrated Corridor 

Management System (ICMS). To assist with successful planning and implementation, a series of 

lessons learned have been collected from the Pioneer Sites to help others successfully apply the 

concepts to their region [10].

Foster Champions and Organize Stakeholders when initiating an effort to consider ICM for a 

regional corridor (2014-00666). 

As a corridor is being considered for ICM, it is important that all agencies affecting the operation and 

maintenance of all networks are invited and participate in the planning of the ICM. The roles and level 

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of involvement may differ, but to be most effective, the ICM Team should consider all transportation 

resources (those affecting supply and demand). This broad stakeholder list should include all of the 

agencies that are involved in transportation planning, operations, and management as well as groups 

that use the transportation system (e.g., fleet operators) or impact its operation (e.g., special event 

venue owner/operators).

The following are key lessons learned when initiating an effort to consider ICM for a regional corridor:

• Include all potential stakeholders. When 

initiating an effort to consider ICM for a 

regional corridor, look to include all 

potential stakeholders early in the process.

Some agencies and organizations may 

choose not to participate, but all should be 

invited.

• Encourage broad participation of 

stakeholders. Let potential stakeholders 

decide what their involvement will be as the 

process moves forward, but encourage as 

broad participation as possible. Even if 

agencies or organizations choose not to 

participate at the start, keep them informed 

about the decisions being made. Initially 

reluctant partners can prove to be strong 

participants later on.

• Involve executive leaders. Involve 

executive leaders in facilitating the multiagency partnerships vital to the long-term 

success of ICM. Their support is essential and it is particularly valuable if one (or more) of 

those executive leaders becomes a champion for ICM.

• Obtain planner and modeler input early in the process. Involve transportation 

planners and modelers, along with the transportation operations personnel, early in the 

process. Transportation planners and modelers can provide input into the performance 

measures selected and can help the team understand how best to track system 

performance against the established goals.

Plan for success of an ICM project by developing a knowledgeable and committed project team that 

can provide oversight, direction, and necessary reviews (2014-00667). 

Developing and deploying an ICMS is not a trivial exercise. When establishing goals and objectives 

for developing a successful ICM project and planning for success, it is vital that the project team be 

knowledgeable and committed and that the managing agency be able to successfully assemble the 

team. Lessons to managing the team successfully include:

• Confirm project responsibility, commitment and expertise. ICM project teams need 

to be committed to the process, provide the correct project expertise (e.g., systems 

engineering, software and hardware design and integration, communications, etc.) take 

ownership of the work products, and see the work products through to successful 

completion. It is imperative that all stakeholders take responsibility for their part in the 

project and play an active role in providing successful outcomes. Key activities that can

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seem time-consuming but provide significant benefit later in the project include: the 

definition of the current corridor and system assets (both physical and data), identification 

of corridor needs, and the development of a common vocabulary among partners to 

describe existing systems and proposed capabilities.

• Obtain buy-in from all stakeholders. Before proceeding with the development of an 

ICMS, it is essential that the stakeholders be able to describe why the proposed system 

is needed and what the goals of the ICMS are.

• Manage project procurements, costs, schedules, and risk to reduce the impact 

that multiple tasks have on a large project. Multiple procurements from multiple 

agencies are a challenging endeavor. If, as a part of the ICM project, one of the 

stakeholder agencies slips schedule or misses requirements in selection and 

procurement, this can affect the project as a whole. Procuring systems prematurely (prior 

to defining the requirements) could significantly impact the cost and schedule of the 

project.

• Develop an acronym and terminology list that includes common definitions. When 

working with multiple agencies, it was found that terminology and acronyms can differ in 

definition. Developing an acronym and terminology list that includes common definitions 

improves coordination and communication.

• Provide concrete project guidance. Make sure project guidance is concrete so the 

contractor is not confused or getting mixed messages. There should be a unified 

message when providing guidance. Developing a Project Management Plan and 

documenting all stakeholder roles and responsibilities is essential for project success.

The remaining lessons from the ICM Implementation Guide are provided below:

• Develop a Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) to achieve quality in project 

development and ultimately produce a successful ICMS (2014-00668). 

• Develop a Concept of Operations to 

define the system that will be built (2014-

00669).

• Develop a logical architecture as one key 

resource for describing what the 

Integrated Corridor Management System 

(ICMS) will do (2014-00670). 

• Write well-formed requirements from the 

perspective of the system and not the 

system user that are concise and include 

data elements that are uniquely 

identifiable (2014-00671). 

• Analyze individual design possibilities to 

determine which are feasible, which 

provide the best performance, and which 

would be the most cost effective methods 

of system implementation (2014-00672). 

• Coordinate among stakeholders and 

schedule periodic team meetings to make 

sure that the correct and necessary 

information is provided for all development and implementation activities (2014-00673).

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• Adequately train all operations and maintenance (O&M) personnel and conduct regularly 

scheduled team meetings to continually improve processes and procedures as the ICM 

system operations matures (2014-00674). 

• Develop a list of factors and metrics to analyze system performance to determine when 

system replacement or retirement may become necessary (2014-00675). 

3.3.5 Case Study - Dallas North Tollway (2013-00868)

In Dallas, Texas the concept of a real-time traffic network estimation and prediction tool with built-in 

decision support capabilities was tested as a potential solution to increasing congestion on the Dallas 

North Tollway. The system was designed to integrate a wide range of traffic control and traveler 

information strategies and provide traffic network managers with capabilities to estimate current 

network conditions, predict congestion dynamics, and generate efficient traffic management schemes 

to address recurrent and non-recurrent congestion.

As part of a feasibility assessment researchers used a large-scale dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) 

model with 400 links and 150 junctions to simulate traffic conditions on the Tollway and surrounding 

areas. A genetic algorithm was used to identify efficient traffic management schemes that could be 

incorporated into response plans and accepted by partnering agencies, and then several model runs 

were analyzed to estimate impacts across the network.

The following scenarios were modeled during evening rush periods with varied levels of congestion.

Travelers were assumed to follow the most typical historical routes and no pre-trip or in-vehicle 

information was provided.

• Normal operation conditions (no incident).

• Travelers following historical routes experience incident delay on the freeway while the 

traffic management system is inactive.

• The traffic management system activated to manage the incident.

In all scenarios, response plans activated a dynamic message sign (DMS) located upstream from an 

incident on the Tollway, and signal timing changes were implemented at up to 30 intersections on 

parallel alternate routes. Calculated diversion rates ranged from 10 to 70 percent.

Findings

Simulation results indicated that network performance improved when response plans were 

implemented.

• Average travel time on the network decreased nine percent when the system was 

implemented and signal timing was adjusted at all 30 intersections.

• In scenarios where signal timing changes were limited to frontage roads, average travel 

time over the network decreased by only 3 percent.

• More spatial coverage for signal timing plans increased diversion route capacity and 

improved average network travel times. 

Overall, the DTA model proved to be a valuable tool for modeling congestion dynamics on a largescale urban transportation network. Evaluation work continues as researchers examine additional 

applications for real-time traffic management.

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4 Roadway Operations and 

Maintenance

4.1 Work Zone Management 

4.1.1 Introduction

ITS applications for operations and maintenance can improve 

planning for roadway maintenance, enhance safety, and facilitate 

traffic movement through and around construction work zones. Smart 

work zones, automated enforcement, traveler information systems, 

and operations planning tools are a few of the most widely deployed 

solutions. Evaluation data clearly show these technologies can 

improve performance; however, with limited budgets and growing 

demand that exceeds capacity in most metropolitan areas,

transportation agencies have adopted new more practical measures 

to increase benefits and justify costs. Mitigation strategies have 

shifted from a capacity-oriented approach that relies on increasing 

capacity to reduce travel times, to a reliability-oriented approach

focused on maintaining existing capacity while minimizing disruptions 

to improve travel time reliability. Using work zone ITS, agencies can 

better plan and actively manage work zones, increase driver 

awareness, and improve quality of service.

Both portable and permanent work zone ITS solutions are in use today. Portable Traffic Management 

Systems (PTMS) can be rapidly deployed to improve safety and mobility regardless of work zone 

location. Using queue sensors, dynamic message signs (DMS), video cameras, communication 

equipment, and other hardware and software components, these systems can automatically monitor 

traffic conditions and communicate with vehicles and drivers to improve situational awareness, 

harmonize traffic flow, and lessen the impacts of reduced capacity at work zones. More permanent 

solutions can be implemented for longer term projects or where ITS can be integrated into initial 

construction. Permanent work zone solutions are generally used as freeway or arterial management 

systems during time periods without construction activities. These systems often provide broader 

coverage and use traveler information networks such as 511 services, DMS systems, traffic detection 

networks, and agency websites to improve system operations, trip-planning and traveler behavior.

4.1.2 Benefits

Work zone ITS can have a wide range of benefits and costs. Benefit-cost ratios can exceed 2:1 

depending on the work zone design and technologies used. Specific benefits include construction 

schedule compression; reductions in traffic volumes, vehicle speeds, queue lengths, and crashes; and 

fewer and shorter periods of congestion and unexpected delay. Additional benefits related to travel 

time reliability should become available as guidance on these measures is released through the 

Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) in 2014.

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Figure 4-1 below highlights benefit ranges for several ITS work zone technologies based on entries in 

the ITS Knowledge Resource database at: http://www.itsknowledgeresources.its.dot.gov/. Benefits 

can be seen with many different measures across multiple goal areas including mobility, safety, and 

the environment. Dynamic Lane Merge Systems have demonstrated their ability to reduce the number 

of stops per vehicle, as well as the number of dangerous driving maneuvers at work zones. Variable 

speed limits and queue warning systems have shown promise in crash reduction. Automated 

enforcement systems have reduced speeding, and automated work zone information systems have 

reduced delays for trips that travel through work zones.

Figure 4-1: Work Zone ITS Benefits (Source: ITS Knowledge Resources).

Agencies under pressure to improve operations and reduce lifecycle maintenance costs can use ITS 

tools in conjunction with sound planning and asset management strategies to improve the efficiency of 

maintenance operations. In areas where work zones are required, modeling and analysis tools can be 

used to coordinate multiple work zone schedules, and design and test alternate work zone plans and 

mitigation strategies, including ITS applications where appropriate, before and during construction. In 

Detroit, for example, a large transportation network micro-simulation model was used to estimate the 

impacts of changing traffic patterns, coordinate work zone activities, and implement efficient work 

zone management plans during major freeway closures on I-75 during the Ambassador Bridge 

Gateway Project. Improved traffic management saved freeway users more than $1.63 million per day 

during reconstruction of the I-75/I-96 interchange (2013-00862). 

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4 Roadway Operations and Maintenance

4.1.3 Costs

Costs for ITS at work zones represent one to six percent of total construction costs depending on the 

size and duration of the project, temporary and permanent functions required, and if ITS components 

such as DMS units, traffic sensors, and portable cameras are purchased or leased. Overall, estimates 

vary widely ranging from $100,000 to $2.5 million, with the majority of systems costing $150,000 to 

$500,000 over the first year (2006-00109).

Table 4-1: System Costs for Smart Work Zones.

Smart Work Zone Location Project Duration System Cost

Percentage of 

Total Project 

Costs

In North Carolina, NCDOT leased a smart 

work zone system for a construction project 

on I-95 near Fayetteville. (2006-00106)

10 months

(2002–2003)

$235,000 -

In Illinois, IDOT implemented work zone 

ITS on a 7.7 miles section of I-64. (2007-

00126)

30 months

(2005–2007)

$435,000 1%

In Illinois, IDOT leased a real-time work 

zone traffic control system for a major 

bridge and highway reconstruction project 

along a 40-mile section of I-55. (2006-

00107)

16 months

(2001–2002)

$785,000 2%

In Arkansas, contract bid estimates were 

provided for an automated work zone 

information system on a 6.3 mile section of 

I-40 in Lonoke County. (2004-00068)

12 months

(2000–2001)

$322,500 -

In Arkansas, contract bid estimates were 

provided for an automated work zone 

information system on an 8.6 mile section 

of I-40 in Pulaski County. (2004-00068)

33 months

(2001–2003) $490,000 -

In Arkansas, the Arkansas State Highway 

and Transportation Department leased an 

automated work zone information system 

for a 3-mile section of I-40 in West 

Memphis. (2004-00072)

<18 months

(2000-2002) $495,000 <4%

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4 Roadway Operations and Maintenance

4.1.4 Lessons Learned

Realize that ITS solutions are just one part of a successful 

work zone management plan.

ITS components can be instrumental in improving the safety of 

a work zone; however, it is not a cure all for eliminating 

travelers’ exposure to hazards at work zones.

• Allow for sufficient start-up time when deploying 

an ITS application. Unanticipated issues may 

arise that will take time to address (2005-00061). 

• Follow accepted guidelines to create concise, 

effective DMS messages to notify motorists of 

slow traffic and queuing ahead (2007-00336). 

• Conduct outreach and permit drivers to become 

comfortable with new work zones by allowing an 

adjustment period (2005-00041). 

4.1.5 Case Study - SafeTrip 21 Initiative

Through the SafeTrip-21 initiative, federal and state agencies collaborated to test and evaluate a 

variety of technologies designed to reduce congestion, improve efficiency, and enhance safety on the 

nation’s roadways. Findings from two case studies that evaluated work zone applications are 

highlighted below.

I-95 Corridor Coalition Test Bed, Final Evaluation Report: North Carolina Deployment of 

Portable Traffic-Monitoring Devices

The North Carolina DOT tested the use of portable traffic-monitoring devices (PTMDs) and the 

U.S. DOT conducted interviews with agency staff to evaluate their experience (2013-00860). The 

following benefits were cited:

• Accurate speed counts. PTMDs resembled traditional work zone drums to mitigate data 

skewing that can occur when traffic-monitoring devices are more visible to drivers. The 

data reported were confirmed by on-site.

• Ease of installation and operation. Devices were battery powered, equipped with 

wireless communications, and designed to easily replace traditional work zone drums. 

Data were accessible using a web-based interface.

• Data warehousing capability. In addition to providing real-time data, the web-based 

system was designed to archive data for up to five years, giving NCDOT staff the 

flexibility to analyze historical data.

• Safety benefits. PTMDs allowed personnel to collect traffic volume data without 

requiring them to work in the travel lane, reducing the potential for injuries.

• Staff Productivity. Staff could monitor sites remotely and limit site visits, saving staff 

time.

Experience with Prototype Testing on San Francisco Freeways

In San Francisco, recent studies suggest that vehicle-infrastructure (V2I) applications can further 

improve benefits achieved through work zone ITS. A field study of 24 vehicles equipped with inU.S. Department of Transportation

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4 Roadway Operations and Maintenance

vehicle traveler information systems designed to provide auditory alerts of “slow traffic ahead” 

effectively smoothed the driving profiles of drivers approaching end-of-queue traffic on a 

congested freeway (2013-00823). These data agree with previous research in Minneapolis where 

portable traffic management systems were found to reduce speed variability by 70 percent and 

slow speeds of approaching vehicles by 9 mph (2007-00411). Considering evidence that 

suggests an 8.4 percent increase in crash risk for each 1 mph increase in the standard deviation 

in speed, variable speed limit (VSL) systems that produce smoother driving profiles may have 

significant safety benefits [11]. The information provided to drivers, however, must be accurate, 

reliable, and delivered at the right time. Studies show that when drivers are directed to change 

speeds at 2-minute intervals, crash potential increases; however, when recommendations are 

made at 5- or 10-minute intervals, crash potential is reduced [12].

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5 Crash Prevention and Safety

5.1 Introduction

A major goal of the ITS program is to improve safety and reduce risk for road users including 

pedestrians, cyclists, operators, and occupants of all vehicles who must travel along a given roadway.

After six consecutive years of declining motor vehicle crashes and fatalities on the Nation’s roadways, 

2012 showed an increase in fatality and injury rates of 

3.6 percent and 6.7 percent respectively [13]. 

Additionally, in 2012 there were 4,743 pedestrian 

fatalities and 726 pedal cyclists fatalities accounting 

for over 16 percent of all traffic fatalities and an 

increase of approximately 6.5 percent over 2011 [13].

Crash prevention and safety systems detect unsafe 

conditions and provide warnings to travelers to take 

action to avoid crashes. These systems provide alerts 

for traffic approaching dangerous curves, off ramps, restricted overpasses, highway-rail crossings, 

high-volume intersections, work zones, adverse weather conditions, and also provide warnings of the 

presence of pedestrians, bicyclists, and even animals on the roadway. Crash prevention and safety 

systems typically employ sensors to monitor the speed and characteristics of approaching vehicles 

and frequently also include environmental sensors to monitor roadway conditions and visibility. These 

systems may be either permanent or temporary. Some systems provide a general warning of the 

recommended speed for prevailing roadway conditions. Other systems provide a specific warning by 

taking into account the particular vehicles characteristics (truck or car) and a calculation of the 

recommended speed for the particular vehicle based on conditions. In some cases, manual systems 

are employed, where pedestrians or bicyclists manually set the system to provide warnings of their 

presence to travelers; however these systems are being replaced with automated systems with the 

increasing implementation of connected vehicle technologies. With the introduction of connected 

vehicle safety applications, crash prevention and safety systems are also moving from passive driver 

warning systems, to active driver assistance systems where the vehicle can automatically react to 

other vehicles or road sensors during hazardous conditions.

Intersection Collision Warning Systems: Intersection collision warning systems use sensors to 

monitor traffic approaching dangerous intersections and warn vehicles of approaching cross traffic, 

using roadside infrastructure, in-vehicle systems, or some combination of the two. The newer 

approaches to intersection collision warning systems provide information to drivers on proper 

maneuvers (gap acceptance assistance) and warn drivers of right-of-way violations at intersections.

The warnings may include the driver’s vehicle violating traffic control signs or signals or of another 

vehicle violating, or about to violate, the subject vehicle’s right-of-way. Specific examples are provided 

below:

• Left Turn Assist: Warnings given to driver via an in-vehicle system when trying to make a 

left turn that may be visually blocked by another car or object. Warnings can alert the 

driver that a left turn should not be attempted.

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• Traffic Control Violation Warning: Warnings given to drivers via in-vehicle systems if it is 

determined the driver may violate a red light or other traffic control device.

• Stop Sign Gap Assist: Information provided to drivers while stopped at a stop sign where 

only the minor road has stop signs. The driver receives information of any danger to the 

vehicle proceeding through the intersection from vehicles approaching on the cross 

street. 

Collision Avoidance Systems: To improve the ability of drivers to avoid accidents, vehicle-mounted 

collision warning systems (CWS) continue to be tested and deployed. These applications use a 

variety of sensors to monitor the vehicles surroundings and alert the driver of conditions that could 

lead to a collision. Examples include forward collision warning, obstacle detection systems, rear 

impact collision warning, “do not pass” warnings, and road departure warning systems.

Collision Notification: In an effort to improve response times and save lives, collision notification 

systems have been designed to detect and report the location and severity of incidents to agencies 

and services responsible for coordinating appropriate emergency response actions. These systems 

can be activated manually (Mayday), or automatically with automatic collision notification (ACN), and 

advanced systems may transmit information on the type of crash, number of passengers, and the 

likelihood of injuries.

5.2 Benefits

Crash Prevention and Safety strategies include collision avoidance systems and systems that warn 

drivers of potential road hazards. These systems have demonstrated success in detecting potential 

conflicts and warning motorists of crash potential. Evaluations of these systems find reduction in road 

crashes, injuries and fatalities as summarized in Table 5-1.

Table 5-1: Selected Benefits for Crash Prevention and Safety Strategies.

Categories Selected Findings

Collision Avoidance A Korean study finds that Automatic Crash Information Notification 

Systems would reduce freeway fatalities by 11.8 to 18.1 percent. 

(2013-00864)

Collision Avoidance Electronic Stability Control (ESC) systems can reduce the risk of fatal 

crashes by 33 percent. (2013-00861)

Collision Avoidance for 

Trucks

Forward collision warning systems have potential to prevent 23.8 

percent of crashes involving large trucks. (2012-00811)

Collision Avoidance for 

Transit Vehicles

The camera-based system with a regular angle lens reduced 43 

percent of blind zones, and wide-angle camera systems were able to 

entirely eliminate blind zones. (2013-00853)

Pedestrian Safety In Tucson, Arizona, installation of High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk 

(HAWK) pedestrian beacons showed 69 percent reduction in crashes 

involving pedestrians. (2013-00848)

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5 Crash Prevention and Safety

Animal Detection System In Montana, an animal detection system with the warning lights 

activated resulted in 1.52 mi/h lower vehicle speeds (compared to 

warning lights off) for passenger cars and pick-ups. (2012-00752) 

In-vehicle active and passive safety technologies have also shown to provide significant benefits to 

road users. The most significant findings are that in-vehicle technologies, including automated braking 

systems, have the ability to significantly reduce the injury and fatalities due to collisions. Table 5-2

highlights some of these findings.

