A 2003 Simulation 

for Cincinnati

Varying Weather and 

Work Zone Conditions

Benefits and

Costs of Full

Operations

and ITS

Deployment
Notice

The Federal Highway Administration provides high-quality

information to serve Government, industry, and the public

in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards

and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality,

objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA

periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs

and processes to ensure continuous quality improvements.
1

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Evaluation Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Cincinnati’s Full Operations and ITS Deployment Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Benefits of Full Operations and ITS Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Costs of Full Operations and ITS Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Technical Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Figures

Figure 1. Impact of Weather and Construction on Average Speed in Scenarios 

with No Operations or ITS Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Figure 2. Impact of Operations and ITS Strategies on Average Speed During 

Various Weather and Construction Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Figure 3. Reduction in Hours of Delay Due to Operations and ITS Deployments . . . . .11

Figure 4. Proportion of Benefits in Cincinnati, by Time of Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Figure A-1. IDAS Analysis Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Tables

Table 1. Strategies Included in the Cincinnati Full Operations and ITS Deployment Scenario .7

Table 2. Comparison of Recurring Delay Reduction for Various Roadways . . . . . . . .12

Table 3. Daily Value of Benefits Estimated for Various Weather 

and Construction Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Table 4. Annual Benefits of Operations and ITS Deployment in Cincinnati . . . . . . . .14

Table 5. Annual Cost of Operations and ITS Deployments in Cincinnati . . . . . . . . . .15

Table 6. Comparison of Annual Benefits and Costs in Cincinnati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Table A-1. Cincinnati Analysis Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Table A-2. Capacity Reductions Used to Represent Inclement Weather Conditions . . .27

Table A-3. Impacts of Weather and Work Zone Mitigation Strategies . . . . . . . . . . .29

Table A-4. Annualization Weights for Cincinnati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Table of Contents

Cover Photo: Cincinnati Skyline. Photo Credit: ARTIMIS.
2

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

People who live in urban areas nationwide

report that traffic congestion is one of their

greatest quality-of-life concerns. When the

demand for travel in a region exceeds the

available capacity of the transportation

system, residents suffer from excessive travel

times, increased crash risks, diminished air

quality, and other negative impacts. State

and local transportation agencies have

found it difficult to increase the transportation system supply rapidly enough to keep

pace with the growing demand. Traditional approaches such as adding highway

lanes, building new roads, or providing

new transit lines are often too costly to be

considered as reasonable solutions, particularly in the more densely populated areas

of major cities. Transportation agencies are

further challenged by the time required to

design and construct these traditional

infrastructure improvements. 

In response to this dilemma, transportation

agencies have increasingly turned to

improved operational strategies and

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in

order to squeeze more operational

efficiency out of the existing transportation

system. Examples of these operations and

ITS strategies include synchronizing the

timing of traffic signals to smooth traffic

flow, providing incident response vehicles

such as freeway service patrols to quickly

clear traffic incidents and breakdowns,

automatically tracking and dispatching

transit buses to improve their on-time

performance, and providing meaningful

traveler information to the public to allow

travelers to better plan their trips. ITS

America, the professional organization

founded to facilitate the successful deployment of such systems, defines ITS as follows:

”Intelligent transportation systems encompass a broad range of wireless and wireline communications-based information,

control and electronics technologies. When

integrated into the transportation system

infrastructure, and in vehicles themselves,

these technologies help monitor and

manage traffic flow, reduce congestion,

provide alternate routes to travelers,

enhance productivity, and save lives,

time, and money.”1

Information technology has contributed

to efficiency gains in a wide range of

industries, and ITS produces similar results

for transportation. ITS solutions can be

implemented more quickly and less expensively in comparison to traditional infrastructure improvements, and nationwide

deployments of ITS have been shown to

produce significant benefits. By themselves,

these operations and ITS strategies will not

eradicate congestion; however, they are

essential components to a well-balanced,

well-operating transportation network. 

Furthermore, these individual operations

and ITS improvements can be tied

together to achieve even greater benefit

than they can alone. Recognizing that

the whole is often greater than the sum of

its parts, the United States Department of

Transportation (U.S. DOT) and numerous

local agencies have launched initiatives to

encourage deployment and integration

of these systems in order to maximize

their potential benefits. 

The goal of full deployment and complete

integration of ITS, however, has yet to be

1 ITS America website: www.itsa.org. 

Preface
3

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

realized in any metropolitan area. Financial

constraints, along with technical and

institutional barriers, have held up

achievement of this goal. Operations and

ITS implementation have typically advanced

incrementally within communities, targeting

the highest priorities first while deferring

enhancements until additional resources are

available. This piecemeal approach has

hindered or sometimes prevented the

integration of the individual deployments,

excluding regions from experiencing the full

potential of benefits from a coordinated and

complementary system.

To date, the analysis and evaluation of

operations and ITS deployments have

followed a similar path—often focusing

on the benefits of a single ITS technology

used in a single location. As a result of

this narrow focus, very little information

exists that exemplifies the benefits of

increased deployment and integration of

operations and ITS strategies. 

As a result, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) initiated a study to explore

the benefits and costs of fully deploying

operational strategies and integrating ITS in

metropolitan areas. The goal of this effort is

to provide transportation professionals and

decision makers with a better understanding

of the potential benefits of implementing the

full suite of available operations and ITS

strategies in a metropolitan area.

The U.S. DOT and FHWA selected Tucson,

Cincinnati, and Seattle for case studies

representing small, medium, and large

metropolitan areas, respectively. Scenarios

were identified comprising complete

operations and ITS deployment at an

appropriate, logical scale for each area.

These scenarios were then evaluated to

estimate the regionwide benefits and costs. 

Beyond the difference in the size of the

three metropolitan areas, some additional

variations in the analysis approach affected

the relative benefits estimated in each

case study area. Benefits were estimated

in the Tucson example based on forecasts

of traffic in the year 2025, while the

benefits for Cincinnati and Seattle were

based on more current (2003) traffic

conditions. The Cincinnati study also

includes the additional analysis of impacts

during inclement weather conditions and

construction activity, as well as the added

benefits of weather and work zone

mitigation strategies—strategies that are

not included in the deployments for

Tucson or Seattle. 

This report presents the findings of the

Cincinnati, Ohio, scenario. The findings

of the Seattle scenario are presented in

Benefits and Costs of Full Operations and

ITS Deployment: A 2003 Simulation for

Seattle (FHWA-JPO-04-033, EDL#

13977). The findings of the Tucson

scenario are presented in Benefits and

Costs of Full Operations and ITS

Deployment: A 2025 Forecast for

Tucson (FHWA-JPO-04-032, EDL#

13978).
4

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

The analysis compares the

Full Operations and ITS

Deployment Scenario to 

one that contains no

operations and ITS

deployment whatsoever. 

How Were Operations and ITS

Strategies Selected?

The first step in estimating the potential

impacts of full operations and ITS deployment in Cincinnati was the identification

of the logical suite of ITS improvements

that would constitute ”full deployment.”

This process was started by conducting

an inventory of all current and planned

operations and ITS deployments in the

Cincinnati region. The deployments in this

inventory then served as the building blocks

for the full deployment scenario. These

existing elements were then enhanced

and expanded by identifying additional

improvements to fill gaps, upgrade the

existing systems with more advanced

technologies, and then integrate the diverse

systems. The result was the establishment

of the Full Operations and ITS Deployment

Scenario, defined as the maximum amount of

locally desirable operations and ITS—at

the highest range of technical and institutional sophistication—that can be deployed

without regard to funding constraints. 

Several additional guidelines were used

in identifying the appropriate amount of

operations and ITS to include in the full

deployment scenario in order to avoid

making overly optimistic assumptions

about benefits. For example, the Full

Operations and ITS Deployment Scenario

includes only those strategies that are

funded or significantly subsidized by the

public sector. Private sector strategies,

such as in-vehicle navigation or safety

systems in personal automobiles, or

freight management systems used by

commercial trucking firms, were not

considered. Although the benefits of

these systems are not included in this

analysis, they are expected to offer

significant benefits.

In addition, the Full Operations and ITS

Deployment Scenario did not include

technologies or approaches that have not

currently progressed past development

and testing, due to a general lack of

industry consensus on their potential

costs, benefits, and market penetration.

