ITS and Highways-

MAPC Annual Meeting

Examples of uses of ITS in

managing highway operations
 Active Traffic Management
ATM: Active Traffic Management involves providing real-time information to motorists to
improve traffic flow
• Through the use of overhead gantries,
agencies are able to provide information
such as:
• Variable speed limits
• Queue warnings
• Dynamic re-routing
• Hard shoulder running
• Travel time information
• In use in Europe
• Early US adopters: Los Angeles, Seattle,
Salt Lake City

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 Congestion Pricing of New Lanes
Variable pricing: Ability to vary pricing of lane usage helps keep traffic free flowing

• 91 Express Lane is a 4-lane, 10-mile toll

road built in the median of California State
Route 91.
• Value pricing- varies by time of day
and volume of traffic
• Privately financed toll road
• Fully automated

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 IntelliDrive
US DOT’s IntelliDrive Initiative: Improve In-vehicle
Safety and Mobility

• Provides for greater situational

awareness:
– Vehicle is able to communicate with
other vehicles and roadside Intersection Collision Avoidance
infrastructure
– Vehicle can detect roadway
conditions before the driver can see
them
• Reduce or eliminate crashes through:
• Driver advisories
• Driver warnings
• Vehicle controls

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 Bay Area 511 System
Revamped 511 System: Collaboration of state, regional, local agencies and transit systems

• Comprehensive 511 system operated by

MTC- the Bay Area MPO
– Real time traffic conditions
– Mobile phone apps
– Suggested routing
– Transit times
– Tweets

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 Open Road Tolling
Tolling Technology: Technology allows for toll collection at highway speeds

• Open Road Tolling is gaining

acceptance across the country:
– Illinois Turnpike
– New Hampshire Turnpike (May
30, 2010)
– Texas Toll Roads
• Can require significant right-of-way to
retrofit

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 Minneapolis Urban Partnership
Partnership between local, state, and federal:
Multiple efforts to address congestion on the Interstates

• I-35 HOV to HOT Conversion

– Dynamic pricing of HOV lanes for
SOV travelers
• Active Lane Management
• Bus Only Shoulder Lanes- lane guidance
assistance
• Transit signal priority

Other Urban Partnerships in Seattle, Miami,

and San Francisco

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 Massachusetts ITS Infrastructure
Need for continuing capital investment:

• MassDOT Highway Operations Center

– Constructed for Central Artery
– Expanding to handle operations
statewide
• Southeast Expressway Zipper Lane

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 U.S. DOT ITS Peer to Peer Program
U.S. DOT Resource: Program provides peer technical assistance

• Provides one-on-one technical

expertise on deployment,
development, and operation of ITS
technologies.
• Available to organizations dealing
with:
• Highway,
• Transit,
• Motor carrier
• Human services

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 U.S. DOT Resources:

• U.S. DOT’s ITS Joint Program Office-

www.its.dot.gov

• ITS Peer to Peer Program-

www.pcb.its.dot.gov/res_peer1.asp

• FHWA Innovative Program Delivery Office-

www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd

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 Contact Information

Terrance Regan
Volpe National Transportation System Center
terry.regan@dot.gov
617-494-3628

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