Table 5-2: Selected Benefits for In-vehicle Safety Technologies.

Categories Selected Findings

Automated Braking System In 2011, NHTSA evaluated an Advanced Collision Mitigation Braking 

System (A-CMBS) designed with forward sensing radar, an on-board 

electronic control unit, and sensors to monitor vehicle speed, brake 

pressure, steering angle, and yaw to predict and warn drivers of 

impending collisions, and automatically implement countermeasures 

to avoid or mitigate collisions. The report found that light vehicles that 

automatically activate in-vehicle alerts, seat belt tensioners, and 

braking systems can reduce fatalities by 3.7 percent. (2013-00833)

Automated Braking System In-vehicle technologies that use automated braking to prevent rearend collisions can reduce drivers injured by 19 to 57 percent. (2013-

00832)

Automated Braking System Advanced emergency braking systems in passenger vehicles have 

potential benefit-cost ratios ranging from 0.07 to 2.78. (2012-00815)

In-vehicle Safety System A literature review of in-vehicle safety systems in the United States 

and New South Wales, Australia found that active and passive invehicle safety technologies are expected to decrease fatalities up to 

16 percent. (2013-00827)

Figure 5-1 shows ranges of benefits for select entries in the ITS Knowledge Resource database at: 

http://www.itsknowledgeresources.its.dot.gov/. Benefits of collision notification and avoidance 

system include reduction in fatalities and injury to drivers.

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5 Crash Prevention and Safety

Figure 5-1: Range of Benefits for Crash Avoidance Technologies (Source: ITS Knowledge 

Resources).

Several crash warning systems have also shown significant benefits in reducing overall number of 

crashes. Figure 5-2 shows the ranges of these benefits.

Figure 5-2: Range of Crash Reduction Benefits from Collision Warning Systems (Source: ITS 

Knowledge Resources).

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5 Crash Prevention and Safety

As connected vehicle technologies are just now being developed and tested, few evaluations are 

available. However, driver acceptance clinics were conducted at six different cities in the United States 

to assess how motorists respond to connected vehicle technologies and benefit from in-vehicle alerts 

and warnings. The preliminary findings showed that 91 percent of volunteer drivers that tested vehicleto-vehicle (V2V) communications safety features indicated they would like to have these technologies 

on their personal vehicle (2012-00785).

Additionally, a European study evaluated the 

potential benefits and costs of V2V and vehicle-toinfrastructure (V2I) technologies. This study concluded 

that V2V applications can have positive benefit-cost

ratios at fleet penetration rates above 6.1 percent, 

whereas V2I technologies require a greater market 

share (2013-00842).

5.3 Costs

The ITS Knowledge Resources database provides a variety of system costs for crash prevention and 

safety strategies that range from individual in-vehicle collision avoidance systems to estimates of 

nationwide implementations of connected vehicle environments. 

The database includes several recent cost estimates for in-vehicle collision avoidance systems shown 

in Table 5-3. Delphi study techniques, using independent estimates from multiple industry experts and 

multiple rounds to achieve consensus, were used to forecast the estimated costs for future years. 

Table 5-3: System Costs for Crash Prevention Systems. 

In-vehicle collision avoidance systems Year System Costs

Advanced Emergency Brake System in the UK (2012-00275) 2011 $334 - $1,337

Side collision warning system (Blind Spot Warning) (2013-00287) 2010 $760 to $2,000

Advanced Emergency Brake Systems with pedestrian detection in 

the UK (2012-00275) 

2009 $1,499 - $2,249

Lane Departure Warning Systems in the UK (2012-00275) 2009 $457 - $750

Cost to Vehicle Manufacturers for Embedded On-board DSRC 

equipment (2013-00288) 

2017 $175

Cost to Vehicle Manufacturers for Embedded On-board DSRC 

equipment (2013-00288) 

2022 $75

Cost Added to Base Vehicle Price for DSRC equipment (2013-

00288) 

2017 $350

Cost Added to Base Vehicle Price for DSRC equipment (2013-

00288) 

2022 $300

Aftermarket DSRC equipment (2013-00288) 2017 $200

Aftermarket DSRC equipment (2013-00288) 2022 $75

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5 Crash Prevention and Safety

5.4 Lessons Learned

The ITS Knowledge Resources database identifies several lessons learned from crash prevention 

strategies. A national evaluation of ITS applications presents new approaches to address distracted 

driving when designing and developing ITS applications (2013-00651).

• Communicate alerts designed to orient drivers to general traffic conditions ahead, 

and therefore, make them more attentive to the driving environment to help reduce 

driver distraction.

• Use "geofencing" as an approach to limiting driver distraction. The geofencing 

technique attempts to determine which mode the traveler is using in order to allow transit 

users to continue to receive updates while on the move while preventing them from using 

the information while driving. It was demonstrated that it is feasible to determine whether 

a smart phone user is traveling on a transit vehicle versus in a vehicle on a road. 

Therefore it is possible to provide travel information to smart phone users while 

minimizing the risk of causing distracted driving.

• Continue to explore avenues for advancements in technology to prevent driver 

distraction as well as instilling a safety culture mindset to support the goal of a 

change in driver behavior. As in-vehicle technology continues to develop, supporting 

safe driving habits will continue to be a challenge.

5.5 Case Study - Wisconsin DOT’s Rural Intersection 

Collision Avoidance System (RICAS)

Rural environments often present very specific challenges and priorities from a transportation safety 

perspective. The Rural Safety Innovation Program (RSIP) was created as a procurement opportunity 

in 2008 with the goal of improving rural road safety by providing rural communities the opportunity to 

compete for grant funding to address pressing highway safety problems using innovative approaches 

and through application of ITS technologies. The program allowed rural communities to develop data 

driven, creative, locally crafted solutions to their roadway safety problems, document their efforts and 

outcomes, and share the results with other communities across the country.

One of the 21 projects selected for RSIP funding was a Wisconsin project with a high crash rate and 

safety problem at a rural thru-stop intersection. The primary project goal in Wisconsin was to 

demonstrate technology that improves the safety of rural thru-stop intersections by providing drivers 

information that promotes safer gap selection (i.e., intersection crossing). Improper gap selection is 

the primary factor in rural thru-stop intersection crashes.

This project implemented and demonstrated a Rural Intersection Collision Avoidance System (RICAS) 

at the intersection of U.S. 53 and State Trunk Highway (STH) 77 just west of Minong, WI. This novel

intersection collision avoidance system used emerging sensing, computation and display technology 

to provide real-time warnings to drivers before the conditions which lead to a serious crash can 

develop. Real-time information regarding mainline traffic was provided to side street drivers through 

the use of large display boards that graphically indicate vehicle locations. In total, there were four 

display boards. For each of the side street approaches, one is positioned for drivers at the first stop 

bar and the other is positioned for drivers at the median (internal) stop bar.

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5 Crash Prevention and Safety

The RICAS system was developed during 

2009 and 2010 and was deployed in the 

field in April 2010. Data collection started 

immediately following testing and 

continued through April 2011. This data 

collection included gap selection data 

through recruitment of 50 drivers to have 

their vehicles instrumented with RFID 

(radio-frequency identification) tags. RFID 

readers at the intersection monitored the 

drivers’ gap selection behavior before the 

system went live (approximately 1-month 

worth of data) to obtain some baseline 

data as well as after deployment data [14].

The project evaluator gathered feedback about the system performance and driver perception of the 

RICAS through user surveys (two sets), interviews, focus groups, crash report analysis, review of 

traffic video, and RFID tracking of residents traveling through the intersection. 

The evaluation findings were mixed. Survey results indicated that over 55 percent of respondents 

believed the signs to be “very accurate and very reliable” and over 30 percent believed the signs to be 

“accurate and usually reliable.” In addition, most respondents believed the signs were effective at 

reducing accidents. Signs appear to be more beneficial during the night and adverse weather 

conditions, when visibility affects a driver’s ability to see oncoming traffic. However, several concerns 

were surfaced through the evaluation effort. For example, the technology and sign placement seemed 

to cause confusion with many motorists, and no detectable change in gap acceptance behavior was 

indicated. Given the other conditions the intersection, evaluators reported that too much information

was presented to motorists for them to effectively process and make decisions. Some technical 

issues also caused confusion, such as turning vehicles not triggering the sign. Although several 

crashes could potentially have been prevented through proper application of the information 

presented in the signs, analysis of the data indicates that crashes were not reduced following 

installation of equipment [15].

In the future, connected vehicle technologies may be able to augment or replace the reliance on an 

infrastructure-based physical sign solution. From a technical perspective, the use of DSRC and invehicle displays or other audible or tactile cues should be able to address many of the issues that 

were raised by respondents. Research continues in this area.

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6 Road Weather Management

6.1 Introduction

An investigation of vehicle crashes from 1995 through 2008 

shows that 24 percent of all crashes occur under adverse 

weather conditions, resulting in more than 673,000 people 

injured and 7,100 fatalities [16]. The estimated cost of 

weather-related crashes ranges from $22 billion to $51 

billion annually. These costs include travel delay, emergency 

services, property damage, medical and rehabilitation costs, 

productivity losses, insurance administration costs, legal and 

court costs, and the costs to employers [17], [18]. Adverse 

weather not only affects safety but can also degrade traffic 

flow and increase travel times by as much as 50 percent 

under extreme conditions [19]. According to the National 

Research Council, motorists endure more than 500 million 

hours of delay each year as a result of fog, snow, and ice

[18].

In spite of these statistics, there is a perception that 

transportation managers can do little about weather. 

However, three types of mitigation measures may be 

employed in response to environmental threats: advisory,

control, and treatment strategies. Advisory strategies provide information on prevailing and predicted 

conditions to both transportation managers and motorists. Control strategies alter the state of roadway 

devices to permit or restrict traffic flow and regulate roadway capacity. 

Treatment strategies supply resources to roadways to minimize or eliminate weather impacts. Many 

treatment strategies involve coordination of traffic, maintenance, and emergency management 

agencies. These road weather management strategies are employed in response to various weather 

threats including fog, high winds, snow, rain, ice, flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, and avalanches.

The ITS Knowledge Resources is a great place to find information about the state of the art and the 

adoption of effective technologies by the Road Weather Management (RWM) industry and its 

customers. This information includes private, public, and network-based benefits, costs and lessons 

learned to help those considering implementation of advanced RWM systems. The following 

information provides a sampling of the road weather management evaluation data available in the ITS 

Knowledge Resources.

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6.3 Benefits

High-quality road weather information benefits 

travelers, commercial vehicle operators, emergency 

responders, and agencies. Road Weather Information 

Systems (RWIS) are now a critical component of many 

agencies' winter maintenance programs. Information

dissemination such as automated wind warnings have 

proven successful. Traffic control technologies that 

enable agencies to reduce speed limits with variable 

speed limit (VSL) signs and modify traffic signal timing 

based on pavement conditions are starting to show 

results. For example, a Speed Management System 

for winter maintenance resulted in zero (100 percent 

reduction) winter weather related accidents in one 

section of highway in Snowmass Canyon, Colorado 

(2014-00894). The Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) is a decision support tool that 

automatically combines weather model output with a road model, road maintenance rules of practice, 

and maintenance resource data. MDSS can be used by winter maintenance managers to obtain more 

objective road treatment recommendations. Winter maintenance vehicles can be equipped with 

automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems and mobile sensors to monitor pavement conditions and 

optimize treatment application rates. A sampling of the benefit cost ratios reported from these 

strategies is shown in Table 6-1 below.

Table 6-1: Benefit-cost Ratios of Road Weather Management Strategies.

Benefitcost RatioDescription Application

4.13 to 

22.80

In Oregon, the benefit-cost ratios for two automated wind 

warning systems were 4.13:1 and 22.80:1. (2008-00529)

Automated Wind 

Warning System 

(AWWS)

2.6 to 24.0 A survey of state and local transportation agencies found 

that AVL applications for highway maintenance can have 

benefit-cost ratios ranging from 2.6:1 to 24:1 or higher. 

(2008-00536)

Automatic Vehicle 

Locator

1.33 to 8.87 Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) use shows 

benefit-cost ratios ranging from 1.33 to 8.67. (2011-00668)

Maintenance Decision 

Support System 

(MDSS)

1.34 A Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) in 

Denver Colorado helped reduce maintenance operations 

labor hours, and had a benefit-cost ratio of 1.34. (2010-

00654)

MDSS

2.8 to 7.0 Rural Road Weather Information System deployments 

show estimated benefit-cost ratios of 2.8 to 7.0. (2011-

00685)

Road Weather 

Information System 

(RWIS)

Rear-end conflicts are 

projected to be the most 

eliminated conflict type by a 

weather-responsive traffic 

signal systems with a 

potential average reduction of 

approximately 22 percent for 

moderate volume levels and 

43 percent for high volume 

levels.

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6 Road Weather Management

1.8 to 36.7 Use of weather information shows benefit-cost ratios of 1.8 

to 36.7, with winter maintenance costs reduced by 

$272,000 to $814,000. (2011-00693)

RWIS

11.0 Utah DOT's Weather Operations/RWIS program provides a 

benefit-cost ratio of 11:1 from reduction in winter 

maintenance costs. (2011-00691)

RWIS

1.1 to 1.9 In Finland, a benefit-cost analysis supported the 

deployment of weather information controlled variable 

speed limits on highly trafficked road segments. (2008-

00528)

Weather controlled 

Variable Speed Limit 

(VSL)

Integrating Clarus Data in Traffic Signal System Operation 

An example of using weather data to improve traffic operations is the survivable weather-responsive 

traffic signal system developed as part of a project to integrate Clarus data into traffic signal system 

operations. The potential crash reduction benefits, expressed as the percent reduction in total, rearend, and crossing conflicts, were shown to be highest during snowy and icy weather conditions. The 

potential crash reduction benefits were shown to continue to increase as the traffic volume level 

increases. Rear-end conflicts are the conflict type projected to be most eliminated by a weatherresponsive traffic signal system with a potential average reduction of approximately 22 percent for 

moderate volume levels and 43 percent for high volume levels. The weather-responsive signal timing 

plans also show considerable potential in reducing traffic delays and stops. Again, the percent 

reduction increases as the traffic volume level increases. The potential reduction in delays and stops 

seems consistent with what has been reported in the literature.

Several studies have investigated the effect of inclement weather on various signal timing traffic 

parameters. Studies have shown that weather-responsive signal timing plans can improve both the 

safety and efficiency of the traffic signal system operations. Simulation studies revealed benefits of 

approximately 7 percent to 23 percent reduction in average delay, 4 percent to 9 percent reduction in 

vehicle stops, and 3 percent to 12 percent increase in average speeds (2013-00889).

6.4 Costs

An October 2012 report published by U.S. DOT’s Office of Operations provided results of research 

conducted to better understand the use of mobile data for Weather-Responsive Traffic Management

(WRTM) Models and information needed to support those models. The study found that vehicle 

trajectory data serves best for the purpose of improving WRTM models.

Weather events have a significant role in traffic operations, road safety and in travel time reliability. 

This research demonstrates how mobile data can enhance the flexibility and performance of traffic 

models that are used to evaluate WRTM strategies. A lot of research has already been completed in 

this area, so the goal of this project was not to add to that research, but rather to evaluate the 

available mobile data and its applicability to existing WRTM models.

As part of this research a compilation of costs and associated parameters of mobile data used for 

WRTM by various public agencies was presented, see Table 6-2. These costs provide public agencies 

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6 Road Weather Management

with some perspective on procuring the types of private sector data they need for WRTM systems 

(2013-00294).

Table 6-2: Public Agency Consumers of Private Sector Data. 

Wisconsin 

DOT

HoustonGalveston 

Area 

Council

Michigan 

DOT

Texas DOT 

(d)

Phoenix 

MPO (MAG)

Status Request for 

Information

Purchased Purchased Purchased Purchased

Service 

Purchased (a)

H H H H H 

Aggregation 

Level

Hourly day-ofweek 

averages

15 min 5 min Hourly dayof-week 

averages

Weekday

Data 

Purchased (b)

S/TT, PM S/TT S/TT S/TT, PM PM

Applications 

(c)

PM, TM PM, TM, OD PM PM PM

Coverage All arterials Houston 

region

MI Freeways Statewide 

TMC network

Region

Timeframe 1-2 years 1 year 5 years 2009 1 year

Validation 

Criteria (d)

Not yet 

established

Not yet 

established

Avail. >99.5% 

Acc. less than

+/- 10mph 

None Not yet 

established

Validation 

Techniques

N/A N/A Probe, fixed 

point, re-id

None Probe, fixed 

point

Pricing (in 

thousands)

$80,000(Est.) $77,000 $200,000 per 

year

$28,000 negotiating

Licensing Multiple Use Multiple Use Single Use Single Use Multiple Use

Multi-Agency Yes Yes

NOTES:

(a) Service Purchased: “H”=Historical, “RT”=Real-time

(b) Data Purchased: “S/TT”=Speed or Travel Time”, “PM”=Performance Measures

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(c) Applications: “PM”-Performance or Congestion Monitoring, “TM”=Traffic Model Validation or 

Calibration, “OD”=Origin-Destination Studies 

(d) Validation Criteria: "Avail." - Availability, "Acc." - Accuracy

(d) See http://apps.dot.state.tx.us/apps/rider56/list.htm for published study results 

6.5 Lessons Learned

Weather Information Integration in Transportation Management Center (TMC) Operations

(2011-00586) 

A January 2011 U.S. DOT report titled, Weather Information Integration in Transportation 

Management Center (TMC) Operations, captured the experience from four Transportation 

Management Centers' (Colorado Springs; Colorado; Cheyenne; Wyoming; Kansas City; Missouri; 

Shreveport; Louisiana) efforts to identify and implement strategies to meet their weather integration 

needs. The weather integration plans that were prepared served to guide each TMC's future 

integration plans but also offer clear examples for the benefit of weather integration for other TMCs. 

Each TMC established new partnerships, both internal and external, to their agency that served to 

enhance their overall operations, provide benefit to the traveling public, and chart a pathway to 

improved relationships in the future. In particular, stronger relationships were established with 

maintenance counterparts to encourage active sharing of weather information. Awareness was raised 

at all levels of the DOT organizations involved to understand the potential value of weather information 

to enhance the quality and content of traffic operations information. 

Lessons that were common across each of the TMCs in the study include the following: 

• Use the self-evaluation and integration planning process to increase awareness of

the value of weather integration, while understanding that TMC managers and staff

may require considerable assistance in moving forward to incorporate new ways to

integrate weather. The self-evaluation alone may not be sufficient if the TMC lacks the

motivation to make real changes in operations based on weather integration.

• Recognize that constrained resources, both financial and in staff time, constitute a

serious challenge to the successful promotion of weather integration in TMCs.

TMC personnel are stretched to fulfill their daily obligations and tasks, so that taking on a

new set of responsibilities, including modifying policies and procedures to support new

ways of operating with weather information, may not be a high enough priority.

• Engage operations and maintenance as well as other stakeholders in the weather

integration planning process to develop teamwork. The more effective weather

integration depends on a seamless sharing of information and decision making across

operations and maintenance, but the historical arrangements in TMCs often present

major institutional and cultural barriers that hinder information sharing.

The experience of the evaluators shows that integrating weather information into TMC operations can 

positively impact the U.S. DOT's goals of productivity and improved mobility. However, TMC staff must 

be proactive in promoting the value of weather integration, recognizing that new policies and 

procedures must be put in place to effectively use weather information and when engaging their 

operations and maintenance counterparts in the initiative to achieve these goals.

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7 Transit Management

7.1 Operations and Fleet Management

7.1.1 Introduction

In 2011, the public transportation industry in the United 

States provided 4.8 billion revenue miles of service, including 

3.7 billion traveled on roadways. The roadway services 

carried 5.6 billion passenger trips and collected $6.1 billion in 

fares. Rail systems carried 4.6 billion passenger trips and 

collected $7.3 billion in fares [20]. 

The utilization of ITS for improving operations and fleet 

management in the transit industry has become widespread. 