New operations and ITS strategies are

emerging constantly due to the everchanging nature of technology; however,

those improvements evaluated in this

study include only well-established

systems that are currently in use

throughout the nation. 

How Were the Benefits

Estimated?

The analysis of the benefits and costs for

the Full Operations and ITS Deployment

Scenario was conducted using the ITS

Deployment Analysis System (IDAS). The

IDAS tool is designed to estimate the

specific benefits and costs of ITS deployments based on observed, real-world costs

and benefits. This analysis tool was used

to estimate benefits, including changes

in travel time, travel time reliability, number

and severity of crashes, vehicle emissions,

fuel use, and other important measures. 

The analysis compares the Full Operations

and ITS Deployment Scenario to one that

contains no operations and ITS deployment

whatsoever. This ”all-or-nothing” approach

was used to compare the complete costs

and benefits of operations and ITS in

Cincinnati for the current year (2003).

Evaluation Approach
5

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

This approach further allows the findings

to be applicable to other regions that

may be at different stages of operations

and ITS deployment. 

These deployment scenarios were analyzed

under a variety of possible conditions that

might be present during an average year

in Cincinnati. These varying conditions

were tested to identify the different levels

of impacts that may occur during peak

commute hours, inclement weather, or road

construction activity. Different conditions

tested during the analysis included:

• Variations in the time of day—The impacts

of operations and ITS improvements were

analyzed separately during the morning

commute period, the mid-day period, the

afternoon commute period, and the

nighttime period.

• Variations in the weather—The impacts

of the operations and ITS improvements

were evaluated during clear weather,

rain, and ice/snow.

• Presence of construction activity—

Conditions representing road

maintenance activities during a typical

road construction season were estimated

as well as traffic conditions during the

off-season for construction. 

All the probable combinations of these

conditions were identified and evaluated,

resulting in the identification of the impacts

caused by operations and ITS strategies

in each of these conditions. The annual

benefits of the operations and ITS strategies

in Cincinnati were then estimated by

multiplying the impacts observed under

the various conditions by the likelihood

each of the conditions would occur

during a typical year. These annualized

benefits were then compared with the

annual costs. A Technical Appendix

accompanying this report provides

additional detail on the methodology

used in estimating the benefits and costs. 
An inventory of all the existing operations

and ITS deployments, as well as planned

improvements over the next 25 years, was

conducted as the first step in identifying

the Full Operations and ITS Deployment

Scenario. This inventory was identified

through consultations with local agencies

the regional planning of operations and

ITS, including the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana

(OKI) Regional Council of Governments,

the Ohio Department of Transportation

(ODOT), and the Kentucky Transportation

Cabinet (KYTC). Through these and other

agencies’ efforts, the Cincinnati region

has implemented a diverse and robust

set of operations and ITS initiatives, many

of which are coordinated as the Advanced

Regional Traffic Interactive Management

and Information System (ARTIMIS) program.

ARTIMIS includes incident, congestion,

and freeway management, and traveler

information services for the Cincinnati

and Northern Kentucky region. Many

other individual strategies have been

deployed as well, and the region

maintains aggressive plans for geographic

expansion and enhancement in the future.

Planned operations and ITS improvements

identified in the region’s long-range plans

were brought forward to the current year

and added to the inventory of existing

strategies to provide a rational baseline

for building the Full Operations and ITS

Deployment Scenario. This baseline was

then analyzed to identify supplemental

strategies, expanded geographic coverage,

and upgrades to technology that would

serve to fully deploy and integrate the

strategies throughout the region. This

suite of identified strategies formed the

region’s Full Operations and ITS

Deployment Scenario. 

Table 1 presents the strategies selected

and the number of deployment locations

for Cincinnati. The proportional coverage

on the system is also presented to portray

the ITS deployment density level relative

to the entire system.

6

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Cincinnati’s Full Operations and ITS Deployment Scenario
7

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Table 1. Strategies Included in the Cincinnati Full Operations and ITS Deployment Scenario

Strategy Deployment Coverage

Arterial Traffic Management Systems

Central Control Signal

Coordination

1,700 intersections 100% of major and minor 

arterials

Emergency Vehicle Signal 

Preemption

1,850 intersections

1,000 emergency vehicles

100% of intersections

100% of emergency vehicles

Transit Vehicle Signal Priority 40 intersections

30 transit vehicles

5% of urban intersections

5% of fixed-route transit vehicles

Highway Advisory Radio 35 transceivers 100% of major arterial corridors

Dynamic Message Signs 20 locations 100% of major arterial corridors

Freeway Management Systems

Central Control Ramp Metering 83 on-ramps 35% of on-ramps

Highway Advisory Radio 813 transceivers 70% of freeway miles

Dynamic Message Signs 65 locations 100% of urban freeway miles

Transit Management Systems

Fixed Route Automated Scheduling

and Automatic Vehicle Location

700 transit vehicles 100% fixed-route transit vehicles

Fixed Route Security Systems 700 transit vehicles

20 transit stations

100% fixed-route transit vehicles

100% of major transit transfer 

stations and park-and-ride locations

Incident Management System

Incident Detection, Verification, 

Response, and Management

32 freeway service 

patrol vehicles

100% of freeway and 

expressway miles

Emergency Management Systems

Emergency Vehicle Control Service 1,000 emergency vehicles 100% of emergency vehicles

Emergency Vehicle AVL 1,000 emergency vehicles 100% of emergency vehicles

Telemedicine 100 ambulances 100% ambulances

Electronic Payment Systems

Electronic Transit Fare Payment 700 transit vehicles 100% of fixed-route transit vehicles

Traveler Information

Telephone- and Web-Based 

Traveler Information System

Regionwide 40% market penetration

Kiosk-Based Traveler Information 10 kiosks 100% of major arterial at-grade 

rail crossings
8

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Table 1. Strategies Included in the Tucson Full Operations and ITS Deployment Scenario (Cont’d from page 7)

Strategy Deployment Coverage

Crash Prevention and Safety

Railroad Crossing 

Monitoring Systems

40 rail crossings 10% of major arterial at-grade 

rail crossings

Commercial Vehicle Operations

Weigh-in-Motion and Safety 

Information Exchange

4 check stations 100% of checkstations

Combination Screening and 

Clearance—Credentials and Safety

4 check stations

60,000 equipped 

commercial vehicles

40% market penetration

Weather Mitigation Strategies

Road Weather Information Systems 10 remote weather stations 100% of region

Advanced Traveler 

Information Systems

One interface 100% of region

Work Zone Mitigation Strategies

Work Zone Highway 

Advisory Radio

6 locations High priority locations

Work Zone Dynamic Message Signs 6 locations High priority locations

Work Zone Information 

Dissemination (Phone and Internet)

One interface 100% of region

Work Zone Closed Circuit Cameras 

for Incident Management

12 locations High priority locations

Lane Merging Applications 8 locations 100% of major work zones

Alternative Route Management 30 intersections Routes paralleling work

zone locations

Alternative Work Hours/

Contracting Techniques

Regionwide policies 100% of major work zones

Supporting Deployments

Traffic Management Center One 100% of region

Traffic Management Center One 100% of region

Emergency Management One 100% of region

Information Service Provider Center One 100% of region

Traffic Surveillance - Closed 

Circuit Television

1,100 locations 100% of freeway, expressway, 

and urban arterial miles

Traffic Surveillance - Loop Detectors 2,245 locations 100% of freeway, expressway, 

and urban arterial miles
What Would Be the Benefits?

The performance of the Cincinnati

transportation system in the year 2003 was

analyzed for two deployment scenarios—

No Operations and ITS Deployment, and

the Full Operations and ITS Deployment

Scenario. The results from the two scenarios

were then compared to identify the

incremental change due to the inclusion

of operational improvements and ITS

deployment. 

These two deployment scenarios were

also analyzed during 20 different traffic

and environmental conditions that might

occur in an average year. These conditions

include variations in the time of day,

weather conditions, and the presence of

road construction activity, as well as all

probable combinations of these conditions.

These varying conditions were analyzed

separately because these factors have

been shown to significantly affect the

performance of the transportation system.

Figure 1 demonstrates the impact these

conditions were predicted to have on

average daily speed in the region for

those scenarios with no operations or ITS

strategies. As the figure shows, the average

regionwide speeds were greatest during

clear weather when no construction activity

was present. Slightly slower average

speeds were expected on clear days

during the construction season due to the

bottlenecks created by the construction

lane closures. Days with rain, and days

with rain during the construction season

were predicted to have even slower

average speeds, and days with snow

and ice were estimated to have the

slowest speeds of all the possible conditions.

