The I-210 Pilot and Corridor Management in General

The I-210 Pilot and ICM

The I-210 Pilot will use centralized management of traffic lights, ramp meters, and traveler information to mitigate traffic congestion on the corridor caused by incidents and events. This requires the ability to:

  1. Collect data on the state of the transportation system (highways, arterials, transit) using detectors (loop, Bluetooth, etc.)
  2. Track the state of control elements (signals, meters, and signs)
  3. Permit system operators to characterize incidents (location, duration, etc.)
  4. Utilize a decision support system to suggest traffic management strategies (selecting a certain timing plan, setting ramp metering rates, informing travelers about incidents, and providing this  information to transit and other stakeholders)
  5. Recommend these strategies to local/regional TMCs for execution and gain consensus for their adoption
  6. Execute the strategies
  7. Evaluate the results

The costs of integration

The vision for corridor-level management encourages a shift away from less-coordinated traffic management strategies and toward more-coordinated operations. The costs to move a transportation corridor from a lower level of integration to a higher level of integration may vary considerably based on:

  1. The existing state of the system
  2. The size of the corridor
  3. The ability of the system to measure current traffic conditions
  4. The sophistication of the decision support system (model versus rule-based, for example)
  5. The traffic management strategies chosen
  6. The level of performance monitoring desired
  7. The degree of automated control chosen by the stakeholders

Allocating costs

For the purpose of cost/benefit analysis, some mechanism is needed for allocating the costs of these investments to their respective project or initiative, such as the I-210 Pilot. If possible, only those additional costs needed to enable the implementation of a particular project would be compared to the benefits of that project. A proper cost allocation requires a complete inventory of the costs involved, their incidence, and the performance benefits they make possible.

Cross-corridor use

Between corridors, there will be reusability/sharing of software, organizational structures, and operational components. However, each corridor and major metropolitan area will require site-specific planning, upgrades, and tailoring of existing solutions, organizational structures, and operational processes.

Normal operations

When requesting funding for improved corridor coordination, the ITS elements requested will also be used for improving normal operations. Ramp meters, signals, and CMS signs can and do operate effectively during normal traffic conditions. In fact many, if not all, of the ITS elements needed for coordinated operation would likely be installed in the corridor as part of normal operations and maintenance.