Automated vehicle location (AVL), computer-aided 

dispatching (CAD), and transit signal priority (TSP) are all 

mature technologies. By 2010, over half of the fixed-route 

buses in the United States had AVL systems installed [21]. AVL data now provides the input into realtime traveler information systems and archived AVL data are inputs into the service planning and 

scheduling processes. The use of CAD and scheduling software have improved efficiency and 

reliability for both fixed-route and paratransit service. These tools have also improved the ability for 

transit agencies to coordinate their services. TSP is gaining in popularity as cities begin to recognize 

that improved bus service can encourage mode shift away from personal vehicles to transit, without 

large negative impacts to traffic traveling in the cross direction of bus routes with TSP.

Deploying ITS technologies for transit operations and fleet management can help improve service 

reliability; decrease running time; reduce bus delays at intersections, missed trips, and emissions; and 

allow for increased service without additional staff or vehicles.

7.1.2 Benefits

A comprehensive Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) report from 2010 on TSP provides 

a set of benefit ranges that may be experienced by an agency deploying TSP based on case studies 

from a few dozen cities. Transit travel time savings experienced were between 2 and 18 percent, with 

Los Angeles and Chicago seeing 7.5 and 15 percent decreases, respectively. Decrease in bus delay 

is heavily dependent on the priority guidelines set by the agencies, and thus has a wider range 

experienced by the cities examined for the report. Overall, agencies indicated that bus delay was 

reduced between 15 and 80 percent. Los Angeles had a 35 percent decrease in bus delay at 

intersections, while Oakland had a decrease of 5 seconds per intersection (2013-00847).

Similar results in transit travel time savings were also experienced on Staten Island in New York, 

where signal priority along a 2.3 mile corridor led to 17 percent transit travel time savings (2013-

00856). As part of a pilot test in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the University of Minnesota demonstrated a 

new TSP algorithm that lead to travel time savings of between 2.6 and 6.4 percent (2012-00814). 

Figure 7-1 shows ranges of benefits for select entries in the ITS Knowledge Resource database. 

By 2010, over half of the 

fixed-route buses in the 

United States had 

Automatic Vehicle 

Location (AVL) systems 

installed.

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Benefits of TSP systems include travel time savings, reduced delay for buses at intersections, and 

reduced emissions.

Figure 7-1: Benefits of Transit Signal Priority Systems (Source: ITS Knowledge Resources).

The use of scheduling software to support transit operations 

can save multiple weeks’ worth of labor for service planners. 

In Chattanooga, the switch from manual run-cutting to using 

software to generate multiple run-cutting scenarios that are 

compared by the service planners saves two weeks of labor 

for each of their semi-annual service revisions. The software 

can also generate the new materials needed for passenger 

information, such as schedule leaflets, saving even more staff 

time (2011-00713). 

The maintenance department of a north central Pennsylvania 

demand-response service provider attributes a 69 percent 

decrease in in-service breakdowns to using mobile data 

terminals (MDTs) for pre-trip inspections by drivers that are 

uploaded daily, instead of a two-week lag with paper inspection logs (2011-00710). Washoe County 

Transportation experienced a 50 percent reduction in missed trips due to mechanical problems.

7.1.3 Costs

The cost of deploying an AVL system for a vehicle fleet ranges from $10,000 to $20,000 per vehicle 

(2009-00190). Cellular or radio communications costs also need to be considered when deploying 

AVL systems because it is used for location “polling”. TSP emitter costs can range from $50 to $2,500 

per vehicle, with TSP detectors ranging from $2,500 to $40,000 depending on whether or not the 

existing signal controller is new enough to have TSP added or if new signal controllers need to be 

installed (2013-00286, 2008-00155). 

Switching from manual 

run-cutting to using 

scheduling software that 

provides multiple runcutting options can save 

up to 4 weeks of staff 

labor per year.

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7 Transit Management

Costs for scheduling and run cutting software vary widely by vendor, system size and types of transit 

services the agency provides.

7.1.4 Lessons Learned

The transit industry tends to deploy customized solutions to meet each specific agency’s needs. 

However, there are many lessons learned from other projects that can be generally applicable to the 

development and deployment of transit information dissemination systems. Below is a sample of 

lessons learned:

• Allow one agency to be in charge of the procurement process when implementing 

ITS technologies designed to coordinate services between urban and rural transit 

systems. Having a lead agency in the procurement process can ensure consistency in 

purchases and delivery of products and services (2012-00637). 

• Specify in the procurement solicitation that the AVL supplier use the transit 

operator's preferred base maps. Accurate and complete base maps are critical. An AVL 

supplier must demonstrate that an AVL system can accept frequent map updates easily

(2012-00637). 

7.1.5 Case Study - Mobility Services for All-Americans (MSAA) 

Coordination Simulation Study

The concept that coordinating demand-response services across agencies and funding sources 

results in better and more efficient services is widely accepted. However, quantitative analysis on the 

benefits of coordination was lacking. This study simulated three levels of coordination using actual trip 

data from two rural demand-response transit agencies in North Carolina and South Carolina (2013-

00888). The authors utilized the funding sources to categorize trips into three groups: Medicaid, agingrelated (Aging), and other. 

The simulation tested three coordination scenarios: Some Coordination, More Coordination and Full 

Coordination. Some Coordination only coordinates trips within each of the three funding categories. 

Passengers with trips classified as “Aging” can only ride on vehicles assigned to the Aging group and 

with other Aging passengers. Passengers in the Medicaid and Other groups are assigned with similar 

restrictions. More Coordination simulates the effect of a Medicaid brokerage model, where Medicaid 

trips are scheduled separately from all other trips (Aging and Other trips and vehicles are combined). 

Full Coordination allows any trip from any funding category to be scheduled on any available vehicle. 

The analysis used scheduling software to automatically optimize scheduling of trips. The results show 

a reduction in both total revenue distance and total revenue hours ranging from 7 to 13 percent when 

comparing the Some Coordination scenario to the Full Coordination scenario. Additionally, the 

average number of passengers served per revenue hour increased by approximately 10 percent.

These efficiencies gained from greater coordination of trips would allow the agencies to serve a 

greater number of passengers without needing to increase their staff or number of vehicles.

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7.3 Information Dissemination

7.3.1 Introduction

In 2011, the public transportation industry in the United 

States provided 4.8 billion revenue miles of service, 

including 3.7 billion traveled on roadways. The roadway 

services carried 5.6 billion passenger trips and collected 

$6.1 billion in fares. Rail systems carried 4.6 billion 

passenger trips and collected $7.3 billion in fares [20]. 

The proliferation of mobile devices and real-time information 

have led to a shift over the past several years in the way 

transit agencies disseminate traveler information to their existing (and potential) passengers. 

Increased adoption of the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) by transit agencies has led to 

the development of transit traveler information mobile applications by third party developers in many 

cities, not just by the transit agencies themselves. Transit agencies continue to develop their own trip 

planning tools that are hosted on their agency webpages, but these trip planners only typically cover 

walking and transit directions. Map tools, such as Bing Maps and Google Maps, allow for a 

comparison between walking, transit and driving modes, but are still largely single-modal in nature. 

Initiatives such as the U.S. DOT’s Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) program seek to remove 

the modal silos and provide multimodal traveler information en-route in addition to pre-trip information 

as travel conditions change.

7.3.2 Benefits

Increasing the pool of potential customers can be seen as a major benefit of improved information 

dissemination by the transit industry. The use of mobile trip information allows both visitors and 

infrequent system users to feel more confident in their ability to navigate that city’s transit systems, as 

well as expose individuals to transit options they may not have previously been aware of.

In the Chicago metro area, a Multimodal Trip Planning System (MMTPS) was developed by the 

Regional Transit Authority (RTA) and made available to the public. Surveys found that the MMTPS 

increased user knowledge of the transit system. Nearly 40 percent of all respondents and 50 percent 

of suburban respondents reported using at least one transit service that they did not normally use

(2012-00794).

As can be seen in Figure 7-2, the use of traveler information tools such as trip planners and station 

parking information encourages individuals who have never tried transit options to take them at least 

once and encourages existing riders to use the transit system more frequently.

Providing passengers with real-time arrival information has also improved customer satisfaction with 

system performance. A survey of users of London’s Countdown system (wayside real-time arrival 

information for buses) demonstrated that despite a decrease in on-time arrivals, 64 percent of 

customers perceived that on-time performance had improved after the installation of the system. 

Perceived waiting times also decreased from nearly 12 minutes to less than 9 minutes. This customer 

satisfaction is largely attributed to high system availability, as well as more than 75 percent of posted 

arrival times being accurate within two minutes of actual arrivals (2011-00737).

The cost to implement a 

multimodal trip planner 

can range from $138,000 

to more than $4 million, 

depending on the need to 

develop custom software 

and consolidate data

feeds.

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Figure 7-2: Benefits of Providing Transit Traveler Information (Source: ITS Knowledge 

Resources).

As can be seen in Figure 7-2, providing real-time traveler information about transit arrival times 

allowed agencies to attract new “choice” riders or have existing choice riders opt to take transit more 

frequently, resulting in 40-70 percent increases in trips taken by choice riders. Washoe County 

Transportation attributed a 45 percent decrease in paratransit “No Shows” in part, to having real-time 

vehicle information obtainable by passengers over the phone. A pilot test showed that providing enroute transit information on highways in the San Francisco Bay area provided a 1.6 to 7.9 percent 

mode shift to transit, depending on the displayed minutes of travel time that could be saved by 

switching modes.

7.3.3 Costs

The costs for transit information dissemination vary widely based on the amount and type of existing 

equipment that can be utilized for the system. Real-time arrival systems are dependent on the vehicle 

fleet being AVL equipped and the methods of disseminating that information (DMS, mobile 

applications, websites, etc.) varies by agency. As mentioned earlier, with the development of the 

GTFS, there is minimal work needed by the agency to have transit information available through an 

application programming interface (API) for mobile and web application developers. This provides 

benefits to the agency through easier dissemination of traveler information without the development 

costs. 

Transit traveler information dissemination systems that include websites range between $700,000 and 

$1.5 million in capital costs. Annual operations and maintenance costs range from $93,000 to 

$225,000 per year (2009-00194, 2008-00152, 2008-00151). Individual signs at stations can be 

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approximately $6,000, while on-board message signs can be $4,000 per vehicle (2008-00148). A 

parking management guidance system in Chicago cost approximately $1 million to implement (2009-

00183).

7.3.4 Lessons Learned

The transit industry tends to deploy customized solutions to meet each specific agency’s needs. 

However, there are many lessons learned from other projects that can be generally applicable to the 

development and deployment of transit information dissemination systems. Below is a sample of 

lessons learned:

• Prepare agency staff for implementation of new ITS technologies and involve 

maintenance and information technology (IT) staff in the installation process. By 

preparing staff and making them aware that the system is likely to have some issues at 

startup, it will help to encourage staff acceptance. Building in-house capability with 

maintenance staff during the installation process, by having them alongside the 

contractor, allows staff to be more familiar with the technology when they need to 

remove, diagnose and replace equipment (2011-00612). 

• Develop requirements using 

widely accepted standards, 

preferably the open source 

compatible ones if available, 

and review those requirements 

immediately before requesting 

proposals from contractors.

Successful and rapid adoption of 

open standards can sometimes 

render proprietary systems 

obsolete. Proprietary systems can 

make it difficult to procure 

technical support or replacement 

hardware (2011-00608). 

• Expect agency's information 

technology (IT) operations and 

maintenance budget to 

increase in order to train 

qualified IT staff to maintain a 

new suite of hardware and 

software. Because managing the 

transit ITS technologies requires additional or advanced skills, such as database and 

network management, implementation of transit ITS requires staff with advanced 

expertise. This causes agencies to make a stronger effort to retain experienced staff 

resulting in salary increases for IT staff (2012-00627).

• Commit to testing the new systems thoroughly, develop an acceptance matrix to 

document status of testing, and perform verification and validation before 

introducing them to support agency’s transportation operations. Having a 

mechanism for testing is not sufficient without a commitment to conducting thorough 

testing. An agency should be willing to change plans if it becomes clear during the testing 

phase that the planned system is not going to provide the expected benefits (2010-

00559). 

Figure 7-3: Bus arrival prediction website for 

WMATA in Washington, D.C. (Source: 

www.nextbus.com)

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8 Transportation Management Center

8.1 Introduction

Transportation or traffic management centers (TMCs) or transportation operations centers (TOCs) are 

an integral part of a transportation system. TMCs are responsible for operating the latest Intelligent 

Transportation System (ITS) technology including data collection, command and control of ITS 

devices, incident response, and communication for 

transportation networks. As deployments of ITS have 

increased over the last decade, state DOTs are continuing to 

implement TMCs to focus on the operations of their systems. 

TMCs are the focal point for agencies as they look to 

operate their transportation systems as efficiently as 

possible with the existing ITS infrastructure. New concepts 

are leading to the more effective use of the conventional ITS 

devices in the field. 

Recent initiatives and concepts such as Integrated Corridor 

Management (ICM) and Active Traffic and Demand 

Management (ATDM) integrate more functionality into a 

single center for more responsive or even predictive traffic 

operation strategies. TMCs will be at the center of operating 

and maintaining these new systems. At the heart of ICM is a decision support system which consists 

of the set of procedures, processes, data, information systems, and people that support transportation 

system managers in making coordinated decisions to improve the collective performance of all 

transportation networks within a corridor. ICM seeks to integrate freeway, arterial, and transit systems 

together to make the entire transportation network more efficient. 

ATDM is the dynamic management, control, and influence of travel demand, traffic demand, and traffic 

flow of transportation facilities. Through the use of available tools and assets, traffic flow is managed 

and traveler behavior is influenced in real-time to achieve operational objectives, such as preventing 

or delaying breakdown conditions, improving safety, promoting sustainable travel modes, reducing 

emissions, or maximizing system efficiency. 

Under an ATDM approach, the transportation system is continuously monitored. Using archived data 

and/or predictive methods, actions are performed in real-time to achieve or maintain system 

performance. Both ATDM and ICM are being deployed across the country. Two U.S. DOT ICM 

Pioneer Demonstration sites (Dallas and San Diego) went live with systems in early 2013.

Other technology trends that are impacting TMCs are big data, social media and crowdsourcing, and 

the continual growth of mobile and wireless communications. TMCs are collecting more and more

data every day with the potential for data directly from vehicles in the near future. Social media is 

being used more and more for traveler information, while crowdsourced data is being used to gather 

data from drivers to obtain travel times, incidents, and other roadway information from driver reports 

[22]. 

Implementing Integrated 

Corridor Management 

(ICM) strategies on the 

U.S. 75 corridor in Dallas, 

Texas produced an 

estimated benefit-cost

ratio of 20.4:1. 

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Smartphone applications are beginning to provide real-time individualized traveler information to users 

through crowdsourced data. These applications could be greatly enhanced with involment from TMCs 

by simply collecting and providing data to the applications and eventually the individual users. For 

example, data that in real-time can track the status of incidents on the roadway would be of great 

value to application developers and their end users [23].

8.2 Benefits

Benefits enabled by TMCs vary depending on the purpose and functionality of the TMC. Many TMCs 

are currently focused on freeway, arterial, or transit operations. Figure 8-1 shows ranges of benefits 

for select entries in the ITS Knowledge Resource database. Benefits can be seen with many different 

measures across multiple goal areas including mobility, safety, and the environment. In this case, 

TMC benefits include incident clearance time, delay reduction, queue reduction, crash reduction, and 

travel time. 

Figure 8-1: Range of Benefits for Transportation Management Centers (Source: ITS Knowledge 

Resources).

The travel time reduction benefits in Figure 8-1 are based on an advanced traffic signal system in New 

York City. The key to this project was the adaptive decision support system that resided at a TMC 

facility for NYC. The system uses historic data as well as real-time conditions to determine the optimal 

operation of the signals. If a new plan is needed, it is presented to an operator for visual verification of 

conditions using the CCTV cameras before it is initiated. With this real-time congestion management 

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system in place, NYC DOT was able to achieve 10 percent reductions in travel times through the initial 

corridor (2012-00810).

8.3 Costs

TMCs are a critical component of the shift in emphasis of state DOTs from building infrastructure to 

managing and operating the existing systems. Operations and Maintenance (O&M) is one of the 

largest portions of a TMC cost, as shown in Figure 8-2. This column represents annual O&M costs as 

reported by seven agencies. The large range can be explained by size of the agency (statewide or 

local) as well as the TMC housing a single agency or integrating multiple agencies into a single TMC.

Personnel costs are generally the greatest percentage of O&M costs. The construction costs in Figure 

8-2 cover planning and building a TMC, and the equipment costs include general hardware such as 

computers, servers, and video walls.

Figure 8-2: Range of Costs for Transportation Management Centers (Source: ITS Knowledge 

Resources).

Costs for TMCs vary dramatically depending on the functionality of the TMC, if it is a multi-agency or 

multi-jurisdictional TMC, level of ITS deployment required, and the communication costs. Regardless 

of the specific functionality, the highest portion of the cost of a TMC over its useful life will likely be in 

the Operations and Maintenance of the centers and its systems.

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8.4 Lessons Learned

The report titled Impacts of Technology Advancements on 

Transportation Management Center Operations identifies 

many of the trends discussed in this fact sheet in TMC 

operations. The report lists several lessons to help TMCs 

move forward with new technologies and tools (2013-

00642):

• Develop a data fusion engine to merge 

data from multiple sources, such as travel 

time information coming from toll tag 

readers, Bluetooth sensors, and/or third 

party providers. An automated data fusion 

engine is designed to integrate multiple forms 

of raw data from different types of sensors, 

process and arrange the data into subsets, 

and present them in a way that provides a 

clear, more accurate picture for the operator to 

draw conclusions from, creating situational 

awareness.

• Develop procedures and protocols for use 

of social media. Develop a uniform policy for 

DOT use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and video distribution platforms 

such as YouTube, among others. Social media can provide an important connection to 

users to disseminate travel warnings and alerts, as well as promote projects or public 

interest campaigns.

• Support two-way information exchange via social media. Social media can provide 

a valuable tool to reach out to travelers and residents, but also can provide an important 

source of data for the TMC.

• Utilize crowdsourcing for traffic information, incident information, and feedback on 

department performance, pavement roughness, etc. Crowdsourcing would enable 

real-time feedback from users on a variety of transportation issues and impacts, with an 

emphasis on crowdsourced information.

8.5 Case Study - Idaho Statewide Communications Center

While TMCs can be a critical part of a regions transportation network, they are also costly to the 

transportation departments that must build, operate, and maintain them. Across the country, more and 

more TMCs are being used to co-locate transportation operations staff and other agencies, such as 

public safety and emergency departments. This allows for resource sharing and more efficient 

transportation networks.

The Idaho Statewide Communications Center is under the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare 

with a customer base in emergency medical services and hospitals [24]. The Statewide 

Communications Center serves the entire state of Idaho. It is a 24 hour, 7 days-a-week dispatch for 

the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) that includes dispatching maintenance vehicles and snow 

plows. It also dispatches 15 rural Emergency Medical Service (EMS) units (county and community 

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8 Transportation Management Center

based) and provides communications to public health 

departments for the state and the seven districts. In 

addition, the communications center provides public 

health emergency notification, and is the point of contact 

for the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security for Weapons 

of Mass Destruction and Hazardous Materials. The 

Statewide Communications Center also works with the 

Department of Environmental Quality, FBI, EPA and 

other local state agencies. 

This unique partnership has allowed for the development 

of applications that other standalone TMCs may not be 

able to handle. For example, the (CARS) MAYDAY 

project brings OnStar data from a crash vehicle and uses an urgency algorithm to provide a real-world 

real-time data feed that predicts injury. The urgency algorithm (developed by the University of Florida) 

gathers the change in velocity, air bag deployment information, and other on-board data to estimate 

the probability of injury to occupants. The information comes into the Statewide Communications 

Center screens and places an icon on the screen representing the vehicle with direction of travel 

before the crash, and automatically displays the appropriate dispatching organization to contact. It 

also triggers dispatcher reminder boxes (early notification to hospital, need for helicopter on standby 

etc.). They are presently in the evaluation stage and validating the probability of injury scores. 

The information provided by the system is not currently being acted upon until the system is validated; 

a larger number of incidents are needed to validate the system. Because Idaho is rural, it may take 1 

to 2 years to validate. Once validated, the Statewide Communications Center supervisor plans to 

approach other systems similar to OnStar to expand the system. This unique center that operates 

24/7 with operators that are all EMS trained can handle this type of information easily. And with the 

same operators responsible for handling the Idaho DOT message signs and other ITS, the 

transportation system will be able to respond quickly and appropriately to the situation.