The Full Operations and ITS Deployment

Scenario was analyzed in each of these

varying weather and construction conditions, as well as by time of day, in order to

identify differences in the possible impacts

occurring under these different conditions.

This analysis of the Full Operations and

ITS Deployment Scenario showed positive

impacts for all performance measures

studied, including:

• Decreased travel times

• Increased vehicle speeds

• Decreased delay

• Decreased number and severity 

of crashes

• Decreased environmental impacts 

(reduced emissions and fuel use).

9

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Positive impacts of operations

and ITS strategies were

typically greater when 

travel conditions were at 

their worst.

Benefits of Full Operations and ITS Deployment

36

39

38

37

40

Clear

Ave age Speed (mph

Clear with 

Const.

Rain Rain with 

Const.

Ice/Snow

Figure 1. Impact of Weather and Construction on Average Speed in Scenarios with No Operations or ITS Strategies
The operations and ITS

strategies were more

effective at reducing travel

times during more congested

commute periods and during

periods of inclement weather

and construction activity.

Further, the full deployment of operations

and ITS strategies was estimated to have

a positive impact in all the varying weather

and construction conditions evaluated;

however, these impacts were typically

greater when travel conditions were at

their worst. The following sections

discuss specific impacts in greater detail.

Decreased Travel Times

The full implementation of operations and

ITS strategies in the Cincinnati region

was estimated to significantly decrease

personal travel time. Over the course of

a year, more than 15.1 million hours of

travel time were reduced in the region,

or 4 percent of the total travel time. This

impact amounts to nearly eight hours

saved per resident in the region annually.

The analysis also revealed that the

operations and ITS strategies were more

effective at reducing travel times during

more congested commute periods and

during periods of inclement weather or

construction activity. For example, travel

times in the morning commute periods were

reduced by an average of 6.7 percent,

and this reduction ranged as high as

8.7 percent when snow conditions

occurred during the morning commute

period. Less congested periods were

observed to have positive, but less significant impacts. For example, travel times

during the nighttime period in clear weather

were reduced by less than 1 percent. 

Increased Vehicle Speeds

Vehicle speeds during all conditions

increased by an average of 4.7 percent

as a result of the operations and ITS

deployments. The increases in regionwide

vehicle speeds varied according to the

weather and construction conditions, and

were generally higher during more

congested periods, as shown in Figure 2.

Vehicle speed changes observed on

individual roadways were even greater

than the regionwide average, and the

majority of the speed increase was

observed on major facilities, including

freeways, expressways, and major arterials

that served as a focus of a number of

the ITS and operations improvements. Speed

increases observed on more minor local

streets, which received fewer improvements,

and during less congested non-commute

hours were generally less significant. 

The speed increases observed for selected

segments of major roadways were even

more significant. This phenomenon was

particularly evident for those roadways

used to represent construction zones

during the construction season. Vehicle

speed increases on selected roadways

in these construction zones were as much

as 15 percent higher as a result of the

operations and ITS strategies. Although

the operations and ITS strategies did not

fully restore the average speeds to the

levels observed during clear weather without construction, the deployments were

shown to be successful in mitigating much of

the negative impacts on speed caused by

inclement weather and construction activity.

Decreased Delay

The impact of the ITS and operations

strategies on improving vehicle speeds

and travel times resulted in significantly

reduced delay in the region. This delay

reduction was particularly evident during

the congested, delay-prone commute hours,

during inclement weather conditions, and

during the construction season. Overall,

delay was reduced in the region by 17.7

percent, or an average of more than 12

million hours annually. This reduction

10

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati
included a decrease in the delay due to

everyday, recurring congestion as well as

a decrease in the delay caused by traffic

incidents. Overall, operations and ITS

strategies reduced the amount of delay

caused by everyday, recurring congestion

for roadway users by 11.7 percent in the

Cincinnati region. Consistent with the

observed speed changes, the reductions in

delay were greatest on primary roadways

that received the greatest concentration of

ITS and operations deployments. Table 2

shows how the reductions in delay varied

according to the type of roadway. 

In addition to the impacts on delay related

to everyday congestion, many operations

and ITS strategies are intended to specifically reduce incident-related delay. These

strategies diminish incident-related delay

by either decreasing the number of crashes

occurring on the network, or minimizing

the time required to respond and clear

incidents once they do occur. In the

Cincinnati region, the full deployment

of operations and ITS resulted in a

dramatic reduction of incident-related

delay, amounting to an average of nearly

31,400 hours saved per day. This

reduction, which was only estimated on

the freeways, represents a decrease of

nearly 56 percent of the total freeway

incident-related delay. Figure 3 shows the

reduction in hours of everyday recurring

delay compared with the reduction in hours

of incident-related delay on the freeways.

11

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

3%

6%

5%

4%

7%

Clear

Pe centage Change

Clear with 

Const.

Rain Rain with 

Const.

Ice/Snow

2%

1%

0%

Figure 2. Impact of Operations and ITS Strategies on Average Speed During Various Weather and Construction Conditions

50,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

250,000

No Operations

and ITS

Pe centage Change

Full Operations

and ITS

0

Incident-Related Delay

Recurring Delay

Figure 3. Reduction in Hours of Delay Due to Operations and ITS Deployments
The reduction in incident-related delay was

most significant during the more congested

periods representing peak commute

periods, inclement weather conditions, or

construction activity. For example, the

operations and ITS strategies were estimated to reduce incident-related delay by

more than 18,300 hours in the average

afternoon commute period, but only approximately two hours were estimated to be

saved during an average nighttime period. 

Decreased Number and 

Severity of Crashes

The operations and ITS deployments

resulted in the avoidance of more than

four crashes per day in the Cincinnati

region, representing an average reduction

of more than 3 percent. Additionally, the

deployment of incident and emergency

management systems, which minimize

the response time to crashes, led to a

reduction in the severity of crashes as

well. Overall, fatal crashes decreased

by nearly 9 percent, while injury and

property damage crashes were reduced

by approximately 3 percent. This safety

improvement resulted in the average

annual avoidance of more than 12 fatal

crashes, 420 injury crashes, and 570

property damage crashes per year in

the Cincinnati region. 

Freeways in particular were observed to

benefit from the deployment of operations

and ITS strategies. The number of crashes

occurring on freeways was reduced by

more than 9 percent. 

Decreased Environmental Impacts

Vehicle pollutants and fuel use were

estimated to be reduced in the Cincinnati

region as a result of the operational and

ITS improvements. The full deployment of

these strategies resulted in a reduction for

all emissions analyzed, including average

reductions of 22 percent of carbon

monoxide emissions, 18 percent of

hydrocarbon emissions, and 25 percent

of nitrous oxides emissions. 

Fuel use in the region was decreased by

nearly 24 percent. This reduction represents

a savings of nearly 790,000 gallons per

day. Over the period of an average year,

this equals approximately 100 gallons

saved per resident in the Cincinnati region.

12

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Facility Type Hours of Delay Hours of Delay Percentage Change

with No Operations with Full 

and ITS Operations 

and ITS

Freeway 30,136 25,673 14.8%

Major Arterial 31,744 25,772 18.8%

Rest of Network 90,772 83,301 8.2%

Total 152,602 134,746 11.7%

Table 2. Comparison of Recurring Delay Reduction for Various Roadways
What Would Be the Value 

of the Benefits?

The monetary value of the benefits of Full

Operations and ITS Deployment was

estimated by applying a dollar value to

each of the impacts. For example, the

estimated number of gallons of fuel saved

in any given period was multiplied by the

cost of a single gallon of fuel to estimate

the fuel-reduction benefit. Similar

computations were completed for the

other benefit measures. The benefit values

from the various periods of the day were

then added to estimate the daily benefit.

Comparisons of the benefit values for days

with different weather and construction

conditions revealed that the operations

and ITS strategies provided greater

benefits on those days with inclement

weather or construction conditions, as

shown in Table 3.

The annual benefit was calculated by

multiplying the benefits from each period

by the likely number of times those

conditions represented by the period would

occur in a typical year. When the impacts

of the operations and ITS deployments

were annualized and dollar values applied,

the benefits total more than $1.16

billion per year for the Cincinnati region

as presented in Table 4, along with the

percentage of the value of each benefit

compared to the total.

A further comparison of the proportion of

the benefits that were accrued in each time

period revealed that the majority of benefits

for the operations and ITS strategies

occurred during the peak afternoon (34

percent) and morning (33 percent) commute

periods, as shown in Figure 4. This

impact occurs despite the fact that these

peak commute periods are shorter in

duration than the non-commute periods. 

13

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Weather Conditions Construction Season Daily Benefit

Clear No $4,499

Clear Yes $4,510

Rain No $4,778

Rain Yes $4,813

Ice/Snow No $5,056

Table 3. Daily Value of Benefits Estimated for Various Weather and Construction Conditions (In $ Thousands in 2003 dollars)
14

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Figure 4. Proportion of Benefits in Cincinnati, by Time of Day

Off-Peak,

12%

A.M. Peak,

33%

P.M. Peak,

34%

Mid-Day,

21%

Benefit Value Percent of Total

Reduction in travel time (Mobility) $267 23%

Reduction in incident delay (Reliability) $305 26%

Reduction in crashes (Safety) $85 7%

Reduction in emissions (Environment) $140 12%

Reduction in fuel consumption (Energy) $293 25%

Increase in public agency efficiency (Productivity) $4 1%

Other2 $67 6%

Total benefits $1,160 100%

Table 4. Annual Benefits of Operations and ITS Deployment in Cincinnati (In $ Millions in 2003 dollars)

2 Other estimated benefits include reduced noise, decreased non-fuel operating costs, and additional safety benefits associated

with decreased emergency vehicle response time.
15

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

The average life-cycle costs of the

resources necessary to implement,

operate, and maintain the operations and

ITS in Cincinnati were estimated to be

$98.2 million annually. Table 5 presents

the costs for the Full Operations and ITS

Deployment Scenario.

Although the strategies included in this

analysis were primarily funded by the

public sector, a portion of the costs was

projected to be paid for by the private

sector. These private sector costs include

the equipment needed on commercial

trucks to enable the use of automated

screening and clearance deployments at

check stations. The considerable number

of commercial trucks assumed to be

equipped in the full deployment scenario

(60,000) influenced the substantial

estimated cost for this equipment. 

Supporting deployments presented in

Table 5 represent the backbone

infrastructure necessary to operate and

manage the deployed strategies. These

include items such as traffic management

centers, traffic surveillance cameras, and

communication systems. 

How Do the Costs and 

Benefits Compare?

A comparison of the estimated annual

benefits and costs shows the investment in

operations and ITS in the Cincinnati

region to be cost-efficient. The benefits of

the deployment outweigh the costs by a

Costs of Full Operations and ITS Deployment

Table 5. Annual Cost of Operations and ITS Deployments in Cincinnati (In $ Millions in 2003 dollars)

Deployment Cost Percentage 

of Total Costs

Arterial management systems $7.6 7.7%

Freeway management systems $4.3 4.4%

Transit management systems $3.5 3.6%

Incident management systems $6.4 6.6%

Emergency management systems $1.8 1.8%

Electronic payment systems $2.4 2.4%

Traveler information $2.2 2.2%

Crash prevention and safety $1.4 1.4%

Commercial vehicle operations $23.1 23.5%

Supporting deployments $45.4 46.2%

Weather and work zone mitigation strategies $0.9 1.0%

Total costs $98.2 100.0%

Private sector costs $22.4 22.8%

Public sector costs $75.8 77.2%
The benefits of the

deployment outweigh the

costs by a ration of 11.8 to 1.

16

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

ratio of 11.8 to 1, as shown in Table 6.

This ratio indicates that each dollar spent

on operations and ITS in the Cincinnati

region would return $11.80 in benefits,

including decreased travel time, improved

safety, and reductions in vehicle emissions

and fuel consumption.

The benefits estimated for the full deployment of operations and ITS in Cincinnati

were overwhelmingly positive when

compared with the costs. The conservative

treatment of several factors related to the

analysis suggests that future benefits of

operations and ITS may be even greater.

These assumptions include:

• The analysis only considered those

operations and ITS deployments that

are funded or significantly subsidized

by the public sector. Many additional

private sector ITS initiatives are currently

deployed or planned, but were not

considered in this analysis. These private

sector deployments, such as in-vehicle

navigation and safety systems, and

commercial vehicle tracking and dispatching, would likely provide benefits

beyond those presented in this report.

• The analysis used currently observed

equipment costs as the basis for estimating

the expenditures necessary to deploy

and operate the strategies. The level of

deployment considered for many

strategies is beyond what has been

deployed in any region to date; however,

there may be significant economies-ofscale cost savings that would reduce

the incremental cost of the deployments,

if they were deployed at this scale.

This impact was not considered in this

analysis since there is currently little

consensus on the precise savings that

might be achieved. This assumption

may result in the overestimation of costs

associated with full deployment.

Table 6. Comparison of Annual Benefits and Costs in Cincinnati (In $ Millions in 2003 dollars)

Average annual benefits $1,160

Average annual costs $98.2

Benefit–cost ratio 11.8
17

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

This analysis examined the potential

benefits and costs of fully deploying and

integrating operations and ITS strategies in

the Cincinnati region. A Full Operations and

ITS Deployment Scenario was identified

representing the maximum amount of locally

desirable operations and ITS. This Full

Deployment Scenario was compared to

a scenario without any operations and

ITS deployments in order to identify the

incremental changes in impacts that might

be possible in the year 2003. The results

showed the investment in operations and

ITS to be cost-efficient—returning $11.80

in benefits for every dollar invested. 

The impacts and benefits identified for

Cincinnati were tested in a variety of time

periods and under various weather and

construction conditions that may occur in a

typical year. In all time periods and all

conditions, the operations and ITS strategies

were shown to have a positive impact in

reducing many of the negative impacts

related to congestion: delay, crashes, and

environmental impacts. These operations

and ITS strategies were estimated to provide

significantly greater benefits during periods

of increased congestion, occurring during

peak periods of the day, or resulting from

inclement weather or construction activities. 

The full deployment of operations and ITS

in Cincinnati was projected to produce

benefits that were overwhelmingly

positive when compared with the costs.

The conservative treatment of several

factors related to the analysis suggests

that future benefits of operations and ITS

may be even greater. 

For More Information

Additional information on the operations

and ITS strategies discussed in this report

can be obtained through the FHWA’s

Office of Operations www.ops.fhwa.gov,

and through the U.S. Department of

Transportation’s ITS Joint Program Office,

www.its.dot.gov. For additional information

on the individual benefits and costs of

the ITS deployments presented in this

report, please visit the ITS Joint Program

Office’s ITS Benefits and Costs Database

at: www.benefitcost.its.dot.gov. More

information on the IDAS analysis tool

used in this evaluation may be found at:

www.idas.camsys.com. Please visit the

ITS Deployment Tracking website,

www.itsdeployment.its.dot.gov, for more

information on the current and historical

levels of operations and ITS deployment

in U.S. metropolitan areas.

Summary
Background

This Technical Appendix provides a general

overview of the methodology used in the

study of the potential benefits of fully

deploying operations and ITS strategies.

This study was initiated by the U.S. DOT

to explore the benefits and costs of

fully deploying and integrating ITS and

operations strategies in metropolitan areas.

Three test sites—Tucson, Arizona; Cincinnati,

Ohio; and Seattle, Washington—were

selected to represent small, medium,

and large metropolitan areas, respectively.

Hypothetical deployment scenarios were

developed to represent the full logical

deployment of operations and ITS strategies

in each area. These scenarios were then

evaluated to identify the likely benefits and

costs of the deployments. The goal of

this study was to provide transportation

professionals and decision makers with an

increased understanding of the potential

benefits possible through the full deployment

of ITS and operations strategies. 

The findings from these three case studies

are summarized in individual reports. This

appendix provides additional detail on the

similar approach used in all three regions

to estimate the likely benefits and costs of

full operations and ITS deployment. 

Methodology Overview

The goal of this analysis was to estimate the

likely benefits and costs resulting from the

full deployment and integration of ITS and

operations strategies in a region. For the

purpose of this study, ”full deployment” is

defined as the maximum amount of locally

desirable ITS and transportation operations

strategies—at the highest range of technical

and institutional sophistication—that can be

deployed without regard to funding

constraints. Consistent with this goal and

definition, full operations and ITS deployment

scenarios were identified for the three

case study regions. 