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9 Alternative Fuels

9.1 Introduction

Alternative fuels offer significant benefits over more conventional petroleum fuels, producing lower 

emissions and fewer toxic contaminants than gasoline and diesel vehicles, helping to reduce impacts 

on air quality, global warming, the environment and public health. According to the U.S. Department of 

Energy (DOE), more than a dozen alternative fuels are in production or already in use in alternative 

fuel vehicles (AFVs). The six predominant alternative fuels used in the United States are biodiesel, 

electricity, ethanol, hydrogen, natural gas, and propane. Of these fuels, electricity is the most widely 

used – primarily in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) or all electric vehicles. 

To date, government and private-sector vehicle fleets have been the primary users of these fuels and 

vehicles, but recently consumers are becoming increasingly interested in them as well. Fleet 

operators including long-haul trucking, taxi services, law enforcement, public transit, and school 

transportation services have seen environmental benefits from AFVs. In addition to reducing the 

organization’s carbon footprint, AFVs have helped to reduce operating costs for many of these 

organizations. Over the last decade, the City of Sacramento successfully transitioned its entire diesel 

refuse-hauler fleet to clean-burning liquefied natural gas (LNG). The fleet operator worked with 

Sacramento Clean Cities, the local air district, and other fleets in the area to systematically roll out 113 

side- and rear-loader LNG refuse trucks, as well as the fueling stations and maintenance facilities to 

support them. This effort contributed to millions of dollars saved and more than 1,900 tons of annual 

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions averted [25]. 

The popularity of AFVs with consumers has increased over the past 20 years. This increase in 

popularity can be attributed to many factors including more environmentally conscious consumers, 

rising gasoline prices, as well as stricter federal fuel efficiency standards (which will rise from 2011’s 

fleet average of 27.3 mpg to 54.5 mpg by 2025). The automotive industry has responded to these 

trends by enhancing the fuel efficiency of conventionally fueled light passenger vehicles, as well as 

introducing new AFV models into the market. In 1991, there were only two models of AFVs offered by 

automobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). In 2013, thirty OEMs offered 162 models of 

AFVs.

HEVs, powered by both electricity and gasoline, which get upward of 50 miles per gallon, are by far 

the most common type of AFV. OEMs are also beginning to offer battery electric vehicles (BEVs) that 

rely completely on an electric battery to power its electric motor. 

While AFVs provide several environmental, economic, and societal benefits over internal combustion 

engine vehicles, there are also some limitations to these vehicles. The most obvious limitation is that 

these vehicles usually cannot be refueled at the corner gas service station. The fueling infrastructure 

for many alternative fuels is only now being developed. According to the U.S. DOE there are 12,541 

alternative fuel stations in the United States, excluding private stations. Table 9-1 depicts the number 

of alternative fueling stations in the United States. In comparison, a report published by ITS America 

stated that there are approximately 30,000 gas service stations to support approximately 200 million 

vehicles in the United States, or about 6,000 vehicles per station [26]. In the long-term, the market for 

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AFV charging stations will likely grow. In the meantime, the lack of infrastructure serves as a major 

hurdle for mass adoption of AFVs by consumers. 

Table 9-1: Alternative Fueling Stations in the United States (Source: U.S. DOE Alternative 

Fuels Data Center [27]).

Fuel Type Number of Stations in 

the U.S.

Biodiesel (B20 and above) 324

Compressed Natural Gas 605

Electric 6,601

Ethanol (E85) 2,338

Hydrogen 10

Liquefied Natural Gas 35

Liquefied Petroleum Gas 2,638

All Fuel Types 12,541

With AFVs, a lack of information provided to the driver can be a contributing factor to range anxiety, 

the fear that a vehicle has insufficient range to reach its destination and would thus strand the 

vehicle's occupants. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) offer potential to support AFVs. 

Navigation systems equipped with knowledge of the vehicle’s battery capacity, remaining distance, 

and the locations of charging/fueling stations can help minimize driver fear.

Charging/Fueling Information applications located on in-vehicle systems or on nomadic devices can 

inform travelers of locations and the availability of AFV charging and fueling stations. These 

applications may also allow drivers to make reservations to use charging stations before they start 

their trip or while en-route. Electronic payment cards—or applications on smart phones—may also be 

used to support the payment at charging and fueling stations. 

Charging /Fueling Payment applications may 

be integrated with other transportation 

payment systems such as transit fares, 

parking, and electronic toll collection systems.

Inductive or Resonance Charging is another 

promising technology that has the potential to 

support AFVs. Inductive or resonance charging 

includes infrastructure deployed under the 

roadway that uses magnetic fields to wirelessly 

transmit large electric currents between metal 

coils placed several feet apart. This 

infrastructure enables electric vehicles to 

charge their batteries once positioned over the 

charging station. Inductive or resonance 

charging may support static charging capable 

of transferring electric power to a vehicle 

parked in a garage or on the street and 

Figure 9-1: Inductive Charging. Position marking 

for a wireless charging system with 

coils integrated in the road surface 

(Source: Conductix-Wampfler).

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vehicles stopped at a traffic signal. The technology may also support charging vehicle batteries while 

the vehicle is moving at highway speeds; the capability known as dynamic wireless charging is 

currently being researched.

Catenary Systems that use overhead wires to provide electricity for heavy duty vehicles have been in 

use for well over 100 years. Today, catenary systems can be found on urban light rail vehicles, city 

buses, and mining equipment. A recent demonstration shows how these systems may be used along 

truck corridors as part of a catenary based system for zero-emission trucks. While catenary system 

technology is very mature, it is only recently that hybrid/electric drive technology has matured to the 

point that a cost-effective hybrid system could be developed that allows for zero-emission operation 

on and off the catenary line. In the proposed system, a diesel or natural gas hybrid truck is envisioned 

that can operate solely on electrical power from the catenary lines. Additionally, an onboard battery will 

allow the truck to operate in electric mode for a limited distance after disconnecting from the catenary 

system [28].

9.2 Benefits

Transportation is the “fastest-growing source of U.S. GHG emissions, accounting for 47 percent of the 

net increase in total U.S. emissions since 1990, and is the largest end-use source of CO2, which is the 

most prevalent GHG” [29]. Transportation activities accounted for 27 percent of all GHG emissions in 

the United States, with on-road vehicles contributing 84 percent to that total. Nearly “97 percent of 

transportation GHG emissions came through direct combustion of fossil fuels.” Over 43 percent of 

surface transportation emissions are the result of passenger vehicles, 19 percent from light-duty 

trucks, and freight trucks account for another 22 percent. AFVs have the potential to reduce these 

numbers significantly and ITS is an enabling technology to make these vehicles more attractive to the 

traveling public. 

To date, ITS technologies to support AFVs have not been widely deployed. As a result, there is limited 

data documenting the benefits of Charging/Fueling Information, Charging/Fueling Payment, Inductive 

or Resonance Charging, or Catenary Systems that support HEVs. While documentation of benefits is 

limited, ITS technologies relating to AFVs seem promising. Charging/Fueling information may help to 

reduce range anxiety which may result in more purchases or use of AFVs. Additionally, Inductive or 

Resonance Charging applications will allow drivers to charge their electric vehicles in small amounts 

fairly often. As a result, electric batteries could be smaller with the resulting reduction in electric vehicle 

cost and weight. These technologies will also make electric vehicles more attractive to consumers. 

Finally, the potential benefits of a catenary-accessible hybrid truck platform may be significant. Trucks, 

when connected to the catenary system, will have zero-emissions which can significantly reduce 

emissions along a corridor.

As these technologies mature and the number of AFVs on the roadway increase, it is expected that 

private and public agencies will begin deploying technologies to support the operations of these 

vehicles and more benefit data will become available.

9.3 Costs

A limited number of ITS applications have been deployed to support alternative fuels. At this time, 

there is not cost data available for these applications.

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9.4 Lessons Learned

The following lessons learned are gathered from the U.S. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy: 

• Receive significant cost savings by driving AFVs instead of vehicles powered by 

internal combustion engines (ICEs). The U.S. DOE’s “Find a Car” tool allows 

consumers to compare fuel efficiency, costs, carbon footprints, and emissions of different 

vehicle makes and models (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/tools).

• Convert petroleum-based fleet vehicles to AFVs to save operating costs and avert 

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The U.S. DOE’s “Green Fleet Footprint Calculator”

is a tool that can be used to estimate the potential savings for fleet operators 

(http://www.afdc.energy.gov/tools).

• Minimize range anxiety with in-vehicle navigation systems equipped with 

knowledge of battery capacity, remaining distance, and the locations of 

charging/fueling stations. As a result, consumers may be more likely to purchase and 

use AFVs.

9.5 Case Study - London’s Wireless Inductive Charging 

Trial

In November 2011, London, England announced it was embarking on the first large-scale precommercial trial of inductive charging in the world. The trial involves a combination of passenger cars 

and light good vehicles and is based partially in Tech City in the East of London. The objective of the 

trial is to better understand how inductive charging can be deployed in a mega city environment like 

London and to gain feedback from inductive charging drivers on their experience of wireless charging.

According to a press release from Qualcomm, the pre-commercial trial is expected to start in early 

2012 and will involve as many as 50 electric vehicles. The trial will use Qualcomm wireless inductive 

power transfer technology that enables high-efficiency power transfer across a large air gap. With the 

technology, the driver simply parks the vehicle in the usual way and the system automatically aligns 

for power transfer, making parking easier and charging hassle free. Addison Lee, the UK’s largest 

minicab company, and Chargemaster Plc, the leading European operator of advanced electric vehicle

charging infrastructure, are partners on the project. Cost and benefit data will be available at the end 

of the trial period [30].

9.6 Case Study – The I-710 Corridor Project: Zero 

Emissions Corridor

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in cooperation with the Los Angeles County 

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), the Gateway Cities Council of Governments, the 

Southern California Association of Governments, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach recently 

proposed improvements to Interstate 710. Interstate 710 is a major north-south interstate freeway 

connecting the city of Long Beach to central Los Angeles. The corridor serves as the principal 

transportation connection for goods movement between the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long 

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9 Alternative Fuels

Beach, located at the southern terminus of I-710 and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF)/Union 

Pacific (UP) Railroad rail yards in the cities of Commerce and Vernon. The existing I-710 Corridor has 

elevated levels of health risks related to high levels of diesel particulate emissions, traffic congestion, 

high truck volumes, high accident rates, and contains many design features in need of modernization. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated the South Coast Air Basin (Basin), 

which includes the Study Area, as an extreme ozone non-attainment area and a non-attainment area 

for small airborne particulate matter less than 10 and 2.5 microns (PM10 and PM2.5).

The proposed project recommends several alternatives to improve the corridor, including widening the 

corridor, providing improvements to the arterials, deploying ITS, and implementation of zero-emission 

electric truck technology. This proposed zero-emission truck technology is assumed to consist of 

trucks powered by electric motors

and producing zero tailpipe 

emissions while traveling on the 

freight corridor. The zero-emission 

electric trucks would receive electric 

power while traveling along the 

freight corridor via an overhead 

catenary electric power distribution 

system (road-connected power) as 

depicted in Figure 9-2.

According to a presentation by the 

South Coast Air Quality Management 

District (SCAQMD), a demonstration 

project is being proposed to prove 

the catenary truck concept in realworld drayage operations. The 

catenary system would be one mile 

long with pole spacing similar to 

street lights and a DC power 

substation with remote monitoring. Four demonstration trucks - a diesel hybrid, CNG hybrid, battery 

electric, and another vehicle platform to be determined at a later date - would be used in the 

demonstration. The demonstration would begin in 2016 and last for one year. Estimated project costs 

to plan, design, build, and conduct the demonstration of the catenary system are $16,682,795. If the 

system were implemented on the corridor, the potential benefit includes reducing emissions of 75,000 

diesel heavy duty trucks in the basin and 12,120 trucks used in drayage that produce 17.7 tons on 

NOx per day and 0.2 tons of PM2.5 per day [31].

Figure 9-2: Proposed Catenary System for I-710 ZeroEmissions Corridor (Source: Siemens 

Mobility).

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10 Traffic Incident Management

10.1 Introduction

Managing traffic incidents is a proven strategy for addressing significant portions of the Nation's traffic 

congestion problems. Approximately 25 percent of all delay is the result of incidents on roadways [32]. 

Traffic crashes are the most time-consuming of these incidents, but the more numerous cases of 

stalled vehicles, roadway debris, and other incidents also 

contribute significantly to the problem. Traffic incident 

management strategies have shown significant safety, 

mobility, efficiency, productivity, environmental, and customer 

satisfaction benefits.

Traffic incident management programs make use of a variety 

of ITS technologies to successfully detect, manage, and 

clear traffic incidents; improving safety for travelers by 

reducing the risk of secondary crashes; and reducing time 

lost and fuel wasted in traffic backups. These programs also 

utilize ITS deployed for traveler information, freeway 

management, and arterial roadway management, and 

increasingly coordinate their activities with Transportation 

Management Centers (TMCs), the police, emergency 

medical services and other emergency services.

A variety of surveillance and detection technologies can help detect incidents quickly including 

inductive loop, microwave, acoustic vehicle detectors, and camera systems providing video 

surveillance of roadways monitored by operators. Mobilization and response may include automated 

vehicle location (AVL) and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems, as well as response routing 

systems to help incident response teams arrive swiftly. Service patrols are now frequently 

incorporated into traffic incident management programs. The patrol vehicles and staff supported by an 

array of other ITS components, such as mobile field reporting, enable significant reductions in the time 

to respond to and clear incidents.

With the new mandates for performance reporting requirements through MAP-21, incident tracking 

has become a very important part of traffic incident management programs. Many ITS technologies 

can be used for both traffic measures as well as emergency response services, creating additional 

benefits to the traffic incident programs. For example, installing CCTV cameras for traffic monitoring 

also helps the police achieve more efficient incident response operations.

The estimate for the total 

expected risk-adjusted 

cost of implementing and 

operating a nationwide 

NG9-1-1 system ranges 

from $82 billion to $86.3 

billion over the next 20 

years.

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10 Traffic Incident Management

10.2 Benefits

Traffic incident management programs have demonstrated success and shown high value through 

benefit-cost ratio analysis. Some sample benefit-cost ratios from incident management programs 

around the country are shown in Table 10-1.

Table 10-1: Benefit-Cost Ratios for Incident Management Systems.

Program BenefitsCost Ratio

Expansion of the St. Louis Motorist Assist (MA) program (2011-00666) 38.25:1

Safety Service Patrol in Hampton Roads, Virginia (2011-00670) 4.71:1

Northern Virginia's freeway safety service patrol (2011-00669) 5.4:1

Georgia’s HERO motorist assistance patrol program and NaviGAtor incident 

management activities (2007-00466) 4.4:1

Arterial Service Patrol deployed during the re-construction of I-64 in St. Louis (2011-

00667) 8.3:1

A multi-jurisdictional emergency response crew in the Phoenix metropolitan area 

providing services to six cities (2012-00792) 6.4:1

Traffic incident management programs have shown significant benefits under several goal areas of 

ITS, as summarized in Table 10-2. The most significant findings are that incident management 

programs have the ability to significantly reduce the duration and clearance time of traffic incidents.

Table 10-2: Selected Benefits for Incident Management Strategies.

ITS Goal Selected Findings

Safety and 

Mobility

In 2008, WSDOT implemented a new Incident Response program that 

provides roving patrols during peak periods, as well as being on call 24 hours 

a day, 7 days a week. The Incident Response Team was able to clear 98 

percent of incidents in under an hour and nearly three quarters in less than 

15 minutes. (2012-00801)

Productivity In Portland, Oregon, an incident response program, known as COMET has 

reduced 30 seconds per incident, resulting in a reduction of $711,300 costs 

of delay, which is equivalent to the cost of operating the incident response 

program for a year. (2013-00869)

Productivity A multi-jurisdictional emergency response crew in the Phoenix metropolitan 

area provides services to six cities with a benefit-cost ratio of 6.4:1 by 

increasing responder safety and reducing the number of patrol officers 

necessary at each crash scene. (2012-00792)

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Productivity A value analysis of a Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) system found that 

over a 20-year lifecycle, NG9-1-1 would likely cost about the same as 

maintaining the status quo of the current 9-1-1 system, but deliver 80 percent 

additional value (2011-00755)

Figure 10-1 shows ranges of benefits for select entries in the ITS Knowledge Resource database at: 

http://www.itsknowledgeresources.its.dot.gov/. Benefits include reduction in incident duration time, 

reduction in incident clearance time as well as collision and secondary crash reduction.

Figure 10-1: Range of Benefits of Traffic Incident Management (Source: ITS Knowledge 

Resources).

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10 Traffic Incident Management

Figure 10-2: Range of Vehicle Delay and Fuel Consumption Benefits (Source: ITS Knowledge 

Resources).

Traffic Incident Management strategies have also shown significant benefits in reducing vehicle delay 

and fuel consumption. Figure 10-2 shows the ranges of these benefits.

10.3 Costs

ITS Knowledge Resource database provides a variety of system costs for incident management 

strategies that range from small scale local programs to estimates of full nationwide implementations.

The database includes several cases of annual operating costs for motorist assist and highway 

service patrol programs around the country. Since 2004, annual operating costs for these programs 

range from less than half a million dollars to over $20 million, depending on location, type of program 

and number of vehicles. Table 10-3 shows selected system annual operating costs.

Table 10-3: Annual Operating Costs for Incident Management Systems.

Incident Management Systems Annual Operating 

Costs

Motorist Assistance and Safety Services in Arizona (2013-00289) $389,000

Northern Virginia (NOVA) Safety Service Patrol (2011-00208) $1,193,511

The Safety Service Patrol (SSP) in Hampton Roads, Virginia (2011-00207) $2,353,238

The St. Louis, Missouri Motorist Assist Program in 2008 (2011-00206) $2,015,378

The St. Louis, Missouri Motorist Assist Program in 2009 (2011-00206) $2,075,839

Tennessee DOT’s HELP Program FY 2005-2006 (2007-00119) $6.5 million

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10 Traffic Incident Management

Tennessee DOT’s HELP Program for FY 2004-2005 (2006-00096) $5.6 million

A Southeast Michigan freeway service patrol program in 2005 (2006-00105) $2.4 million

A Southeast Michigan freeway service patrol program in 2004 (2006-00104) $2.5 million

Florida DOT Road Ranger program (2006-00103) $1,133,085

Los Angeles County Metro service patrol program (2006-00102) $20.5 million

10.4 Lessons Learned

The ITS Knowledge Resource database identifies several lessons learned from deployed traffic 

incident management strategies. Many of these lessons apply not only to incident management 

programs, but are also useful in other areas such as road weather operations and freeway operations 

management. 

A report on the experience of the Utah DOT's integration of their Road Weather Information Systems 

(RWIS) Program with Traffic Operations discussed several lessons learned including:

• Use weather information from sensors and forecasts to improve incident response 

times and only having crews on call when weather events are looming. The 

availability of up to 10 forecast updates during a storm allows the Incident Management 

Team (IMT) to place crews in areas where they will most likely be needed before the 

weather worsens. Flexible staffing has been made possible through the use of forecasts 

to increase staff only when necessary. Additionally, because the RWIS program staff 

provides weather reports to Traffic Operations Center (TOC) staff at least twice daily (and 

more frequent updates during weather events), the IMT no longer needs to spend staff 

time looking for weather updates (2012-00634). 

The I-95 Corridor Coalition developed a white paper on the benefits of using vehicle probes to monitor 

traffic cost-effectively, manage incidents and queues proactively, reduce delays, and increase traveler 

satisfaction along a multi-state transportation corridor. 

Lessons learned from the experience of several State departments of transportation (DOT) are 

discussed in the white paper, including an experience from New Jersey’s DOT (NJDOT) on using 

vehicle probe data for incident management:

• Enhance incident management efficiency by using vehicle probe data (New 

Jersey). During a surprise snowstorm in October 2008, NJDOT TOC was reviewing an 

accident on I-80 via a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera. The Vehicle Probe Project 

(VPP) monitoring site identified a second incident where CCTV coverage was not 

available that involved multiple jack-knifed tractor-trailers along I-80. The knowledge 

gained from the VPP about the second incident enabled responders to attend to the 

second incident nearly an hour sooner than would have been possible without the VPP. A 

NJDOT executive stated at the 2008 ITS World Congress and ITS America Annual Joint 

Meeting that the expedited response to the second incident translated into an estimated 

$100,000 savings in user delay costs (2010-00557). 