The analysis methodology used in this study

was developed to identify the incremental

benefits and costs of the strategies contained

in the full operations and ITS deployment

scenario. To identify these incremental

impacts, it was necessary to estimate

what travel conditions would be in the full

operations and ITS deployment scenario,

as compared with a scenario that did not

contain any operations and ITS deployments. This ”all-or-nothing” approach was

used to isolate the full costs and benefits

of the operations and ITS deployments. 

The FHWA’s ITS Deployment Analysis

System software was used in conjunction

with the locally validated travel demand

models for the three case study regions

to predict the traffic conditions that would

be likely in the two deployment scenarios—

the No Operations and ITS Deployment

Scenario and the Full Operations and

ITS Deployment Scenario. An overview of

the IDAS tool analysis process is provided

in a subsequent section. 

This analysis approach resulted in numerous

regional performance measures being

estimated for the two scenarios, such as

the person hours of travel, roadway speeds,

the number of crashes, and the gallons

of fuel used, among others. To identify

the incremental impact resulting from the

deployment of ITS, the performance

measures from the Full Operations and

ITS Deployment Scenario were subtracted

from the identical performance measures for

the No Operations and ITS Deployment

18

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Technical Appendix
19

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Scenario. The difference between the

performance measures of the two

scenarios represented the incremental impact

caused by ITS during the day or time period

represented by the model data. The annual

impact was determined by multiplying the

daily incremental impact by the number of

days per year. 

For example, the Tucson case study used

a single daily model in the analysis. To

estimate the impact on any particular

performance measure, such as the number

of fatality crashes, the following approach

was used:

■ Annual Benefit = (Number of Fatality

Crashes Occurring in the No Operations

and ITS Deployment Scenario – Number

of Fatality Crashes Occurring in the Full

Operations and ITS Deployment

Scenario) * Number of Days Per Year

For those models having multiple time

periods represented within a day, separate

No Operations and ITS Deployment and

Full Operations and ITS Deployment

Scenarios were developed for each time

period. The performance measure for the

No Operations and ITS Deployment and

the Full Operations and ITS Deployment

Scenarios were then compared within each

time period to identify the incremental

impact. The incremental impacts from all

the available time periods summed up

the daily impact.A-1 This summed figure

was then multiplied by the number of days

per year to annualize the benefit. An

example of this approach for annualizing

the results for models with multiple time-ofday analysis is shown below:

Where:

■ AMNo = performance measure from

the AM Peak Period – No Operations

and ITS Deployment Scenario

■ AMFull = performance measure from

the AM Peak Period – Full Operations

and ITS Deployment Scenario

■ MDNo = performance measure from

the Mid-day Period – No Operations

and ITS Deployment Scenario

■ MDFull = performance measure from

the Mid-day Period – Full Operations

and ITS Deployment Scenario

■ PMNo = performance measure from

the PM Peak Period – No Operations

and ITS Deployment Scenario

■ PMFull = performance measure from

the PM Peak Period – Full Operations

and ITS Deployment Scenario

■ OPNo = performance measure from

the Off-Peak Period – No Operations

and ITS Deployment Scenario

■ OPFull = performance measure from

the Off-Peak Period – Full Operations

and ITS Deployment Scenario

A-1 The summing of the performance measures across all time periods was performed for all cumulative impacts. Non-cumulative

performance measures, such as vehicle speeds, were not summed. Instead, these performance measures were calculated

from the cumulative performance measures. For example, the estimate of daily speed was determined by summing the vehicle

miles traveled (VMT) for all periods and dividing by summed vehicle hours traveled (VHT) for all periods.

Annual

Benefit

*Number of

Days Per

Year

AMNo – AMFull

MDNo – MDFull

PMNo – PMFull

OPNo – OPFull

= ∑
The value of the annual benefit was then

determined by applying the appropriate

benefit values from the IDAS tool to the

incremental change in the performance

measures. The values from all the various

performance measures were summed to

determine the total annual benefit of all

operations and ITS strategies included in

the Full Operations and ITS Deployment

Scenario. This benefit value was compared

with the annual cost of the strategies to

present the benefit/cost ratio for the

included strategies. 

IDAS Overview

What is IDAS?

The IDAS software was developed by the

FHWA as a tool focused on analyzing the

specific impacts of ITS. IDAS operates as

a post-processor to travel demand models

used by metropolitan planning organizations

and by state departments of transportation

for transportation-planning purposes. IDAS is

intended to mimic and build upon the

results of these tools, and shares many of

the same analysis techniques and processes.

Although a sketch-planning tool, IDAS

implements the modal split and traffic

assignment steps associated with a

traditional planning model. These steps

are key to estimating the changes in modal,

route, and temporal decisions of travelers

resulting from ITS technologies.

IDAS was developed as a tool specifically

focused on analyzing the specific impacts

of ITS. IDAS was also designed to serve as

a repository of information on the impacts of

various types of ITS deployments and of the

costs associated with various types of ITS

equipment. The default ITS impacts and costs

used in the IDAS tool are based on the

observed experiences of deploying

agencies, as maintained in the U.S.

DOT’s ITS Benefits and Costs Database,

www.benefitcost.its.dot.gov. By offering

these capabilities, IDAS provides the ability

to critically analyze and compare different

ITS deployment strategies, prioritize the

deployments, and compare the benefits of

the ITS deployments with other improvements

to better integrate ITS with traditional

planning processes.

How Does IDAS Work?

The IDAS tool works by importing the

results from travel demand models in order

to recreate the validated regional network

structure and travel demand within IDAS.

The data are imported into IDAS using a

special internal input/output interface,

which is capable of reading and interpreting

ASCII text data files. These input data files

are created from data generated by the

regional travel demand models. The data

exchanged between the travel demand

model and IDAS include network data

regarding the characteristics of transportation

facilities in the region and travel demand

data, including the number of trips and

mode share of travel between different

zone pairs in the model. Depending on

the needs of the analysis and the format

of the available data, the user is typically

required to perform some data conversion

prior to import into IDAS. Once the data

are imported, they are stored in a database

accessible by the IDAS software and may

be viewed in a graphical output by the user.

Once the data input is complete, IDAS is

capable of operating independently of the

travel demand model. The IDAS user is then

able to create analysis alternatives by

selecting ITS components from a menu

20

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati
21

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

of more than 60 ITS improvements, and

placing these on the desired location on

the network. The user then provides

additional information regarding their

deployment, such as the implementation

date and proposed operational strategies.

Once the analysis alternative has been

created, the IDAS software then modifies

the network or travel characteristics to

represent the likely impacts of the ITS

deployments placed on the network by

the user. These modifications are based on

real-world impacts observed in other

regions following their deployment of

similar ITS components, and may include

changes in link capacities or speeds,

zone-to-zone travel times, crash or emissions

rates, or other impacts specific to the ITS

component. The specific default impacts

associated with each of the various ITS

deployments are described in Appendix B

– IDAS Default Values of the IDAS User’s

Manual available on the IDAS software

website idas.camsys.com.

The IDAS model then uses analysis

techniques similar to the travel demand

models to analyze the impacts created by

the modifications to the alternative network

and travel characteristics. A traffic assignment routine is used to estimate the changes

in travel patterns caused by the modifications, and a mode shift routine is used

to estimate any travel mode changes. The

results of this analysis are revised link

volumes and speeds and mode shares.

IDAS conducts the same analysis procedures

on the unmodified, baseline network

(without ITS deployments) as well as the

modified alternative network (with ITS

deployments). These two scenarios are then

compared to identify the incremental

impact resulting from the ITS deployment. 

The changes in link volumes and speeds

and mode shares are then used by IDAS

in another series of analysis to calculate

changes in the travel time, the number of

crashes, the amount of emissions and

other impacts. Dollar values are then

applied by IDAS to these impacts to

provide an estimate of the benefits of

the ITS components deployed in the

alternative. 

In a separate process, the costs of the ITS

deployments are also estimated by IDAS.