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10 Traffic Incident Management

10.5 Case Study - Mobile Field Reporting/Arizona Public 

Safety

One of the biggest challenges facing traffic incident management strategies is to reduce the incident 

response and clearance times to prevent secondary crashes and alleviate congestion. First 

responders are required to collect information from drivers involved in a collision and develop an 

incident report. 

In the past, the Arizona Department of Public Safety 

(DPS) would collect incident and driver information 

and prepare manual paper reports that included 

information on the drivers and incident. In addition to 

the incident report, the officer would also give a 

citation to the driver at fault, which contained much 

of the same information that the officer had to 

manually copy. If the vehicles involved needed 

towing, the officer on the scene would also have to

copy that same information one more time for the 

towing report. 

With the recent downturn in the economy, Arizona lost 25 percent of their personnel overall and up to 

60 percent in some districts. At the same time, new mandates for the police were creating more 

paperwork and increasing administrative responsibilities for officers, thus taking away from response 

times and preventative activities. 

To combat these trends, the Arizona DPS started implementing mobile field reporting activities. In 

2008 the Arizona DPS started using electronic crash reports so that the crash data can more 

efficiently and accurately be moved from the field officer standing on the road to the DOT. By 2009, 

mobile field reporting was being used by approximately 700 road officers. The officer uses bar code 

scanners to scan information from registrations and drivers licenses. This information auto-populates 

into the crash form, citation and tow sheets. The benefits of mobile field reporting have proven to be 

significant, decreasing the incident reporting and clearance from 1.5 hours to approximately 15 to 30 

minutes. The automated field reporting also improved time at traffic stops, which decreased from 20 

minutes to between 5 and 10 minutes.

Besides time savings on the field, mobile field reporting in Arizona has also improved the quality of 

incident reports and reduced processing time. Previously, a supervising officer had to review most of 

these reports for accuracy but the new software includes validation rules that are built in the software 

to prevent mistakes. The supervisor reads the electronic data on the screen and accepts it. Daily 

crash reports are now sent to DOT and, if needed, these reports could be submitted on demand. The 

crash reports are used for crash analysis, planning purposes, Fatality Analysis Reporting System 

(FARS) and other databases. The process for a crash report to be included in the DOT’s database 

decreased from several months to eight days.

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11 Emergency Management

11.1 Introduction

In the United States every year, there are hundreds of 

events requiring emergency services including 

evacuations from tropical storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, 

and hazardous materials (HAZMAT) incidents. In order to 

improve safety and minimize loss of life, prompt action is 

required from multiple agencies before, during, and after 

each event. Responders must reach the scene, victims 

must be evacuated, and clearance and recovery 

resources must arrive on time. Smaller scale 

emergencies occur each day in communities across the 

nation, requiring emergency responders to travel quickly 

and safely to fires, traffic crashes, or crime scenes. ITS 

applications for emergency management aim to improve 

public safety by giving agencies the tools and equipment 

they need to plan for and implement response actions 

quickly and efficiently. In addition, good data analytics are important for performing analyses and 

understanding emergency management trends so that additional problems can be solved.

The ITS Knowledge Resources provide benefits, costs, and lessons learned information about the 

state of the art and the adoption of effective technologies by the emergency management community 

and its customers. This information includes private, public, and network-based benefits that can 

assist deployers with a greater understanding of resources available and implementation of useful 

technologies. The following information provides a sampling of the emergency management 

evaluation data that is included in the ITS Knowledge Resources.

11.2 Benefits

A 2011 report provided results from research that tested the effects of transit signal priority on 

emergency evacuation clearance times and the results showed significant time savings. 

The study area was a 14-intersection corridor located in the Southeast corner of Central Washington, 

DC (NW 7th Street from SW E Street (South) to NW Pennsylvania Ave, West to NW 12 Street). The 

corridor encompasses a major metro station in the city (L'Enfant Plaza), and is one of the 19 major 

corridors designated as a primary evacuation route to assist in the evacuation process. The scenario 

was the detonation of a dirty bomb at L'Enfant Plaza, setting in motion the city's emergency 

evacuation response.

The methodology used a microscopic traffic simulation of an evacuation environment merged with a 

transit operations and signal priority component. The evacuation environment consisted of socioeconomic data, census data and regional evacuation data, and the transit operations and signal 

In Washington D.C., allowing 

transit vehicles priority 

during a no-notice 

emergency evacuation 

resulted in a 26 percent time 

saving for transit buses 

without impacting personal 

vehicle travel time.

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11 Emergency Management

priority component was built from data on street geometry, signal timing data, traffic counts and transit 

information (schedule, stop location, dwell time, etc.). These models generated an evacuation origin 

destination (O-D) matrix to create a realistic emergency evacuation traffic model with measures of 

effectiveness (MOEs) including travel time, evacuation clearance time, and delay time. The simulation 

network included 17 of the 34 bus lines within the borders of the study area. The bus lines not 

included were those that do not require priority (right hand turns only) or do not use more than one 

intersection within the study corridor.

Allowing transit signal priority during the evacuation resulted in a 26 percent time savings for transit 

buses, meaning that three prioritized vehicles accomplish the same as four would without priority. The 

26 percent time savings enables more transit units to make additional trips, resulting in shorter 

evacuation times. The results also found that the time saving is achieved without having an impact on 

evacuation clearance times or evacuee travel times for non-transit vehicles. Moreover, when transit 

signal priority is restricted to operate only on evacuation routes, evacuee travel and delay time 

decreases (in contrast to previous studies that found transit priority results in delays to vehicular traffic 

during high roadway demand) (2012-00784). 

11.3 Costs

The I-95 Corridor Coalition of states in the northeastern U.S. work together on initiatives to improve 

highway travel. The Coalition published a report in 2010 documenting one initiative to improve the 

collection and accuracy of crash data because of the importance of this data to many agencies 

including departments of transportation, law enforcement, and emergency services for both planning 

and operations based decision making. The Crash Data Reporting Methods (Final Report) provides 

data on crash reporting practices for the 17 states in the coalition. One of many examples provided in 

the report is the implementation of a crash data system in Virginia with results shown below in Table 

11-1 (2013-00280).

Table 11-1: Virginia Crash Data System Costs.

Component Cost

Fees for a consulting team to plan, design, develop and implement a new Traffic 

Records Electronic Data System (TREDS) (estimated 2006-2009)

$2 million

TREDS software, system maintenance, and training to begin the design of 

comprehensive traffic records automated system

$116,462

Cost to reduce the backlog of crash reports in the TREDS crash database and 

subsequently, its roadway database

$66,000

Cost to change, reprint, and distribute the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria 

(MMUCC) compliant, scannable police crash form

$37,000

Provide statewide train-the-trainer training on the new FR300 Police Crash Report 

to over 400 local and state law enforcement trainers

$20,000

Staff to perform database programming modifications in the State's crash 

database and Centralized Accident Processing System (CAP) to enable collection 

of new fields and attributes from the new FR300P

$26,737

TOTAL $2.27 million

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11 Emergency Management

11.4 Lessons Learned

Utilize transportation tools in communications, traffic control, and monitoring and prediction 

to maximize the ability of the highway network to support evacuation operations.

There are a multitude of transportation tools that can support 

evacuation operations in emergencies with advance notice. As the 

agency responsible for emergency management develops 

emergency response plans, it is useful to review the array of 

transportation tools available for support in emergencies. For 

example, transportation tools for communicating with the public can 

support emergency management’s effort in communicating 

evacuation orders to the public. Similarly, tools that help manage 

traffic operations can be used in emergency operations for the 

purpose of increasing traffic capacity on evacuation routes and 

responding to traffic incidents that can harm the evacuation effort by 

blocking traffic. As the evacuation is ongoing, emergency 

management can use monitoring/predicting tools for monitoring 

conditions and predicting outcomes. These tools can improve the 

response team’s situational awareness of the progress of the 

evacuation, help identify potential problem areas and determine optimal evacuation routes. Perhaps 

the most important message is that governments need a variety of tools at their disposal and the 

ability to choose which to use in an evacuation. The transportation tools listed below are identified by 

the FHWA as having potential to support emergency evacuations with advanced notices.

• Communication Tools. A critical element in emergency evacuations is the ability of 

emergency response officials to communicate to all segments of the population in the 

evacuation zone. 

• Traffic Control Tools. The efficient and safe management of the highway network is a 

critical component of successful emergency evacuations. Traffic control tools can be 

used to manage highway operations in controlling traffic, assessing levels of congestion, 

responding and clearing incidents and optimizing traffic flow.

• Assessment Monitoring and Prediction Tools. The transportation community has 

generated advanced computerized modeling tools that can be used in evacuation 

planning and operations to predict weather, estimate losses and damages from weather 

events, evaluate evacuation plans and model traffic scenarios.

These tools can improve evacuation operations in communications, traffic control, and assessment 

and monitoring. They can be used in the readiness, activation and operations phase of the 

evacuation. To be used as effectively as possible, evacuation plans should identify which tools are 

available in the jurisdiction and how they can be used most effectively. By planning ahead, emergency 

management can use transportation tools to improve the safety, mobility, and efficiency of emergency 

evacuations with advance notice (2008-00461). 

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12 Traveler Information

12.1 Introduction

A major goal of departments of transportation and transit agencies is to provide the best service 

possible to their users. One of the ways to provide improved service to road and transit users is 

through providing accurate and timely traveler information. Traveler information is important when 

traffic conditions are worse than normal, in weather 

conditions that affect service or road conditions, special 

events that may require detours or cause traffic volumes far 

above normal, and for work zones and road closures.

Providing the public with accurate and timely information on 

travel conditions is important because it may affect their 

choice of mode, route, and departure time. Road conditions 

due to weather may affect vehicle choice, while parking 

information at a transit station may lead someone to use a 

feeder bus or get dropped off at the station in order to avoid 

driving to an already full parking lot.

Traveler information can be provided both pre-trip and enroute through information dissemination via radio, television, Highway Advisory Radio (HAR), 511 

websites and phone systems, other traveler information websites, mobile applications, and dynamic 

message signs (DMS). Each of the technologies has different benefits and costs, as well as different 

audiences (i.e., commuters, tourists, commercial vehicles, etc.). The next generation of en-route 

traveler information is in-vehicle traveler information through connected vehicle technologies and other 

“infotainment” applications. Some of these technologies are covered more specifically in the 

factsheets that focus on arterial, freeway, and transit management. This factsheet serves largely as an 

overview of traveler information.

12.2 Benefits

Benefits of traveler information systems differ widely depending on the type of information provided, 

the medium through which the information is provided and the type of event that the public needs 

notification of (e.g. work zone, crash, inclement weather, etc.). Benefits presented below are a sample 

of benefits that can be found in the ITS Knowledge Resources Database. 

A six-month test of in-vehicle systems in Washington State determined that users changed their travel 

routine once out of every 4.2 times they used the device. When diverting, the surveyed users 

indicated that they saved approximately 30 minutes in travel time (2012-00812). 

Multimodal trip planners can be instrumental in encouraging individuals to use existing transit 

services. By incorporating information such as gas prices and transit fares, in addition to travel times, 

a multi-modal trip planning tool in northeastern Illinois helped newer residents establish efficient 

The cost to implement a 

multimodal trip planner 

can range from $138,000 

to more than $4 million, 

depending on the need to 

develop custom software 

and consolidate data

feeds.

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12 Traveler Information

transportation habits. As knowledge of local transportation options increased, residents were more 

likely to use transit for some trips. Nearly 40 percent of all respondents and 50 percent of suburban 

respondents reported using at least one transit service that they did not usually use as a result of 

using the trip planning tool (2012-00794). 

12.3 Costs

Costs for Traveler Information systems vary widely based on the technologies used, as well as the 

quantity of each component used. The costs presented here are a sample of the system and unit 

costs available through the ITS Knowledge Resources Costs Database. 

Alaska developed NewGen 511 to replace a previous pooled 

fund 511 system they had been using. The public website 

uses a web-based interactive map interface that enables the 

user to zoom and pan to see symbolized alerts for 

construction, accidents, and weather advisories. The Alaska 

511 system also has a mobile-version of the website with 

reduced features for use by mobile device and low bandwidth 

Internet users. It also utilizes RSS feeds to send alerts; a 

Facebook page; a Twitter account; an iPhone app; 

GovDelivery; and the traditional phone system. The system 

was designed to be multi-modal and includes information on Alaska’s Marine Highways. The phone 

system has nearly doubled in call traffic since 2003. The system cost $440,000 to develop and 

$140,000 annually to operate (2012-00263). 

Multi-modal trip planners can cost upwards of $4 million to develop for a metropolitan area. However, 

if systems are already in consolidated standardized databases and have feed access, there will be 

significantly reduced costs for development. In Oregon, TriMet used OpenTripPlanner and open 

source software to minimize costs and were able to develop their system for less than $150,000

(2011-00228). 

12.4 Lessons Learned

Delivering traveler information to the public requires different solutions that depend on the types of 

alerts that need to be disseminated and the ways in which the public can access it. However, there 

are many lessons learned from other projects that can be generally applicable to the development and 

deployment of traveler information systems. Below is a sample of lessons learned:

• Monitoring traffic with vehicle probe data and coordinating traffic redirection in 

adjacent states can help motorists change routes prior to reaching congestion.

Vehicle probe data help manage traffic within a state, but also across state boundaries, 

accruing regional benefits along a multi-state corridor. North Carolina used probe data to 

identify building congestion on I-85 in Virginia and coordinated with Virginia to coordinate 

redirection onto less congested, parallel routes (2010-00558).

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12 Traveler Information

• Design a trip planning website to capture and 

convey real-world factors such as gas prices 

and congestion information. Market research 

reviewed during the project indicated that travel time 

information was important to travelers, but it was not 

the sole reason for mode choice. Researchers 

indicated that a well-designed trip planning website 

should be more than just an itinerary-trip planner; it 

should be able to effectively capture and convey 

real-world factors that make transit an increasingly 

attractive option. Researchers noted there was an 

increased desire for real-time vehicle location 

information, predictions, and disruption notification 

information, particularly when travelers were en-route and using mobile devices (2012-

00638). 

• Develop a robust electronic interface for obtaining comprehensive incident 

information data from the highway patrol police organizations. Obtaining information 

from local police can help to provide more complete incident information to the public. 

The Florida Highway Patrol CAD data served as a valuable source of information for the 

iFlorida’s statewide traveler information service (2010-00541).

12.5 Case Study - I-64 Full Closure – St. Louis County, 

Missouri

The Missouri Department of Transportation 

(MoDOT) decided to use an accelerated 

construction plan to rebuild a 10 mile section 

of I-64 in St. Louis County. This construction 

plan required full closure of two large 

portions of I-64 for two years (2008 to 2009), 

rather than partial closures for six to eight 

years (as shown in Figure 12-1). In order to 

successfully meet the public’s expectations 

for the project, MoDOT undertook an 

extensive traveler information campaign 

prior to the closure to make travelers aware 

of where the closure would be and 

suggested alternate routes (2012-00816). 

MoDOT surveyed drivers in order to gauge 

the effectiveness of various forms of public 

communication used regarding the I-64 

closure. MoDOT learned that television 

news was the best method to communicate 

project information, according to 78 percent 

of respondents. Road signs near the 

highway, radio news, and newspapers were 

also considered effective by more than half 

Over 75 percent of 

survey respondents 

said TV news was 

the best way to 

provide planned 

closure project 

information.

Figure 12-1: I-64 Full Closure General Information.

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12 Traveler Information

of the respondents. Only about 40 percent of the respondents felt that the internet was an effective 

way for MoDOT to communicate with them. Overall, 95 percent of residents surveyed were satisfied 

or very satisfied with how the I-64 closure was handled.

Prior to the closure of I-64, the alternative routes added capacity through restriping on the interstates 

and through upgraded signals and improved signal timing on arterial roads. While the alternative 

routes saw increases in volume, the efforts undertaken to increase capacity kept travel times along 

those routes similar to pre-closure levels. It is estimated that by diverting 98,000 to 120,000 vehicles 

daily to alternative routes for two years, the cost was $101.5 million more than the normal operational 

state. However, a partial closure for six to eight years would have cost between $147 million and 

$188.3 million. Assuming construction materials remained constant with inflation, the accelerated 

construction saved between $93 million and $187 million.

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13 Driver Assistance

13.1 Connected Eco Driving, Intelligent Speed Control, Adaptive 

Cruise Control, Platooning

13.1.1 Introduction

Controlling the speed of traffic flow either on freeways or arterials can have large impacts on the 

performance of the roadway in terms of mobility and environment. The basic implementation of this is 

an intelligent speed control system that limits the maximum speed of a vehicle by sending a message 

from the roadside infrastructure. Going a step further 

would involve interactions with other vehicles on the 

roadway to allow them to all follow a similar speed and 

smooth traffic flow. Adaptive cruise control systems set 

specific speeds to automatically follow; if there is a lead 

vehicle, a gap can be set for the vehicle to automatically 

keep. In the future, new communication technologies 

and connected vehicles will make vehicle platooning a 

realistic option. Platooning consists of vehicle platoons 

where two or more vehicles travel with small 

gaps/headways, reducing aerodynamic drag. Platooning 

relies on vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication that 

allows vehicles to accelerate or brake with minimal lag 

to maintain the platoon with the lead vehicle. The 

reduction of drag results in reduced fuel consumption, 

greater fuel efficiency, less pollution for vehicles, and increased traffic flow.

Connected vehicle technologies and V2V communications allow things like Cooperative Adaptive 

Cruise Control (CACC) and vehicle platooning to be possible. Vehicles with these technologies can 

greatly increase mobility, decrease environmental impacts, and with the continuing development of

better autonomous vehicle controls, increase safety.

Today many high end luxury cars are already equipped with some form of an ACC system. As the 

technology improves and becomes more economical, it will be seen more often in less expensive 

vehicle models. 

All of these in-vehicle technologies are advanced aspects of eco-driving. Eco-driving is simply 

changing driver patterns and styles to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. When used in 

combination with in-vehicle communications, customized real-time driving advice can be given to 

drivers so that they can adjust their driving behavior to save fuel and reduce emissions. This advice 

includes recommended driving speeds, optimal acceleration, and optimal deceleration profiles based 

on prevailing traffic conditions and interactions with nearby vehicles. Feedback may be provided to 

drivers on their driving behavior to encourage driving in a more environmentally efficient manner. 

Vehicle-assisted strategies where the vehicle automatically implements the eco-driving strategy such 

as ACC and platooning are a great way to make eco-driving easier for the driver.

Cooperative Adaptive Cruise 

Control Systems have the 

potential to be in every vehicle in 

the future, are very easy for 

drivers to use, and have the 

potential of up to a 37% 

reduction in fuel consumption in 

some scenarios [33].

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13 Driver Assistance

13.1.2 Benefits

Figure 13-1 shows safety, mobility, and 

environmental benefits of these 

technologies. The ACC and platooning 

with automated control of the vehicles 

provides the safety benefits of crash 

reductions. All of the technologies lead 

to environmental benefits including 

emissions reduction (usually of Carbon 

Dioxide) and fuel consumption 

reduction. 

Recent eco-driving research shows 

significant fuel savings and emissions 

reductions. The eco-driving benefits in 

Figure 13-1 vary from simply providing 

eco-driving training to drivers or fleet 

companies to providing real-time driving 

feedback to the driver while in the 

vehicle. Both show great potential for 

fuel and emissions reduction. One 

study that included simulation and a 

field study was able to show that ecodriving also reduced travel times 

between six and eight percent (2010-

00646).

13.1.3 Costs

Costs for these in-vehicle systems change rapidly as the technology is changing and improving. For 

example in 2006 it was estimated that on luxury vehicles ACC systems cost an additional $3,000 

(2008-00175). Today for the most advanced ACC system in one luxury vehicle the cost is estimated at 

$2,000. This system would include features like automatically slowing the vehicle down if an issue 

ahead is detected and giving audio or visual warning to the driver to retake control of the speed of the 

vehicle. The system also works at any speed. The same auto manufacturer also offers a $500 ACC 

system with basic features that works at speeds 25 mph and higher [34]. That is over an 80 percent 

decrease in price in 7 years.

13.1.4 Case Study - Safe Road Trains 

for the Environment (SARTRE)

The overall concept of Safe Road Trains for the 

Environment (SARTRE) is to have a group of vehicles 

driving together with a lead vehicle, driven normally by a 

trained professional driver, and several following vehicles 

driven fully automatically by the system with small 

longitudinal gaps between them. Driving in this way, in a 

platoon, brings benefits in fuel consumption, safety and driver convenience. In addition to investigating 

the concept, a demonstrator system has been developed consisting of five vehicles: a lead truck, a 

Figure 13-1: Range of Benefits for Connected EcoDriving, Intelligent Speed Control, Adaptive Cruise 

Control, and Platooning (Source: ITS Knowledge 

Resources).

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13 Driver Assistance

following truck, and three following cars. An offboard system has also been developed to allow a 

potential SARTRE driver to find, and navigate to, a suitable platoon, although this has not been fully 

integrated into the vehicle system.

The project investigated the human factors aspects of platooning from the point of view of the lead 

driver, the following drivers, and the other road users. The demonstration system has been 

successfully tested on test tracks and public motorways, and demonstrated to industry stakeholders 

as well as members of the press. Using these vehicles, the fuel consumption benefits of platooning 

have been measured. The SARTRE project measured the fuel consumption individually for each 

vehicle in order to compare it with the fuel consumption while platooning. The distances tested for the 

full platoon system were 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 15 meters. A two-truck platoon was also tested at 20 

and 25 meter gaps. Measurements of the fuel consumption are not available for cars in the full platoon 

system at gap sizes of 7 meters and below.

The results show that there is an important decrease in fuel consumption when platooning at shorter 

distances. For example, the following truck saw the highest fuel savings of 16 percent at a gap of 5 

meters. When the gap was increased to 15 meters, the following truck still showed fuel savings of just 

over 8 percent. The following vehicles fuel savings ranged from 15 percent at a 7-meter gap to just 

over 4 percent at a 15-meter gap. This behavior follows a similar trend to what has been previously 

researched and also similar to that of the simulation results. Figure 13-2 shows all of the results by 

gap distance and vehicle location.

Figure 13-2: Percentage of fuel savings of each vehicle in the platoon at varying gaps (Source: 

SARTRE Final Report).

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13 Driver Assistance

13.3 Navigation / Route Guidance, Driver Communications, and 

In-Vehicle Monitoring

13.3.1 Introduction

Driver assistance refers to a collection of capabilities and associated technologies to help augment 

key driving tasks, such as navigation, speed control, and parking. This fact sheet focuses on invehicle mobility assistance:

• In-vehicle navigation and route guidance systems with global positioning system (GPS) 

technology may reduce driver error, increase safety, and save time by improving driver 

decisions in unfamiliar areas.

• Integrated communication systems that enable drivers and dispatchers to coordinate rerouting decisions on-the-fly can also save time and money, and improve productivity.

On-board monitoring systems track and report cargo 

condition, safety and security status, and the mechanical 

condition of vehicles equipped with in-vehicle diagnostics. 

This information can be presented to the driver immediately, 

transmitted off-board, or stored. In the event of a crash or 

near-crash, in-vehicle event data recorders can record 

vehicle performance data and other input from video 

cameras or radar sensors to improve the post-processing 

of crash data.

13.3.2 Benefits

In-vehicle navigation systems with GPS technology may 

reduce driver error, increase safety, and save time by 

improving driver decisions in unfamiliar areas. The systems 

may be linked to traveler information services to provide 

updated routing instructions that account for current and 

predicted traffic conditions. 

Over the past decade, on-board and portable navigation systems have frequently been purchased 

and used by drivers to assist with driving directions and routing around congestion. Combining 

navigation systems and traveler information can create powerful tools to assist drivers. 

The tables below show the benefits of these technologies in reducing fuel consumption and vehicle

emissions.

Eighty-three percent of the 

audible alerts received by 

drivers were rated as either 

good or neutral, and only 

13 percent were rated as 

bad. The alerts enhanced 

drivers' situational 

awareness and improved 

safety on freeways.

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Table 13-1: Benefits of Navigation/Route Guidance.

ITS Goal Selected Findings

Energy & 

Environment

In the Buffalo-Niagara region of New York, a green routing system for passenger 

vehicles showed:

An average Carbon Monoxide (CO) emissions reduction of 16.77 percent, with only 

a 3.33 percent increase in the average travel time when the route was based on 

CO reduction. 

When the route was based on reducing Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), a 19.47 percent 

decrease was seen, with an 11.04 percent increase in travel time. 

When the route was based on reduced fuel consumption there was an average 

decrease of 5.55 percent gallons of gasoline used with a 12.7 percent increase in 

travel time (2013-00866). (

For a long haul truck case:

An 18.65 percent reduction in CO was seen with a 2.46 percent increase in 

travel time (2013-00866). 

Energy & 

Environment

Eco-routing features that assist drivers with navigation can improve fuel economy 

by 15 percent by identifying more fuel efficient routes and save them up to 30 

percent in mileage when searching for a parking space when appropriate 

information is provided. Overall, combining multiple eco-driving applications was 

projected to reduce fuel consumption by 20 percent.

AVL systems can help commercial motor vehicles find more efficient routes which in 

effect can reduce VMT. An AVL/OBD technology solution identified eliminated 

44,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually from the City of Napa’s 

vehicle fleet (2012-00791). 

Table 13-2: Benefits of Driver Communication.

ITS Goal Selected Findings

Energy & 

Environment

A modeling study found that alerting drivers to the status of upcoming traffic signals 

led to smoother decelerations to the intersection.

Results showed that the drivers alerted to the red signal 360 m (1200 ft) ahead of 

the intersection reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 40 percent 

for passenger vehicles and 38 percent for pick-ups and SUVs at the posted speed 

limit of 65 km/h (40 mph) (2011-00751). 

Safety

Customer 

Satisfaction

Audible "slow traffic ahead" alerts can improve drivers' situational awareness and 

increase safety on freeways.

The metric measuring variability in speed as drivers approached a queue supported 

the test hypothesis and confirmed that during the alert week, drivers experiencing 

the alerts exhibited smoother driving profiles.

When the system worked as intended, 83 percent of the alerts received by drivers 

were rated as either good or neutral, and only 13 percent were rated as bad (2013-

00823).

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Energy & 

Environment

Commercial motor vehicles (CMV) can use Access Management applications such 

as Pre-Pass to improve motor carrier safety and efficiency. These systems allow 

participating transponder-equipped commercial vehicles to bypass designated 

inspection stations and continue to move freight and reduce shipment times. In 

2009, Pre-Pass saved an estimated 21 million gallons of fuel for commercial 

vehicles (2012-00791).

Table 13-3: Benefits of In-Vehicle Monitoring.

ITS Goal Selected Findings

Safety Participating drivers from two motor carriers (identified as Carrier A and Carrier B) 

drove a vehicle equipped with a Driving Behavior Management System (DBMS) for 

17 consecutive weeks while they made their normal, revenue-producing deliveries.

For severe safety-related events, a 59.1 percent reduction in mean rate of severe 

safety-related events per VMT was observed at Carrier A and a 44.4 percent 

reduction was observed at Carrier B. (2011-00698)

Productivity

Customer 

Satisfaction

By using an In-Vehicle Data Recorder (IVDR) to enable pay as you drive (PAYD) 

car insurance, drivers can save up to 60 percent on their car insurance premiums.

A Brookings Institution study estimates that 63.5 percent of all households would 

experience savings with PAYD insurance, and such savings would amount to an 

average of $270 per vehicle and $496 per household, among households that do 

save. (2011-00717)

Productivity

Energy & 

Environment

Idle-off stop-start systems integrated into vehicle designs can also be monitored by 

fleet management systems to reduce truck emissions up to 83 percent at truck rest 

stops. (2012-00791)

13.3.3 Costs

Costs and Outlook of On-Board Equipment for Connected Vehicles (2013-00288)

Respondents of the Connected Vehicle (CV) Technology Industry Delphi study overwhelmingly 

reaffirmed the consensus that Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) is needed for 

cooperative, active safety systems, while third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) cellular 

communications tend to be thought of as appropriate for other applications. 

DSRC was commonly viewed as being standard equipment by 2017. The majority think the 

applications will be built-in by that point. Below are consensus unit costs to include on-board DSRC 

equipment in vehicles:

• Cost to Vehicle Manufacturers of Embedded DSRC - In both rounds of the study, when 

asked how much it will cost vehicle manufacturers (in US$) to add a DSRC radio as 

embedded equipment, respondents gave a median response of $148 to $175 for 2017 

and $73 to $75 for 2022. The second round means were $148 for 2017 and $73 for 

2022.

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• Cost Added to Base Vehicle Price for Connected Vehicle Technology - Regarding what 

connected vehicle technology will add to the base cost (in US$) of a new vehicle for the 

consumer, the median in both rounds was $350 for 2017 and $300 for 2022. The second 

round means were $335 for 2017 and $260 for 2022. 

• Consumer Cost to Add DSRC as Aftermarket Equipment - The cost to the consumer (in 

US$) to add DSRC as aftermarket equipment had a median estimate of $200 for 2017 

and $75 for 2022 in both rounds. The second round means were $233 in 2017 and $113 

in 2022.

13.3.4 Lessons Learned

Consider New Approaches to Address Distracted Driving when Designing and Developing ITS 

Applications (2013-00651)

The SafeTrip-21 Initiative advanced knowledge and technological solutions to reduce distracted 

driving. The U.S. DOT tested a variety of technologies in a number of locations in California as well as 

along the I-95 corridor on the east coast. Below are some of the lessons learned during the evaluation 

of the SafeTrip-21 Initiative that focused on improving safety with the deployment of these 

applications:

• Assess vehicle location, speed and direction along with the ability to predict potential 

driving path conflicts and transmit alerts to the driver to provide needed capability to 

minimize driver distraction.

• Communicate alerts designed to orient drivers to general traffic conditions ahead, and 

therefore, make them more attentive to the driving environment to help reduce driver 

distraction.

• Use "Geofencing" as an approach to limiting driver distraction.

• Continue to explore avenues for advancements in technology to prevent driver distraction 

as well as instilling a safety culture mindset to support the goal of a change in driver 

behavior.

13.3.5 Case Study - Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership (CAMP) 

Driver Acceptance Clinics [35]

From August 2011 through January 2012, the 

Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership (CAMP) 

held driver acceptance clinics to introduce 

drivers to vehicle-to-vehicle communications 

aimed at reducing traffic accidents and saving 

lives. 

The clinics were held in six different locations 

around the country: the Michigan International 

Speedway, Brainerd International Raceway in 

Minnesota, Walt Disney World Speedway in 

Orlando, FL, the Virginia Tech Smart Road, the 

Texas Motor Speedway and Alameda Naval Air Station.

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The clinics used 24 vehicles from eight participating automakers, each with its own system to provide 

safety information to drivers. The systems used sounds, lights, displays, and seat vibrations to alert 

drivers of various threats. A total of 688 drivers tested several scenarios that involved applications of 

connected vehicle technology including:

• Emergency electronic brake lights

• Forward collision warning

• Blind spot warning/ lane change warning

• Do not pass warning

• Intersection movement assist

• Left turn assist

Results

• More than four out of five participants, or 82 percent, strongly agreed that they would like 

to have vehicle-to-vehicle safety features on their personal vehicle. 

• In addition, more than 90 percent of the participants believed that a number of specific 

features of the connected vehicle technology would improve driving in the real world, 

including features alerting drivers about cars approaching an intersection, warning of 

possible forward collisions, and notifying drivers of cars changing lanes or moving into the 

driver's blind spot.

• In 12 focus groups held with 96 participants, the most common reaction to the technology 

was that saving a life or many lives far outweighs the potential drawbacks of dependency, 

complacency or over-reliance on the technology.

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14 Information Management

14.1 Introduction

Intelligent transportation systems collect large amounts of data on the operational status of the 

transportation system. Archiving and analyzing this data can provide significant benefits to 

transportation agencies.

Archived data management systems (ADMS) collect data from ITS applications and assist in 

transportation administration, policy evaluation, safety, planning, program assessment, operations 

research, and other applications. Small-scale data archiving systems can support a single agency or 

operations center, while larger systems support multiple agencies and can act as a regional 

warehouse for ITS data. 

The 2012 transportation reauthorization law Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) 

has set up new requirements for performance-based transportation decision making, including 

establishing performance measures and targets in seven national goal areas such as congestion 

reduction and system reliability. Public agencies are seeking real time and archived data to provide 

metrics and measurements of system performance.

Example uses of archived ITS data include:

• Incident management programs may review incident locations to schedule staging and 

patrol routes, and frequencies for service patrol vehicles.

• Historical traffic information can be used to develop predictive travel times.

• Transit agencies may review schedule performance data archived from automatic vehicle 

location, computer-aided dispatch systems and/or automatic passenger counting 

systems to design more effective schedules and route designs, or to manage operations 

more efficiently.

As information management and data archiving systems evolve they are moving from archiving 

information from a single source or system to more complex implementations. In order to provide 

support for regional operations across jurisdictional and agency boundaries, data fusion from multiple 

sources and/or agencies, integration of both real time and archived information, and data visualization 

are being incorporated.

Information management and data archiving from both infrastructure and mobile sources in data 

environments are also the foundation of the Real-Time Data Capture and Management track of the 

ITS Research Program.

The collection and storage of data on transportation system performance often occurs at 

transportation management centers (TMCs). The transportation management centers chapter 

discusses TMCs in detail. In addition, the transit management chapter discusses the archiving and 

use of transit performance data.

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14.2 Benefits

Data archiving enhances ITS integration and allows for coordinated regional decision making. Traffic 

surveillance system data, as well as data collected from commercial vehicle operations, transit 

systems, electronic payment systems, and road weather information systems have been the primary 

sources of archived data available to researchers and planners. Often the benefits of the archived 

data systems are not easily quantified. The archived data provides information not previously 

available, and enables analyses of problems and solutions not possible with traditional data. As more 

advanced data analysis techniques develop and the efficiency of data reporting systems are 

improved, additional examples of the effectiveness of information management systems will become 

available. Methodologies for computing the benefits of information management must be developed.

Table 14-1: Benefits of Information Management.

ITS Goal Selected Findings

Customer 

Satisfaction

In Virginia, a web-based archived data management system (ADMS) was deployed 

to provide decision makers and other transportation professionals with traffic, 

incident, and weather data needed for planning and traffic analyses. An assessment 

of website activity indicated that 80 percent of the website usage was devoted to 

downloading data files needed to create simple maps and graphics. Overall, users 

were pleased with the ability of the system to provide a variety of data, but wanted 

more information on traffic counts, turning movements, and work zones, as well as 

broader coverage. (2008-00560)

Efficiency In Portland, Oregon, the Tri-Met transit agency used archived AVL data to construct 

running time distributions (by route and time period) and provide enhanced 

information to operators and dispatchers. Evaluation data indicated that the reduced 

variation in run times and improved schedule efficiency maximized the effective use 

of resources. (2008-00587)

Productivity The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) found that a project to make data 

reporting and analysis tools available to local law enforcement organizations 

resulted in an increase in officer-generated crash reports received electronically from 

68 percent from 47 percent, allowing the agency to provide statewide crash data on 

a quarterly basis. At the beginning of the project, the available data was 1.5 to 3 

years old. (2013-00882)

Productivity A study using archived data at five study locations with a variety of seasonal traffic 

patterns found that in some situations, up to 75 percent of all days can be missing 

data at urban locations when calculating annual average daily traffic statistics with 

archived ITS data. This finding challenges conventional procedures for the 

calculation of annual average planning statistics. (2013-00873)

14.3 Costs

The costs to develop ADMS vary based on the size of the system and features provided. Based on 

limited data available from a study of six transportation agencies that have established ADMS, costs 

for one system was $85,000 and $8 million for another. Four of the six systems were developed jointly 

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14 Information Management

with a university. Typically, the state DOT pays for the development with the university hosting the 

system. Operations and maintenance (O&M) costs were in a closer range, $150,000 to $350,000; 

these costs were usually on an annual basis. 

The University of Maryland hosts the Regional Integrated Transportation Information System (RITIS) 

which collects, archives, and provides data fusion and visualization for agencies in the Washington,

D.C. region and beyond. The system costs about $400,000 a year to maintain and operate (in 2011). 

Costs for an agency to integrate their data within RITIS have varied depending on the system and 

effort required for integration from a low of $15,000 to a high of $300,000.

A study of the feasibility and implementation options for establishing a regional data archiving system 

to help monitor and manage traffic operations in Northeast Illinois estimated the cost for developing 

software to integrate data from multiple agencies in a region and produce both historical and real-time 

reports as ranging from $700,000 (low) to $1,000,000 (high) (2011-00221).

Table 14-2: System Costs of Archived Data Management Systems.

Cost Category Source Min Max Cost ID

ADMS Washington State TRAC 

System and Caltrans PeMS

$85,000 

(initial R&D)

$8,000,000 2008-

00173

Statewide Electronic 

Crash Data Collection 

System

Vermont, Virginia $1,105,000 $2,272,209 2013-

00280

Regional Data Archive Northeast Illinois Regional 

Data Archive (estimate)

$700,000 $1,046,000 2011-

00221

Table 14-3: Selected Archived Data Management Costs.

Cost Category Source Min Max Cost ID

Hardware Costs Illinois Regional Data Archive 

(estimate)

$42,400 $46,400 2011-00221

Operations and 

Maintenance 

Virginia ADMS

University of Maryland RITIS

$150,000

$400,000

$350,000

$400,000

2008-00174

2011-00220

Software Development Illinois Regional Data Archive 

(estimate)

$700,000 $1,000,000 2011-00221

Training Caltrans PeMS $350,000 $350,000 2013-00291

14.4 Lessons Learned

The SafeTrip-21 Initiative demonstrated the feasibility of alternative approaches to collecting and using

traffic data. In some cases, applications demonstrated new sources of traffic condition data. In other 

cases, applications made use of traditional data in new ways. The SafeTrip-21 Initiative highlighted, 

for example, how the mass-market availability of GPS-enabled smart phones complements traditional 

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fixed sensors as a new data source, as well as offers the potential to deliver personalized travel 

information (2013-00649). Among the lessons learned are:

• Use new and traditional data sources to enhance traffic models and to help solve 

problems related to mode shift and travel demand. Traffic model development can 

benefit from integrating traffic probe data with other data sources for both freeways and 

arterials. Several SafeTrip-21 tests showed that ITS technology is capable of collecting 

the data needed by traffic and transit operations agencies to collaborate and better 

understand mode shift and travel demands across modes.

• Consider procuring traffic data and information, rather than building in-house data 

collection systems, to reduce costs. Agencies have traditionally procured hardware, 

software, and systems that allowed them to collect, analyze, and produce traffic data, 

which likely proved to be a laborious effort. An emerging alternative is to procure data 

and/or information services as a more cost-effective, resource-efficient alternative to 

developing the data and/or end product internally. 

• Explore the potential of new consumer devices, applications and services for 

collecting new traffic data and combining it with traditional traffic data to be used 

in new and innovative ways. For example, cell phone GPS systems can alter the way 

traffic data is collected by leveraging the existing cell phone infrastructure to collect traffic 

data and transmit traffic information directly back to drivers.

• Assess traffic data and information services carefully to ensure the quality and 

quantity of data and information needed. The ability to deploy a traveler information 

concept is only as successful as the availability, timeliness, and accuracy of its data 

sources. Also, practical concerns of transportation professionals should govern their 

acceptance of new traffic data services and devices.

14.5 Case Study – Regional Integrated Transportation 

Information System (RITIS)

A major traffic accident on the Washington, D.C. Capital Beltway can cause traffic backups and 

delays, as well as secondary incidents for hours. There are four major transportation agencies and 

countless emergency management groups that 

can respond to traffic incidents, but in early 2003 

there was only limited automated data sharing. 

Maryland, Virginia and D.C. transportation 

agencies and the Metro transit system 

approached the University of Maryland’s Center 

for Advanced Transportation Technology 

Laboratory (CATT Lab) for help coordinating 

traffic around the Beltway.

“It turns out the agencies were collecting more 

data than we thought they did, but they weren’t 

doing a good job managing their data,” said 

Michael Pack, CATT Lab Director [36]. Each 

DOT had a different system from a different 

vendor, so the data came in a variety of formats. 

Figure 14-1: RITIS System Overview (Source: 

Maryland CATT Lab).

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The Regional Integrated Transportation Information System (RITIS) is an automated data sharing, 

dissemination, and archiving system that includes many performance measure, dashboard, and visual 

analytics tools that help agencies to gain situational awareness, measure performance, and 

communicate information between agencies and to the public. RITIS automatically fuses, translates, 

and standardizes data obtained from multiple agencies in order to provide an enhanced overall view 

of the transportation network. 

Participating agencies are able to view transportation and related emergency management 

information through innovative visualizations and use it to improve their operations and emergency 

preparedness. RITIS also uses regional standardized data to provide information to third parties, the 

media, and other traveler information resources including web sites, paging systems, and 511. There 

are three main RITIS components including, real-time data feeds, real-time situational awareness 

tools, and archived data analysis tools.

CATT Director Michael Pack explains the success of the RITIS system:

• Give everyone a real reason to want to collect data and support your programs.

• Provide data fusion of information from different sources and systems so users have a 

more complete picture of the transportation system than they would have just using their 

own resources or archives of individual systems.

• Provide easy, free access to all of the data (or as much as you legally can) to everyone.

• Develop interesting, fun, useful applications for the data that make people aware of what 

you are doing.

This results in others seeing the benefits of the transportation data services and gaining a better 

understanding of how ITS benefits the transportation system and responds to real time events (2011-

00583). 

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15 Commercial Vehicle Operations

15.1 Introduction

ITS applications for commercial vehicle operations (CVO) enhance communications between motor 

carriers and regulatory agencies, reduce administrative costs for public and private sector operations, 

and assure safe reliable movement of goods and services on the Nation’s roadways. As part of the 

Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 the U.S. DOT commissioned the Federal Motor Carrier 

Safety Administration (FMCSA) to advance these goals and implement the Commercial Vehicle 

Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) program to fund state participation. CVISN consists of 

both Core and Expanded functions where Core functions have priority for nationwide deployment.

Core CVISN 

• Electronic credentialing – Automates the application, processing, and issuance of 

motor carrier operating credentials.

• Safety information exchange – Facilitates the collection, distribution, and retrieval of 

motor carrier safety information at the roadside.

• Electronic screening – Enables commercial vehicles with good safety and legal status 

to bypass roadside inspections and weigh stations.

Expanded CVISN

• Expanded electronic credentialing – Enables authorized stakeholders to access 

current and accurate credentials information.

• Smart roadside – Connects remote inspection sites and virtual weigh stations to CVISN 

networks.

• Enhanced safety information sharing and data quality – Provides motor carrier 

access to Federal and state safety data and CVISN updates.

• Driver information sharing – Enables enforcement personnel to access driver records 

and safety data.

As of July 2013, all states and the District of Columbia have deployed at least one Core CVISN 

element. Eleven (11) states, however, have not yet achieved Core CVISN compliance because of 

transponder requirements needed for electronic screening.

Recent changes in Federal Policy address these issues and enable States to use alternate types of

communication devices including smartphones, tablets, fleet management systems, GPS navigational 

units, and onboard telematics devices to transmit data as required to meet CVISN requirements [37].

In the United States, there are currently two major national electronic screening programs, the North 

American Pre-clearance and Safety System (NORPASS) and the PrePassTM program. Although 

commercial vehicle operators have demonstrated a willingness to participate in these programs, 

participation rates nationwide have been relatively low and included only about 20 percent of all 

commercial motor vehicles [38]. There is now wide consensus that regulatory agencies should no 

longer only focus on increasing the number of inspections carried out, but use available resources to 

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increase the percentage of non-compliant vehicles stopped for inspection. With core CVISN 

capabilities expected in all states by 2015, agencies have identified alternative solutions through the 

Expanded CVISN program. The Smart Roadside Initiative, for example, will create efficient data 

handling between private and public sector motor carrier systems while maintaining current 

operational systems. Inspections and measurements traditionally conducted at weigh stations will be 

provided at strategic points along commercial vehicle routes to increase the effectiveness of available 

resources. Currently, four ITS application areas are the focus of this initiative [39].

1. E-screening vehicles in motion to automatically detect safety issues.

2. Improving truck size and weight enforcement with virtual weigh stations, and enhancing 

safety and credentials assessment with e-credentialing.

3. Transmitting driver, vehicle, and carrier safety data directly from commercial vehicles to the 

roadside and from carrier systems to government systems.

4. Providing commercial vehicle parking information so commercial drivers can make advanced 

route planning decisions based on hour-of-service constraints, location and supply of parking, 

travel conditions, and loading/unloading.

15.2 Benefits

Core CVISN 

Electronic credentialing allows carriers to register with 

state agencies online to improve turn-around times and 

lower labor costs associated with permit processing and 

approval.

• Ninety-four (94) percent of motor carrier companies surveyed say that electronic 

credentialing is more convenient, 80 percent saw savings in staff labor time, and 58 

percent achieved costs savings over manual methods (2011-00738). 

• With more rapid processing and reduced overhead and labor costs, carrier savings can 

be as high as $360,500 per year depending on fleet size (2009-00609). 

• A national evaluation of the CVISN deployment program indicated electronic 

credentialing has a benefit-cost ratio of 2.6 (2012-00787).

The safety information exchange (SIE) portion of the CVISN program integrates national and state 

databases enabling a coordinated review of registration and safety data. Enforcement personnel can 

access national database clearinghouses to review carrier regulatory compliance data and 

crosscheck safety assurance information. Electronic screening systems allow transponder equipped 

commercial vehicles to:

• Provide expedited information to inspection stations

• Improve inspection efficiency

• Allow safe and legal carriers to bypass roadside inspections and weigh stations.

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An evaluation of the national CVISN program found that electronic screening has a benefit-cost ratio 

of 1.9 to 7.5. Results varied depending on the system configuration, level of deployment, and the 

benefits of crash avoidance gained through increased compliance (2012-00787). 

Figure 15-1: Summary of Benefits for Core CVISN Functions (Source: U.S. DOT, 2008 [40]).

Expanded CVISN

Initial results from limited scale field operational tests show that ITS applications for Expanded CVISN 

functions support Core CVISN functions and improve mobility, safety, and productivity for commercial 

vehicle operations. The Smart Roadside Initiative continues to develop, design, build, and test 

prototype applications designed to share data seamlessly between commercial vehicles, motor 

carriers, enforcement resources, highway facilities, intermodal facilities, toll facilities, and other nodes 

on the transportation system. Initial feasibility analysis conducted by the U.S. DOT suggest that with 

sufficient economies-of-scale, a network wide deployment of smart roadside applications can yield 

benefit-cost ratios ranging from 3.51:1 to 6.17:1 over 10 years [41].

Table 15-1: Wireless Roadside Inspection (WRI) Benefit-Cost Ratios, Nationwide (Source: U.S. 

DOT).

Annual Benefits

Lives Saved 253

Injuries Prevented 6,192

Total Cost Savings $1.7B

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Annualized Costs

Government—Facility, Equipment, IT, Communications Capital Costs (Amortized over 

10 years)

$22M –

$34M

Government—Facility, Equipment, IT, Communications O&M Costs $23M –

$42M

Industry—Annual Incremental Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Costs. Based on 

420,000 units/year ($533 - $940 per CMV)

$224M –

$395M

Total Annualized Cost $269M –

$471M

Benefit-Cost Ratio

Low-High 3.51:1 –

6.17:1

Average 4.84:1

Additional field studies in the United States and Canada show that vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) 

technologies can make surface transportation safer, smarter, and 

greener.

• Dynamic mobility applications that improve data 

sharing among commercial vehicle drivers can 

improve freight travel times up to 20 percent (2013-

00845). 

• In British Columbia, a study of the Green Light 

Transportation System (GLTS) found that adding an 

automated license plate reader (ALPR) to an 

electronic screening system effectively focused inspections on high-risk carriers, reduced 

commercial vehicle travel times, and decreased fuel consumption and emissions 

resulting in a benefit-cost ratio of 26.2:1 (2013-00836). 

15.3 Costs

Core CVISN

Data collected from four states (Montana, New Jersey, New York, and South Dakota) show Core 

CVISN costs vary widely depending on the size of the state, and the level and type of systems 

deployed. 

• The average start-up cost for electronic credentialing was estimated at $1.35 million per 

state (with a range of $28,037 to $8.57 million) with annual operating and maintenance 

costs estimated at $250,000 per year ($22,645 to $1.09 million) (2011-00229). 

• The average per state start-up costs for safety information exchange systems were 

estimated at roughly $680,000 ($31,828 to $2.68 million) with operating costs estimated 

at $74,000 per year (2011-00230). 

• The average per state start-up cost for electronic screening systems varied from $1 

million to $2.8 million (2011-00231). 

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Expanded CVISN

Virtual weigh stations can monitor traffic 

in truck-only lanes without having to 

purchase extensive right of ways located 

adjacent to the mainline for weigh station 

construction. CVISN funding requests 

suggest that virtual weigh station system 

costs range from $300,000 to $1.4 million

(2013-00287). 

Automated license plate reading systems 

(ALPR) can supplement Core CVISN functions. The cost of an ALPR system used to supplement 

existing inspection systems at eight inspection sites was estimated at $1.06 million (CAN).

• Total hardware costs for sensors, cameras, and overview image capture equipment were 

estimated at $484,000.

• Total software costs including an enterprise software module, and customized optical 

character recognition (OCR) and electronic screening software at eight inspection sites 

were estimated at $382,000 (2013-00279).

15.4 Case Study - Wireless Roadside Inspection Field 

Operational Test

In Schodack, New York a field operational test was conducted to evaluate the performance of a smart 

roadside inspection station (SRIS) installed on I-90. The system was designed with a weigh-in-motion 

(WIM) system in the mainline, dedicated short range radio communications (DSRC), an ALPR 

system, and enhanced imaging that enabled the system to detect overheight vehicles, read U.S. DOT 

Numbers, and identify HAZMAT placard symbols posted on commercial vehicles. The on-site 

equipment and e-screening software were connected to the New York State Commercial Vehicle 

Information Exchange Window (CVIEW) and New York State Commercial Vehicle Infrastructure 

Integration (CVII) network which enabled the system to query several databases and collect and 

share compliance data on high-risk carriers. The databases queried by the system included:

• FMCSA SAFER (Safety and Fitness Electronic Records) system

• FMCSA PRISM (Performance and Registration Information Systems) program

• NYS Tax and Finance HUT (Highway Use Tax) credentials database

• NYSDOT OS/OW (Oversize/Overweight) permits database.

Evaluators monitored SRIS activity for the last 10 minutes of every hour between December 6 and 

December 7, 2012 and a total of 240 commercial vehicles were detected and processed.

Findings

Compared to traditional commercial vehicle inspection methodologies SRIS reduced the number of 

Level 1 Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance inspections required to maintain target enforcement levels 

(number of non-compliant carriers expected to be placed out-of-service each day). With an inspection 

station that performs 20 inspections per day the system was estimated to save 14 compliant carriers 

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15 Commercial Vehicle Operations

from 14 needless one-hour inspections and improve the out-of-service rate by 70 percent (2013-

00859). 

Fuel Consumption and Emissions

• Fuel savings for compliant carriers were estimated at $89,425 per year. 

• Total annual emissions savings were estimated at 6.57 metric tons.

Carrier Mobility and Productivity

• Time savings for trucks at $75 per hour would save $383,250 per year.

Inspector Productivity and Efficiency

• Time savings for agency personnel at $45 per hour would save approximately $1.15 

million per year with enforcement levels maintained.

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16 Intermodal Freight

16.1 Introduction

While the United States economy has been affected by an economic downturn in recent years, it is 

expected to recover and continue to grow. Long-term economic growth should result in even greater 

demand for freight transportation.

The freight industry and its customers are 

increasingly turning to information technologies and 

telecommunications to improve freight system 

efficiency and productivity, increase global

connectivity, and enhance freight system security 

against common threats and terrorism. In short, these 

technologies help freight operators use the 

transportation system more intelligently. Most 

importantly, they do so in ways that improve safety, 

whether related to hazardous materials transport, 

heavy truck operation and maintenance, or load limit 

compliance. 

Intelligent freight technologies are currently deployed 

in several areas including the following:

• Asset tracking: Mobile communications and global positioning systems, bar codes, and 

radio frequency identification (RFID) tags track the location of trucks, containers, and 

cargo to improve efficiency and to ensure the safety and security of shipments.

• On-board status monitoring: Sensors record vehicle operating conditions, check the 

condition of cargo, and detect tampering or intrusion.

• Gateway facilitation: Non-intrusive inspection technologies, such as scanners and RFID 

tags, are used at terminals, inspection stations, and border crossings to search for 

contraband and enhance national security.

• Freight status information: Web-based technologies facilitate the exchange of information 

on freight shipments and improve data flows.

• Network status information: Cameras, road-sensors, and display technologies monitor 

congestion, weather conditions, and incidents.

The ITS Knowledge Resources provides information about the state of the art and the adoption of 

effective technologies by the freight industry and its customers. This information includes private, 

public, and network-based benefits, costs and lessons learned.

Analyses in the HAZMAT FOT 

Final Synthesis show that 

using wireless 

communications and GPS 

tracking can save from $80 to 

$309 per month by reducing 

empty freight miles.

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16 Intermodal Freight

16.2 Benefits

Efficiency Benefits Assessment

A U.S. DOT HAZMAT Field Operational Test (FOT) was conducted to test methods for leveraging 

technology and operations to improve HAZMAT transport security and operational efficiency. The 

evaluation of this FOT quantified benefits resulting from technology deployments that improve the 

security and operational efficiency of HAZMAT shipments from origin to destination.

Regardless of technology configuration in the FOT, two technologies created the enabling platform on 

which the other test technologies operated – wireless communications and asset positioning/tracking. 

Through discussions with the participating motor carriers, these two capabilities provided the majority 

of measurable operational benefits. Without these two capabilities, potential operational, as well as 

safety and security benefits of the other test technologies could not be realized.

The inputs used in calculating per truck monthly benefits of Wireless Communications with GPS 

tracking are presented in HAZMAT FOT Volume III report, Section 2 [42]. The return-on-investment 

(ROI) model essentially equates downtime savings associated with eliminated driver call-in stops and 

unscheduled en-route maintenance/repairs with increased asset capacity. The ability to know where 

assets are, the state of conditions vis-à-vis maintaining schedule, and knowing driver availability for 

hours of service allows dispatchers/load planners to assess the feasibility for picking up potential 

backhaul loads (applicable to the operation). The model also estimates the value of freed up phone 

call time for dispatchers talking with drivers, thus allowing them to focus on other duties, or have the 

time to manage more drivers if necessary. Other benefits include lower communications costs, less 

idling time (associated with driver call-in stops), resulting in reduced fuel and engine wear costs. 

These benefits are displayed below in Table 16-1 (2013-00880).

Table 16-1: Estimated and Minimum Estimated Monthly Per Truck Benefits Derived Using 

Wireless Communications with GPS Vehicle Positioning System.

Benefits LTL* High

Hazard

Bulk

Chemicals

Truckload

Explosives

Improved vehicle utilization by reducing empty 

miles (Estimated) 

$309 $199 $270

Improved vehicle utilization by reducing empty 

miles (Minimum) 

$124 $80 $108

* Less than Truckload (LTL) shipping

It is recognized that all operations are not able to realize many of the estimated benefits as modeled 

for the FOT participants. The proportion and degree to which carriers realize benefits of technologies 

has been examined in numerous case studies and industry benefit-cost analyses. To explore low-end 

benefits of the Wireless Communications with GPS vehicle positioning system, this effort draws upon 

the results of a 1999 American Trucking Association (ATA) Foundation study that examined the 

benefits and costs of technology systems across a wide-range of carrier operations for over 900 

surveyed motor carriers. Among the findings, carriers using Wireless Communications and vehicle 

tracking technologies, 33 to 47 percent increased loads; 22 to 35 percent reduced non-revenue miles; 

and 12 percent lowered driver to dispatcher ratios. By focusing only on these three areas of 

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16 Intermodal Freight

operational efficiency improvements (using the midpoint values) and ignoring the other modeled 

benefits, the results of a “minimum” benefit analysis are presented in Table 16-1 as well.

16.3 Costs

The benefits presented in Section 6 of the HAZMAT FOT Volume II synthesis report were compared to 

the generally, more high-end costs of the satellite and terrestrial-based product/service offerings to 

estimate benefit-cost ratios and expected payback periods. Per the synthesis report, Table 2 presents 

the costs by industry segment (capital costs are amortized over three years). Using the costs from 

Table 16-2 and benefits developed in the synthesis document, benefit-cost ratios were calculated, with 

the results shown per segment/fleet size in Table 16-3 (2013-00290).

Table 16-2: Per Truck-Specific Technology Costs (Wireless Communications with GPS 

Tracking Capabilities).

Item Purchase Cost

Truck 

Terrestrial/Satellite

Annual Cost

Truck 

Terrestrial/Satellite

Mobile Communications with GPS 

Tracking Units (Hardware Costs) 

$1,000 / $2,000 $336 / $672

Installation $200 $72

Basic Monthly Service (per truck) $600

Monthly Maintenance Agreement $180

Total Per Truck Costs $1,200 / $2,200 $1,188 / $1,524

Table 16-3: Costs, Benefits, Benefit-Cost Ratios, and Payback Periods by Industry Segment 

(Wireless Communications with GPS Tracking Capabilities).

Segment/Fleet 

Size

Annual 

Cost/Truck

Annual 

Benefit/Truck

Benefit-Cost

Ratio

Payback on 

Purchase in 

Months

Bulk Fuel (Terrestrial) $1,188 $5,832 4.9:1 3

LTL-High Hazard 

(Satellite) 

$1,524 $2,352 to 

$9,840 

1.5:1 to 6.5:1 3 to 17

LTL Non-Bulk 

(Terrestrial) 

$1,188 $1,920 1.6:1 13

Bulk Chemicals 

(Satellite) 

$1,524 $1,560 to 

$7,116 

1.0:1 to 4.7:1 5 to 34

Truckload Explosives 

(Satellite) 

$1,524 $1,824 to 

$11,004 

1.2:1 to 7.2:1 3 to 25

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16 Intermodal Freight

16.4 Lessons Learned

Implementing a National Freight Data Architecture

In practice, the value of a national freight data architecture is a function of the costs associated with its 

implementation. Quantifiable data about expected benefits and costs are currently not available and 

were not part of the Guidance for Developing a Freight Transportation Data Architecture survey. 

However, it is clear from the documentation and information gathered during the research that the “donothing” alternative (i.e., not implementing the national freight data architecture) is costly, ineffective, 

and unsustainable. Therefore, the research teams recommended to pursue the national freight data 

architecture following a scalable implementation path in which the national freight data architecture 

starts with one application at one or two levels of decision making and then adds applications and 

levels of decision making as needed or according to a predetermined implementation plan until, 

eventually, reaching the maximum net value. 

The research team for this guidance 

conducted a planner and analyst survey, 

a shipper survey, and a motor carrier 

survey (as well as follow-up interviews) to 

gather information about freight data 

uses and needs. The research team also 

conducted interviews with subject matter 

experts to address specific items of 

interest to the research. The purpose of 

the planner and analyst survey was to 

gather information from government 

planners, analysts, and other similar 

freight-related stakeholders. 

Respondents were involved in all modes 

of transportation, including air, rail, truck, pipelines, and water. Respondents indicated that they use 

freight data to support the production of a wide range of public-sector transportation planning 

documents, adding weight to the notion that the national freight data architecture should support a 

variety of freight-related processes. Respondents reported using and/or needing data at various levels 

of geographic coverage and resolution. The feedback on unmet data needs complement similar 

findings in the literature. 

Below are lessons learned through surveys conducted during the preparation of Guidance for 

Developing a Freight Transportation Data Architecture (2013-00655).

• Understand the different business processes that affect freight transportation at different 

levels of coverage and resolution.

• Understand the supply chain, which should help transportation planners to identify 

strategies for improving freight transportation infrastructure.

• Recognize the role that different public-sector and private-sector stakeholders play on 

freight transportation.

• Recognize the need for standards to assist in data exchange.

• Coordinate systematic development of reference datasets (e.g., comprehensive 

commodity code crosswalk tables).

• Develop systematic inventory of freight transportation data sources.

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16 Intermodal Freight

• Develop systematic inventory of user and data needs that are prerequisites for the 

development of freight data management systems.

• Use as a reference for the identification of locations where there may be freight data 

redundancy and inefficiencies.

• Use as a reference for requesting funding allocations in the public and private sectors.

• Use as a reference for the development of outreach, professional development, and 

training materials.

Using Information Systems for Intermodal Ports

Pacific Gateway Portal (PGP) is a port user information system in a web-based form, operated by the 

Port of Vancouver [43]. The information available on PGP includes container status, vessel activity, 

and real time video images from both the port terminal side and also truck and driver identification. 

This system also has an option of an appointment system for trucks and dangerous goods 

applications. A truck appointment system is in use at all three terminals within the Port of Vancouver, 

and is very successful. In order to make appointments truck companies use the terminal’s web page. 

Appointments are matched with transactions determined by the terminal on the basis of capacities of 

terminal. Dedicated lanes are in use for trucks with an appointment. An approved Truck Licensing 

System (TLS) License is required by any party wishing to access Port of Vancouver's property for the 

purposes of draying marine containers to or from any of the terminals under the jurisdiction of Port 

Metro Vancouver. Trucks without a TLS license are not allowed to access Port Metro Vancouver 

property. Truckers also have to be in line at the gate entrance at least 15 minutes before expiration of 

their reservation time. If trucks arrive late they are required to go to the line for trucks with no 

reservation, or they will need a new reservation. There is no fee to use the reservation system, but 

there is a fee to use the web portal.

One of the major problems at marine container terminals is that the terminal gates, where trucks enter 

and exit the terminal to deliver or pick-up a container, are only open during certain hours on 

weekdays; due in part to union agreements, although operations within the terminal carry on 24/7. 

Consequently, trucks are forced to pick-up and deliver containers during specific hours of the day, 

resulting in high demand over certain periods. This phenomenon has led to inefficient gate operations 

that can spill traffic over to the surrounding roadway network causing serious safety and congestion 

problems. The problem of congestion also extends to the yard of the terminals where coupled with 

capacity issues, it can degrade the reliability and performance of carriers, shippers, and terminal 

operators. In addition to the deterioration of the performance of terminal and drayage operations, the 

environmental effects from idling trucks has also been starting to emerge as a serious problem as 

truck emissions have been linked to health conditions including asthma, cancer and heart disease 

[44].

Since intermodal freight terminals tend to be located in or near major cities, where right of way is 

limited and very expensive, implementing operational strategies to reduce the effect of the terminals’ 

truck related traffic on the surrounding roadway network and the terminal operations becomes more 

important and more viable than physical capacity expansions. Because of this, there is much research 

focusing on improving efficiency in the operations of intermodal marine container terminals without 

having to expand physical capacity. Below are a few of the lessons learned through implementation of 

the types of systems used at the Port of Vancouver (2013-00652):

• Coordinate between trucking companies and port intermodal terminals for efficient 

terminal operations. Gates that are clogged can worsen terminal capacity and this

creates not only an operational but also an environmental problem. For a 

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16 Intermodal Freight

tactical/operational level gate strategy system to be effective, a large percentage of trucks 

will have to use it, and there has to be some priority or benefit for trucks with 

appointments. Incentives are necessary to get trucking companies to buy into 

appointment systems and actually make appointments (and keep them). Incentives may 

also be needed for the terminals to use the systems effectively. Gate appointments are a 

more favored alternative than extended gate hours, since the cost is lower.

• Deploy and expand gate appointment systems. Gate appointment systems have the 

potential to dramatically improve operations inside the terminal as well as at the gate, and 

as a secondary result, reduce congestion on the roadway system, and therefore reduce 

harmful emissions in the neighboring communities. Of course, as freight shipping 

increases, there will be a point that limits the amount of trucks and containers that can 

physically be processed within the constraints of terminal boundaries, but there is 

certainly room for improvement now, before reaching that point. For extended gate hours, 

additional workers are required at off-peak times, but this is a viable option to increase 

throughput at terminals. It will require that additional workers be added, hours and pay 

contracts be adjusted and associated businesses buy-in, but there is potential for greater 

amounts of container movement without the need to expand terminals.

Increased efficiency at intermodal port terminals due to any or all of the strategies discussed in this 

paper can affect the overall transportation community and all other types of intermodal transportation 

by allowing more containers to be shipped, and moved more quickly away from the ports, onto the 

other forms of transportation, and to their final destinations. Appointment systems and extended 

hours, as well as the managing technologies can be used by other modes experiencing congestion 

and air quality concerns to increase efficiency, thereby lowering congestion and emissions. The key to 

developing effective gate appointment systems is to ensure participation from all key stakeholders.

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17 Electronic Payment and Pricing

17.1 Introduction

Congestion pricing, also known as road pricing or value pricing, uses ITS technology to charge

motorists a fee that varies with the level of congestion. Value pricing reflects the idea that road pricing 

directly benefits motorists through reduced congestion and improved roadways. To eliminate 

additional congestion, most pricing schemes are set up electronically to offer a more reliable trip time 

without creating additional delay. Congestion pricing is different from tolling in that pricing strategies 

are used primarily to manage congestion or demand for highway travel, while also generating revenue 

to repay a bond or debt. 

The U.S. DOT Congestion Pricing Primer describes four main types of congestion pricing strategies

[45]: 

• Variable priced lanes including express toll lanes and high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes. 

• Variable tolls on entire roadways or roadway segments (i.e., changing flat toll rates on 

existing toll roads to variable rates based on congestion levels). 

• Cordon charge (i.e., charging a fee to enter or drive in a congested area). 

• Area-wide charge including distance-based charging or mileage fees.

The electronic payment and pricing applications profiled in this chapter, particularly variable tolling and 

congestion pricing are key elements of the U.S. DOT Tolling and Pricing Program. For more 

information please visit the Tolling and Pricing Program Web site:

http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/tolling_pricing.

17.2 Benefits

Electronic toll collection is a proven technology that has greatly reduced toll plaza delays, with 

corresponding improvements in capacity, agency cost savings, and fuel consumption reductions. 

Congestion pricing builds on this success and “benefits drivers by reducing delays and stress, 

businesses by improving delivery and arrival times, transit agencies by improving transit speeds, and 

state and local governments by improving the quality of transportation services without tax increases 

or large capital expenditures, and by providing additional revenues for funding transportation” [46].

Recent congestion pricing initiatives have produced positive benefit-cost ratios, ranging from 1:1 to 

25:1, as shown in Table 17-1.

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Table 17-1: Benefit-Cost Ratios of Congestion Pricing Strategies.

BenefitCost RatioDescription Application

1:1 to 8:2 Benefit-cost estimates for dynamic pricing applications on freeway 

shoulder lanes ranged from 1.1 to 8.2. (2011-00777)

Freeway 

shoulder lanes

7:1 to 25:1 Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) strategies that promote 

integration among freeways, arterials, and transit systems can help 

balance traffic flow and enhance corridor performance; simulation 

models indicate benefit-cost ratios for combined strategies range 

from 7:1 to 25:1. (2009-00614)

Integrated 

Corridor 

Management

6:1 In the Seattle metropolitan area the net benefits of a network wide 

variable tolling system could exceed $28 billion over a 30-year 

period resulting in a benefit-cost ratio of 6:1. (2011-00694)

Network wide –

freeways and 

arterials

Figure 17-1 shows ranges of benefits for select entries in the ITS Knowledge Resource database at: 

http://www.itsknowledgeresources.its.dot.gov/. Benefits can be seen with many different measures 

across multiple goal areas including mobility, safety, and the environment. In this case, congestion 

pricing benefits include travel speed increases, traffic reduction, crash reduction, carbon dioxide 

emissions reduction, and transit ridership increases. 

Figure 17-1: Range of Benefits for Congestion Pricing (Source: ITS Knowledge Resources).

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17.3 Costs

Congestion pricing is becoming more popular as a viable and sustainable solution to traffic 

congestion. Increasingly, highly congested areas in the U.S. are looking at HOT lanes as an 

alternative to under-used HOV lanes. 

Typically, the highest costs for congestion pricing stem from converting existing toll lanes to HOT lanes 

or building new ones. Operations and Maintenance, including enforcement, and maintaining toll 

readers, dynamic message signs and surveillance equipment is also a significant expense. In many 

cases these costs are borne or shared by a private entity that builds and manages the high occupancy 

toll lanes in exchange for some or all of the revenue generated by them.

Table 17-2: Congestion Pricing Capital Costs.

Description Capital 

Cost

Type of 

Congestion 

Pricing

Location

Cost to convert HOV to HOT on an eight-mile section of I15 in San Diego. (2008-00135)$1.85 

million

Variable 

priced lanes

California

Cost to convert HOV to HOT on a seven-mile section of I25/U.S.-36 in Denver. (2010-00201)$9 million Variable 

priced lanes 

Colorado

Cost to convert HOV to HOT on an eleven-mile section of 

I-394 in Minneapolis. (2010-00201)

$13 

million

Variable 

priced lanes

Minnesota

Cost to convert HOV to HOT on a nine-mile section of 

SR-167 in Puget Sound. (2010-00201)

$17 

million

Variable 

priced lanes

Washington 

Planning level estimate to convert HOV lanes to 

managed lanes on I-75/I-575 in Georgia. (2007-00128)

$20.9 to 

$23.7 

million 

Variable 

priced lanes

Georgia

Congestion pricing example in Italy. (2011-00213) $72 

million

Cordon 

charge

Rome

Congestion pricing example in Sweden. (2011-00213) $500 

million

Cordon 

charge

Stockholm

Congestion pricing example in the United Kingdom. 

(2011-00213)

$170 

million

Cordon 

charge

London

Cost for the Orange County Transportation Authority 

(OCTA) to purchase a four-lane 10-mile-long limited 

access variable toll facility. (2010-00202)

$207.5 

million

Variable 

priced lanes

California

Estimate to implement a network-wide variable tolling 

system in Seattle. (2011-00235)

$749 

million 

Variable toll 

– entire 

network

Washington 

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Estimate to implement a comprehensive VMT-based 

charging system for all road use in the Netherlands by 

2016. (2011-00241)

$2.26 

billion

Area charge 

based on 

Vehicle 

miles 

travelled

The 

Netherlands

Table 17-3: Congestion Pricing Operating Costs.

Description Annual 

Operating 

Cost

Type of 

Congestion 

Pricing

Location

Congestion pricing example in Italy. (2011-00213) $4 million Cordon charge Rome

Congestion pricing example in Sweden. (2011-

00213)

$35 million Cordon charge Stockholm

Congestion pricing example in the United 

Kingdom. (2011-00213)

$161 million Cordon charge London

Rough estimate to operate a network-wide 

variable tolling system in Seattle. (2011-00235)

$288 million Variable toll –

entire 

networks

Washington 

Rough estimate to operate a comprehensive VMTbased charging system for all road use in the 

Netherlands by 2016. (2011-00241)

$667.6 

million

Area charge 

based on 

Vehicle miles 

travelled

The 

Netherlands

Congestion pricing projects can be costly to implement and operate, but the costs are offset by toll 

revenues, typically resulting in an overall positive benefit-cost ratio. Between 2003 and 2007, annual 

operating costs and revenues at 15 tolling agencies averaged $85.825 million and $265.753 million, 

respectively. In 2007, tolling agencies expended about 33.5 percent of revenues on toll collection 

operations, administration, and enforcement costs (2011-00240). 

Recent lessons learned show that educating the public about the benefits of congestion pricing and 

engaging political champions early in the process lead to successful congestion pricing projects.

17.4 Lessons Learned

Engage political champions to keep controversial High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane projects on 

track.

In 2008, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), with Caltrans and local 

mobility partners, was selected to participate in a one-year demonstration program beginning Fall 

2012 to convert 25 miles of High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) 

lanes on the I-10 and I-110 corridors.

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In 2009, six public hearings were 

conducted prior to the adoption of the 

tolling policy and toll rates by Metro. In 

2010, two environmental impact reports 

(EIRs) and the Low Income Commuter 

Assessment were completed, and a 

contractor was selected to implement a 

design-build-operate-maintain (DBOM) 

contract. In 2011, construction was initiated 

and in 2012 operations were scheduled to 

begin on the I-110 followed by the I-10.

The following lessons learned were 

highlighted during the Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) - Congestion Reduction Demonstration 

(CRD) program update webinar held December 15, 2011 (2011-00609).

• Have a political champion to ensure successful implementation of HOT Lane 

projects. Champions are critical to launch pricing projects to gain acceptance among key 

policy makers and other stakeholders.

• Engage the public early and often throughout the life of the project. Corridor 

advisory groups comprised of business and community leaders can collaborate on goals 

and refine project elements. Communication and public outreach is most important at key 

milestones.

• Make HOT Lane projects multi-modal. A multi-modal approach increases public 

acceptance. Advancing a variety of modal options enables everyone to benefit.

• Address equity issues early in the planning process. A comprehensive plan gains 

more acceptance if equity issues are integrated into the pricing project. So, while low 

income commuters generally use transit, they appreciate the opportunity to use the 

ExpressLanes when they choose.

Overall, the program is expected to reduce congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, increase 

travel time savings, and improve trip reliability. Updates are available on the Metro ExpressLanes 

project website: http://www.metro.net/projects/expresslanes/.

17.5 Case Study - I-394 MnPASS and I-35W Expansion

In May 2005, Minnesota implemented High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes along 11 miles of Interstate 

394 from downtown Minneapolis through the western suburbs. In 2009, the system was expanded to 

I-35W. In 2012, a study was conducted to see if the benefits initially reported were maintained over 

time (2013-00854).

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Findings

The 6 percent increase in travel speed and 5 percent 

increase in volume reported during peak periods in the sixmonth period after I-394 HOT lane implementation in 

November 2006 have been maintained through year 2012. 

Expansion of the system to I-35W required a capital 

investment that was 37 percent that of the initial I-394 

investment with an operating cost increase of only 17 

percent above I-394 operating costs. 

Benefits from the I-35W expansion were observed in a 3 

percent increase in corridor volume while maintaining consistent speed on the mainline and HOT lane. 

Overall cost per transponder transaction has declined by 32 percent from year 2006 to year 2011. So 

while benefits are slightly lower, the lower operating costs may result in a higher benefit-cost ratio 

compared to the initial implementation. The overall benefit-cost ratio for the Urban Partnership 

Agreement (UPA) Projects that included the I-35W expansion was 6:1 (2014-00910).

• Have the initial impacts of the system on I-394 changed over time?

• No, benefits were maintained

• Did the expansion to I-35W result in similar benefits?

• No, slightly lower benefits

• Have economies of scale been obtained by I-35W expansion?

• Yes, 32 percent lower cost/transaction

The benefits of HOV to 

HOT conversions and 

expansion have been 

maintained over time with 

lower operating costs.

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APPENDIX A. List of Acronyms

Acronym Meaning

ACC Adaptive Cruise Control

A-CMBS Advanced Collision Mitigation Braking System

ACN Automated Collision Notification

ADMS Archived Data Management System

AERIS Applications for the Environment: Real-Time Information Synthesis

AFV Alternative Fuel Vehicle

ALPR Automatic License Plate Reader

AMS Analysis, Modeling and Simulation

API Application Program Interface 

APIS Automated Parking Information System

ASCT Adaptive Signal Control Technologies

ATA American Trucking Association

ATCS Adaptive Traffic Control Systems

ATDM Active Traffic Demand Management

AVL Automatic Vehicle Location

AWWS Automated Wind Warning System

BART Bay Area Rapid Transit

BNSF Burlington Northern Santa Fe

BRT Bus Rapid Transit

CACC Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control

CAD Computer Aided Dispatch

CAMP Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership

CAN Controller Area Network

CAP Centralized Accident Processing

CARS Condition Acquisition Reporting System

CATT Center for Advanced Transportation Technology

CCTV Closed Circuit Television

CDOT Colorado Department of Transportation

CMV Commercial Motor Vehicle

CNG Compressed Natural Gas

CO Carbon Monoxide

CO2 Carbon Dioxide

CVIEW Commercial Vehicle Information Exchange Window

CVII Commercial Vehicle Infrastructure Integration

CVISN Commercial Vehicle Information System and Network

CVO Commercial Vehicle Operations

CWS Collision Warning Systems

DBMS Driver Behavior Management System

DMA Dynamic Mobility Applications

DMS Dynamic Message Signs

DOE Department of Energy

DOT Department of Transportation

DPS Department of Public Safety

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Appendix A. List of Acronyms

Acronym Meaning

DSRC Dedicated Short Range Communications

DTA Dynamic Traffic Assignment

E85 Ethanol (85%)

EDC Every Day Counts

EMS Emergency Medical Services

EPA Environmental Protection Agency

ESC Electronic Stability Control

ETC Electronic Toll Collection

FARS Fatality Analysis Reporting System

FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation

FHWA Federal Highway Administration

FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

FOT Field Operational Test

GHG Greenhouse Gas

GLTS Green Light Transportation System

GPS Global Positioning System

GTFS General Transit Feed Specification

HAR Highway Advisory Radio

HAWK High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk

HAZMAT Hazardous material

HOT High Occupancy Toll

HOV High-Occupancy Vehicle

HUT Highway Use Tax

ICM Integrated Corridor Management

ICMS Integrated Corridor Management System

IDOT Illinois Department of Transportation

IMT Incident Management Team

ISIG Intelligent Traffic Signal System

ITD Idaho Transportation Department

ITS Intelligent Transportation Systems

IVDR In-Vehicle Data Recorder

JPO Joint Program Office

LAN Local Area Network 

LNG Liquefied Natural Gas

LTL Less than TruckLoad

MAG Maricopa Association of Governments

MAP-21 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century

MDSS Maintenance Decision Support System

MMITSS Multi-Modal Intelligent Traffic Signal System

MMTPS Multi-Modal Intelligent Traffic Signal System

MMUCC Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria

MOVES MOtor Vehicle Emissions Simulator

MPG Miles Per Gallon

MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization

MSAA MOtor Vehicle Emissions Simulator

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Appendix A. List of Acronyms

Acronym Meaning

NCDOT North Carolina Department of Transportation

NG9-1-1 Next Generation 911

NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NJDOT New Jersey Department of Transportation

NORPASS North American Pre-clearance and Safety System

NOVA Northern Virginia

NOx Nitrous Oxide

NYC New York City

NYS New York State

NYSDOT New York State Department of Transportation

OBD On-Board Device

OCR Optical Character Recognition

O-D Origin-Destination

OS/OW Oversize/Overweight

PAYD Pay as you Drive

PCB Professional Capacity Building

PDA Personal Digital Assistant

PGP Pacific Gateway Portal

PM10 Particulate Matter 10

PM2.5 Particulate Matter 2.5

PRISM Performance and Registration Information Systems

PTMS Portable Traffic Management Systems

RFID Radio Frequency Identification

RICAS Rural Intersection Collision Avoidance System

RITA Research and Innovative Technology Administration

RITIS Regional Integrated Transportation Information System

ROI Return on Investment

RSIP Rural Safety Innovation Program

RTA Regional Transit Authority

RWIS Road Weather Information Systems

RWM Road Weather Management

SAFER Safety and Fitness Electronic Records

SARTRE Safe Road Trains for the Environment

SCAQMD Safety and Fitness Electronic Records

SEMP Systems Engineering Management Plan

SFMTA San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency

SHRP 2 Second Strategic Highway Research Program

SIE Safety Information Exchange

SRIS Smart Roadside Inspection Stations

SSP Safety Service Patrol

STH State Trunk Highway

SUV Sport Utility Vehicle

TCRP Transit Cooperative Research Program

TLS Truck Licensing System

TMC Transportation Management Center

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Appendix A. List of Acronyms

Acronym Meaning

TOC Transportation Operations Center

TREDS Traffic Records Electronic Data System

TSP Transit Signal Priority

U.S United States

URL Uniform Resource Link

U.S. DOT U.S. Department of Transportation

V2I Vehicle-to-Infrastructure

V2V Vehicle-to-Vehicle

VES Vehicle Enforcement System

VIDS Video Imaging Detector Systems

VMT Vehicle Miles Traveled

VPP Vehicle Probe Project

VSL Variable Speed Limit

WIM Weigh-In-Motion

WMATA Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

WRI Wireless Roadside Inspection

WRTM Weather-Responsive Traffic Management

WSDOT Washington State Department of Transportation

U.S. Department of Transportation

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U.S. Department of Transportation

ITS Joint Program Office-HOIT

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20590

Toll-Free “Help Line” 866-367-7487

www.its.dot.gov

FHWA-JPO-14-159