The costs of the ITS deployments are

calculated by identifying the inventory

of equipment necessary to deploy and

operate each improvement, based on

the suggested equipment packages in

the ITS National Architecture. IDAS then

applies unit costs (capital and operations

and maintenance [O&M] costs) to each

piece of equipment in the inventory and

annualizes the capital costs based on the

anticipated useful life of the equipment.A-2

The costs of all equipment included in

the inventory for a particular deployment

alternative are summed and compared

with the benefits in the form of a benefit/

cost ratio. These outputs are summarized

and displayed to the user in several

formats. The complete IDAS analysis

process is summarized in Figure A-1.

Additional information regarding the

structure of IDAS and its processes is

presented in the IDAS User’s Manual,

which is distributed electronically with the

A-2 IDAS equipment unit costs are periodically updated to represent the latest costs reflected in the U.S. DOT’s ITS Benefits

and Costs Database: www.benefitcost.its.dot.gov
IDAS software, or is available on the

IDAS website at idas.camsys.com.

Use of IDAS in Analyzing the Impacts

of Full Operations and ITS Deployment

Except where noted, the analysis of the

impacts of full operations and ITS deployment used the default IDAS procedures,

parameters, and impacts. These parameters

and impact values were held constant in

the three case study regions in order to

produce comparable results. 

The following exceptions to the standard

IDAS methodology were made in the

analysis:

■ Estimation of Costs – A separate cost

estimation spreadsheet tool was

developed outside the IDAS software to

calculate the cost of the operations and

ITS deployments. This spreadsheet tool

applied the same methodology and

used the identical equipment unit costs

as the IDAS software. This external

spreadsheet method was used to

improve the ease of use for the analysts,

and better account for particular ITS

equipment not currently represented in

the IDAS software.

■ Estimation of the Impacts of Advanced

Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) – 

A blanket assumption of the overall

effectiveness of all ATIS deployments

was made, rather than make individual

assumptions regarding the likely market

penetration and effectiveness of each

individual component. It was assumed that

the various deployed ATIS components

(pre-trip and in-route systems) were

successful in reaching 40 percent of

travelers. Of those travelers receiving

the information, 25 percent were able

to save 6.3 percent of their travel time.

This impact assumption was based on

a comparison of the various IDAS impact

assumption values for the individual

ATIS components. 

■ Estimation of Benefit/Cost – An external

spreadsheet tool was developed to

compare the benefits and costs for the

full deployment scenario. This separate

spreadsheet was needed in order to

aggregate the results from multiple

IDAS runs representing different time

periods (A.M., P.M., etc.). IDAS

currently only has the ability to compare

benefits and costs for a single time

period. This spreadsheet compiled

22

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

1. Appropriate regional data are obtained 

from travel model

2. User formats output from travel model 

for input into IDAS

3. IDAS reads and interprets input data

4. User creates alternatives by deploying 

ITS on the network

5. IDAS modifies network/travel 

characteristics to represent ITS impacts

6. IDAS reassigns traffic and estimates 

mode shift caused by modifications to 

network/travel characteristics

7. IDAS uses new link volumes and speeds, and

mode shares to calculate changes in travel time,

accidents, emissions, and other impacts

8. IDAS assigns dollar values to the impacts, and

estimates the costs of the ITS deployments

9. User is able to view (benefit/cost comparison,

performance measures) and compare alternatives

Figure A-1. IDAS Analysis Process
23

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

the results from multiple time-period

scenarios into combined daily and

annual results. 

■ Estimation of the Impacts of Weather

and Work Zone Mitigation Strategies –

Weather and work zone mitigation

strategies are not currently available as

deployments within the IDAS software.

Special analysis techniques were

developed, using capabilities within

the IDAS software, to analyze the

impacts of these specific strategies.

These techniques are described in a

subsequent section. 

■ Estimation of the Incident-Related Delay

on Freeway Facilities – The IDAS

software contains a default methodology

and parameters for estimating the incident

related delay for freeway facilities.

Although previous IDAS studies conducted

by numerous agencies have served to vet

these impacts as reasonable

representations for individual

deployments, this study includees

combinations and intensities of

deployment that exceed any that have

been tested using this methodology. It

was the opinion of an expert panel that

reviewed the preliminary results that the

initial estimates of the cumulative impact

to incident related delay overstated the

potential reduction. In order to ensure a

conservative estimation of benefits, a

sensitivity analysis was performed to

identify the default impact parameters

used in IDAS that were most likely to result

in an overestimation of benefits. These

parameters were modified and the model

analysis was re-run to produce the more

reserved final results.

Model Networks 

and Adjustments

Network and travel demand data from the

regional travel demand models formed the

basis of the analysis. These models varied

from region to region in their size and

complexity. Additionally, some adjustments

were necessary to modify the available

travel demand model data to match the

specific needs of the desired analysis.

This section summarizes the models used

in the three regions and describes the

necessary modifications to generate the

baseline data needed for the analysis. 

Tucson

The model data available for the Tucson

region represented daily travel conditions in

the year 2025. This model was developed

and maintained by the Pima Association of

Governments (PAG). The Tucson model

was the smallest of the models used in

the analysis, representing a daily total of

approximately 5.4 million person trips

traveling between 870 possible origins

and destinations. Three vehicle modes

were represented in the model, including:

Auto, Light Truck, and Heavy Truck. Two

public transit modes were represented;

however, both represented bus travel. The

transit modes were differentiated by the

form of access to the transit stop: Transit

Walk Access and Transit Drive Access. 

No significant modifications were required

to prepare the Tucson model data for use

in the analysis. Minor reformatting of the

data was performed to prepare the data

for input into the IDAS software tool. 
Cincinnati

The Cincinnati region model, obtained

from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional

Council of Governments (OKI), was the

most complex of the three regional models

used in the analysis. The model had

recently undergone a significant update,

which resulted in the merging of the

regional travel demand models representing

the Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, regions.

Models were specifically developed for

this analysis representing travel demand

for the year 2003. These models were

developed to represent four separate time

periods: A.M. Peak Period (2.5 hours),

Mid-day Peak Period (6.5 hours), P.M.

Peak Period (3.5 hours), and Off-Peak

Period (11.5 hours). The combined

travel demand in these four periods

represented approximately 9.3 million

daily person trips traveling between

2,999 possible origins and destinations.

Approximately 69 percent of this travel

occurs in the Cincinnati region. 

Adding to the complexity of the Cincinnati

model was the disaggregation of travel

into 11 possible modes, including five

vehicle modes: Single Occupancy Vehicle,

High Occupancy Vehicle (two people),

High Occupancy Vehicle (three or more

people), Single-Unit Truck, and MultipleUnit Truck. Six separate bus transit modes

were also available, segmented by the

type of bus service and access mode,

including: Local Bus Walk Access, Local

Bus Park & Ride, Local Bus Kiss & Ride,

Express Bus Walk Access, Express Bus

Park & Ride, and Express Bus Kiss & Ride.

Several significant modifications were

made to the existing Cincinnati models

to prepare the data for use in this analysis.

The first modification was the development

of models representing travel in the year

2003. No specific existing models were

available representing this year. Travel

demand from models representing the

year 2000 and 2010 were interpolated

to develop travel demand trip tables for

each of the analysis periods representing

the year 2003. The model networks from

the 2000 models were used since these

models already contained roadway

improvements that were expected to be

completed by 2003. 

A second modification was required to

allow the analysis to focus only on the

impacts in the Cincinnati region. The recent

model update had merged the previous

models from the Cincinnati and Dayton

regions into a single model; however,

the focus of this analysis was only on the

Cincinnati region. A special data flag

was added to the network link data to

identify in which region each roadway

was located. This enhancement allowed

performance measures to be extracted

from only those portions of the network

located in the Cincinnati (OKI) region.

Other minor modifications were required

to reformat the data for input into the IDAS

software. Additional modifications were

also required to perform a separate analysis

of the impacts of weather and work zone

mitigation strategies in the Cincinnati

region. These specific modifications are

discussed in a subsequent section. 

Seattle

The Seattle regional models used in the

analysis represented travel demand in

the year 2003 for three separate time

periods: A.M. Peak Period, P.M. Peak

Period, and the Off-Peak Period. These

models were based on the Puget Sound

24

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Tucson
25

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Regional Council (PSRC) travel demand

models. These models represented a

combined daily travel demand of

approximately 10.8 million person trips

traveling between 850 possible origins

and destinations. Five separate travel

modes were used in the analysis

including: Single Occupancy Vehicle,

High Occupancy Vehicle, Truck, Transit

(bus and rail), and Ferry. 

Several modifications were made to the

existing PSRC models to generate data

suitable to the analysis of full operations

and ITS deployment. The first modification

was the development of specific models

representing travel conditions in the year

2003. Travel demand data from existing

year 2000 and 2005 models were

interpolated to develop these interim

year models. 

A second modification to the Seattle

model networks was required to allow

the analysis of ramp metering strategies.

On-ramp facilities are not represented in

the current Seattle models. Instead, these

interchanges are coded similar to surface

street intersections and allow traffic to

move directly from arterial roadways to

freeway facilities. The IDAS software

typically requires that ramp facilities be

coded in the network to allow the analysis

of ramp metering strategies. When ramp

meters are deployed, additional impedance

is added to the ramp facilities to simulate

the impact of the ramp signal on traffic

entering the freeway. Since the ramp

facilities were not available in the Seattle

model network, modifications were

required to properly represent this impact.

Turning movement restrictions, available

for use in the IDAS software, were specially

modified to represent the additional

impedance caused by ramp metering

strategies in the absence of ramp facilities. 

A final modification to the Seattle models

was required to properly represent

automobile carrying ferries in the IDAS

analysis. Some reformatting of the model

data was necessary to properly account

for this specific travel mode that is

prevalent in the Puget Sound region. 

Additional Analysis for 

Estimating the Impacts of 

Weather and Work Zones

Analysis Scenarios

Additional analysis was conducted in

Cincinnati to identify the impacts, benefits,

and costs that could be expected with

the addition of specialized operations

and ITS strategies intended to counter

the effects of inclement weather and

help mitigate the negative impacts

occurring as a result of road construction

and maintenance. 

Additional scenarios were needed to

analyze these strategies because the baseline

networks obtained from the travel demand

model assume no inclement weather or

road construction activity. The analysis

scenarios that were developed differed by

four separate variables: the presence of

roadwork, weather conditions, deployment

intensity, and time of day. These

variables were defined as follows:

■ Presence of Roadwork –- Two separate

roadwork scenarios were evaluated,

including a network with a representative

sample of construction activity and a

network without road construction/

reconstruction activity. The impact of

roadwork activity was represented by
reducing facility capacities through the

construction zones, as described in a

subsequent section.

■ Weather Conditions –- Three separate

weather conditions were evaluated:

clear, rain, and ice/snow. The network

representing clear conditions was identical

to the baseline network obtained from

the travel demand model. The impacts

of the rain and ice/snow conditions

were represented by decreasing

capacities throughout the network, as

described in a subsequent section.

■ Deployment Intensity –- Several different

deployment intensities were evaluated.

These include a No Operations and ITS

Deployment Scenario, which did not

contain any ITS or operational

improvements, and a Full Operations

and ITS Deployment Scenario, which

contained the full compliment of

operations and ITS deployments. Note

that for those scenarios that contained the

negative impacts of inclement weather

or construction activity conditions, the

deployment scenario was enhanced

by adding either weather or work

zone mitigation strategies, or both, as

appropriate to the conditions included

in the scenario. These specific mitigation

strategies were not included in the

scenarios that did not contain either

the inclement weather or construction

activity. For example, the impacts of

work zone mitigation strategies were

only analyzed in those scenarios with

roadwork conditions. 

■ Time of Day –- Models representing

four separate time periods were

available for the Cincinnati region,

including A.M. Peak Period, P.M. Peak

Period, Mid-day Period, and Off-Peak. 

An analysis approach was developed

by creating a matrix of all the potential

combinations of these variables and then

discarding illogical combinations. For

example, no scenarios analyzing conditions

representing roadwork activity during ice/

snow conditions were evaluated since

little construction activity is anticipated in

the winter months. To accommodate these

variables in the analysis, 40 separate

scenarios were developed and analyzed.

Table A-1 presents these scenarios. 

The following sections describe how the

various impacts of weather and construction

activity were simulated on the network to

create these scenarios.

Simulation of Weather Impacts

Three different weather situations were

considered in this analysis—clear, rain,

and snow. Clear weather scenarios

were represented using the baseline

roadway network from the TDM. Scenarios

representing rain and snow weather

conditions were represented by reducing

the capacity of network roadways to

simulate the negative impact of the

inclement weather. Weather impacts

on capacity represented a weighted

average of suggested capacity reductions

from the Highway Capacity Manual 2000 A-3

and the FHWA’s Operations website

www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov. The capacity

reductions are shown in Table A-2.

26

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati
27

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Simulation of Construction 

Activity Impacts

The negative impacts of construction activity

were simulated on the model networks by

first identifying a set of construction projects

that would be representative of a typical

construction season. These were identified

by reviewing major regional construction

projects from the previous three years and

selecting a set of projects representative of

a typical construction season. Eight projects

were selected: four lane-addition projects,

Weather Conditions Freeway Reduction Arterial Reduction

Clear None None

Rain -6% -6%

Ice/Snow -10% -12%

Table A-2. Capacity Reductions Used to Represent Inclement Weather Conditions

A-3 Transportation Research Board (2000). Highway Capacity Manual, Washington D.C.

Weather Construction Activity? Scenarios with No 

Operation and ITS

Scenarios with Full 

Operation and ITS

Clear

No A.M. Peak

Mid-day

P.M. Peak

Off-Peak

A.M. Peak

Mid-day

P.M. Peak

Off-Peak

Yes A.M. Peak

Mid-day

P.M. Peak

Off-Peak

A.M. Peak

Mid-day

P.M. Peak

Off-Peak

Rain

No A.M. Peak

Mid-day

P.M. Peak

Off-Peak

A.M. Peak

Mid-day

P.M. Peak

Off-Peak

Yes A.M. Peak

Mid-day

P.M. Peak

Off-Peak

A.M. Peak

Mid-day

P.M. Peak

Off-Peak

Ice/Snow No A.M. Peak

Mid-day

P.M. Peak

Off-Peak

A.M. Peak

Mid-day

P.M. Peak

Off-Peak

Table A-1. Cincinnati Analysis Scenarios
two reconstruction projects, and two

resurfacing projects. The construction

schedules for these projects were also

evaluated to estimate the typical number of

days within a year in which construction

activity was estimated to occur. 

The construction projects were then coded

into those scenarios meant to analyze work

zone projects. Since the representative

construction activities represent real projects,

they were coded in the actual network

locations they occurred. The negative

impacts of the construction activities were

simulated by reducing the baseline

capacities for those roadway links identified

as being within the construction zone. This

reduction was conducted on an individual

link-by-link basis, based on the initial number

of roadway lanes, the number of lanes

closed during construction, and the type of

construction activity. The capacity reduction

for each individual link included in the work

zone was calculated by first subtracting out

the number of lanes anticipated to be closed

as a result of the construction activity. The

capacities of the remaining lanes were then

reduced based on the recommended

capacity reduction factor from the highway

capacity manual (based on the number of

lanes in normal conditions and the type of

construction activity). These capacity

adjustments, for the lanes remaining open

for the various projects, ranged from 75

percent of the original capacity for a twolane facility undergoing resurfacing to 93

percent of the original capacity for a 3+ lane

facility undergoing the addition of new lanes. 

Additional Weather and Work Zone

Mitigation Strategies

Additional weather and work zone

mitigation strategies were deployed and

analyzed in the appropriate Full Operations

and ITS Deployment Scenarios containing the

negative impacts of inclement weather and/

or construction activity. These operations

and ITS strategies are not currently included

as available components for analysis

within the IDAS tool. The software does

have the capability, however, to deploy

and analyze ”generic,” user-defined

components. For these generic deployments,

the user is provided the opportunity to

specify the impacts of the components.

The components are then analyzed

identically to all other existing deployments

in the scenario, providing the opportunity to

analyze the impacts of the user-defined

components side-by-side with existing IDAS

components to capture the full synergistic

impacts of all components. This capability

was used to simulate the weather and work

zone improvements on the network. 

The impacts used in the analysis to

represent weather and work zone

mitigation strategies were based on the

observed impacts from these types of

deployments, where available, or the

impact of similar operations and ITS

components already available within

IDAS. The impacts associated with the

various weather and work zone

mitigation strategies are presented in

Table A-3.

28

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati
29

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Estimating the Annual Impact 

of the Full ITS Deployment 

Scenario in Cincinnati

Each of the 40 individual scenarios were

analyzed separately to estimate the likely

traffic conditions that would occur for each

given time-of-day period with similar

weather, construction activity and

operations, and ITS deployment intensity.

The results of the individual scenarios

were then annualized by applying a

weight to each scenario representing

how many days a year that scenario

would be anticipated to occur in a

typical year.

The applied weights were developed by

reviewing historical weather patterns and

construction schedules. Historical weather

data from the National Weather Service

revealed that rain would be expected to

occur on 17 percent of days annually,

and measurable ice/snow precipitation

occurs on an average of 18 days per

year. A similar review of the construction

schedules of the representative projects

included in the typical construction season

indicated that construction activity would

be expected to occur on 53 percent of

the days annually. The analysis further

assumed that 45 percent of the rain days

would occur during the construction season.

Strategy Analysis Impact

Weather

Weather ATIS/Road Weather 

Information Systems (RWIS)

• ATIS information reaches 40 percent of regional travelers. Of 

those travelers receiving the information, 25 percent were able 

to save 6.3 percent of their travel time. (Based on existing IDAS

ATIS methodology)

Work Zones

Work Zone ATIS • ATIS information reaches an additional 10 percent of travelers 

using the work zone corridors. Of those travelers receiving the

information, 25 percent were able to save 6.3 percent of their

travel time. (Based on existing IDAS ATIS methodology)

Work Zone Incident Detection • 15 percent reduction in incident duration in work zones.15 

percent reduction in fuel use rate and emissions rates in work 

zone. (Based on existing IDAS methodology and information 

from similar work zone deployment in Albuquerque, NM)

Lane Merging Applications • 5 percent restoration of facility capacity in work zone. (Based 

on information from Midwest Smart Work Zone Initiative)

Alternative Route Management • 10 percent increase in facility capacity for selected parallel 

arterial corridors serving as diversion routes. (Based on existing 

IDAS methodology for traffic signal coordination)

Alternative Work Hours • Reduction in the number of days (annually) with construction activity

occuring in the peak hours, offset by lesser increase in the number

of days with construction occurring in the nighttime period. (Based

on information from Midwest Smart Work Zone Initiative)

Table A-3. Impacts of Weather and Work Zone Mitigation Strategies
The number of days in a year was assumed

to be 250, representing the number of

weekdays in a year, not including

significant holidays. The historical rates

of occurrence for the various weather

and construction activities were then

applied to identify weights (in number

of days per year) for the No Operations

and ITS Deployment Scenarios. The

weights for the Full Operations and ITS

Deployment Scenarios were determined

similarly, with the following exception.

The weight representing number of days

with construction activity in the peak

periods was reduced to reflect the

impact of alternative work scheduling

strategies. The construction season for

the off-peak scenarios was then

extended to reflect the additional work

shifted to the nighttime periods. 

These identified weights were applied

to each scenario and the resulting

performance measures were summed for

the No Operations and ITS Deployment

and the Full Operations and ITS

Deployment Scenario. The summed

results were then compared to identify

the annual incremental benefits of the

Operations and ITS strategies. Table A-4

presents the annualization rates that

were applied in the analysis for each

possible scenario, and shows how the

proportion of days included in the

annualization changes between the No

Operations and ITS Deployment and

Full Operations and ITS Deployment

Scenarios. For the peak periods (AM,

Mid-Day, and PM) the proportion of

days with road construction is reduced

between the No Operations and ITS

Deployment and Full Operations and

ITS Deployment Scenarios to represent

the impacts of alternative work hours.

This table also shows the impact of

shifting some of these roadwork

activities to the off-peak periods.

30

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Table A-4. Annualization Weights for Cincinnati

Peak Periods

(Includes AM, Mid-Day, and PM Peak Periods)

Off-Peak Periods

No Ops and ITS Full Ops and ITS No Ops and ITS Full Ops and ITS

Scenario Days % Days % Days % Days %

Clear 49 20% 66 26% 49 20% 32 13%

Rain 21 8% 24 10% 21 8% 18 7%

Ice/Snow 46 18% 46 18% 46 18% 46 18%

Clear with

Roadwork

113 45% 96 38% 113 45% 130 52%

Rain with

Roadwork

21 8% 18 7% 21 8% 24 10%

TOTAL 250 100% 250 100% 250 100% 250 100%
31

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

Study Caveats

As documented in this appendix, the

analysis of the three case study regions

were conducted using similar, but not

identical approaches and assumptions.

Therefore, comparisons of major trends

across the three regions are generally

valid. Caution should be applied in any

detailed cross-cutting analysis of specific

impacts, however, due to model and

approach differences that may have

skewed results. The differences in the

analysis approaches may make it difficult

to discern if variations observed between

the three regions are valid, or are a product

of the analysis methodology. Some of the

significant variations in the models and

approaches which have the potential to

impact results are documented below.

Tucson 

The analysis of impacts in the Tucson

region employed model data representing

average daily travel in the year 2025.

This region was the only one to use a

future forecast of travel demand. The use

of this future demand may result in the

inflation of benefits, relative to other

regions, since travel demand and related

congestion is presumably greater than in

the current year. The Tucson region was

also the only region where a single daily

forecast was used in the analysis. This

unique characteristic may have the impact

of decreased benefits relative to the other

areas because the daily traffic model does

not capture the impacts of increased

congestion during the peak hours. The

Tucson model was also not adjusted to

specifically analyze variations in weather

conditions or construction activity, as

was performed in Cincinnati. 

Cincinnati

The analysis of impacts in the Cincinnati

region used model data representing

travel conditions in 2003 for four separate

periods—A.M. Peak Period, Mid-day

Peak Period, P.M. Peak Period, and OffPeak Period—with the sum of these periods

equal to a single day. Further, additional

models were constructed from these base

models to represent traffic conditions during

different combinations of weather conditions

and road maintenance activity typifying a

normal construction season. These additional

models resulted in the analysis of ITS

impacts during 20 unique traffic conditions,

greatly adding sensitivity to the analysis

compared to the other regions. Because

the analysis produced increased benefit

estimates for those alternatives representing

inclement weather or construction activity,

it is likely that the overall benefits estimated

for Cincinnati are greater relative to the

other areas. The analysis in Tucson and

Seattle were not conducted with this

sensitivity to weather conditions or

construction activity, and would not have

captured these additional benefits.

Seattle

The Seattle regional models used in the

analysis represented travel demand in the

year 2003 for three separate time

periods: A.M. Peak Period, P.M. Peak

Period, and the Off-Peak Period. The

results from the Seattle analysis are,

therefore, sensitive to the variations in

impacts caused by peak period

congestion. The Seattle models were not

adjusted, however, to specifically analyze

variations in weather conditions or

construction activity, as was performed in

Cincinnati.
In addition to the model differences noted

above, other factors and parameters

internal to the individual region’s models

may also affect the estimated impacts.

Model characteristics such as the length of

peak periods, volume-delay functions, and

mode choice sensitivity may also promote

differences in the analysis results. 

Additional Caveats

Impacts of the operations and ITS

deployments on incident-related delay

were estimated in all three case study

regions. The use of incident-related delay,

non-recurring congestion, or travel time

reliability as a measure of system

performance is an emerging practice. As

yet, there is often little consensus on the

specific definitions of the performance

measures used or the analysis methodologies applied in different studies. In this

study, ”incident-related delay” is estimated

only for freeway facilities and represents

the expected amount of delay occurring

as a result of traffic incidents (crashes,

stalls, and breakdowns). This performance

measure is synonymous with the ”travel

time reliability” impact within the IDAS

analysis methodology. Current incident

data availability limits the appli- cation of

this analysis methodology to only freeway

facilities and does not currently allow for

the estimation of incident-related delay for

other surface roadways.

Other caveats, specific to the individual

case study regions, are documented within

the individual reports.

32

Benefits and Costs 

of Full Operations 

and ITS Deployment:

Cincinnati

U.S. Department of Transportation

400 7th Street, SW

Washington, DC 20590

FHWA-JPO-04-031 May 2005 EDL #13979

Intelligent 

Transportation 

Systems

ITS Web Resources

ITS Joint Program Office:

http://www.its.dot.gov

ITS Cooperative Deployment Network:

http://www.nawgits.com/icdn

ITS Electronic Document Library (EDL):

http://www.its.dot.gov/itsweb/welcome.htm

ITS Professional Capacity Building Program:

http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov