FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 7, 2011
CONTACT Cherie Gibson: 202-721-4224; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Minnesota DOT Receives National Transportation Award for Using Innovative Technology to Reduce Traffic Congestion and Highway Fatalities while Saving Taxpayers Money
ROSEVILLE, MN - The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) today recognized the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) with its Smart Solution Spotlight award for using smart technology to reduce traffic congestion and improve rural highway safety while saving Minnesota taxpayers money.
“As public agencies are working to solve transportation challenges in a tight budget environment, MnDOT is providing a great example of how technology can be leveraged to make our transportation system safer and less congested without having to build costly new infrastructure,” said Scott Belcher, President and CEO of ITS America. “We hope the example set here in Minnesota will encourage other states to put innovation to work addressing problems like traffic congestion and highway fatalities.”
The Smart Solution Spotlight award recognizes innovative projects across the country that are using Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to manage the transportation network more efficiently while improving public safety, economic competitiveness, and the environment.
The award was presented today to MnDOT Commissioner Tom Sorel during a tour of the high-tech Regional Traffic Management Center in Roseville. As a result of Minnesota’s successful bid for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA), MnDOT has successfully deployed numerous technologies and strategies to reduce congestion and improve highway efficiency, which is saving commuters time and money.
"As I've traveled around Minnesota, I've seen firsthand how MnDOT's dedication to safety, innovation, and efficiency is making our state a better place to live and work," said U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-Mn). "MnDOT's hard work and creative planning are leading the country into the future of transportation. I thank the Intelligent Transportation Society of America for recognizing Minnesota's role as a leader in transportation innovation."
ITS America also applauded Minnesota’s pioneering efforts to reduce traffic crashes at rural intersections through the deployment of high-tech crash avoidance systems in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation. With research showing that intersection crashes constitute more than 30 percent of all collisions, Belcher commended MnDOT for advancing a Rural Intersection Conflict Warning System which he called “a low-cost, innovative system that will prevent crashes from occurring and reduce the number of injuries in rural areas and fatalities.”
”We are working hard in Minnesota to make our roadways safer and manage congestion as efficiently as possible, within certain financial constraints,” said Commissioner Tom Sorel. “ITS allows us to better use the existing road capacity. It allows us to provide safer, more reliable transportation in the context of what we already have.”
The Urban Partnership Agreement
Funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the State of Minnesota, the Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) combines innovative concepts that together will create more congestion reduction benefits than traditional concepts implemented on a stand-alone basis. The UPA used transit, road pricing, technology and telecommuting to improve traffic conditions, reduce congestion and commute times on Minnesota’s busiest highways and provide alternate travel options for the public.
Under the UPA, MnDOT expanded the successful MnPASS congestion pricing program currently operated on I-394 by converting High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes with pricing based on traffic demand. The dynamic lane control technology provides advanced, real-time information about priced lane availability, toll rate, applicable speed and other traffic and safety management features. Additionally, lane control technology allows traffic managers to close lanes during incidents or planned construction work, enhancing safety and improving response time for emergency vehicles.
With more than 665 express buses entering downtown Minneapolis during the morning peak period, the transit portion of the program focused on the high transit traffic share to downtown Minneapolis. The project expanded the single transit lane to two lanes on both Marquette and Second Avenues, tripling the number of buses per hour and reducing bus travel time through the 16-block downtown area by up to 10 minutes.
Minnesota’s Smart Lanes were the first to be activated in the country to help motorists make informed decisions about their commute. Drivers see real-time advisory speed limits and information on electronic signs above each lane of traffic. The real-time information varies with the road conditions. Smart Lanes help reduce crashes and increase safety, create more reliable commute times, improve traffic flow and increase overall roadway efficiency and throughput. Similar initiatives in Europe have resulted in 30 percent fewer injury collisions.
The telecommuting component of the UPA focused on securing agreements from major employers in the Twin Cities to establish or expand telecommuting programs and flexible work scheduling with the ultimate goal of reducing peak period commuting and shifting some commuting travel to off-peak hours.
Minnesota Rural Intersection Conflict Warning Program
Minnesota’s Toward Zero Death (TZD) Initiative, a partnership between MnDOT, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and the Department of Health, addresses the potential crashes and fatalities that can occur when a motorist approaches a rural “through-STOP” intersection, which have a history of above-average crash rates.
With a limited number of potential countermeasures available to address these crashes, the Rural Intersection Conflict Warning Program was developed as a low-cost, readily deployable, low-maintenance system that can be used to reduce property damage, prevent injuries and save lives at low volume, non-signalized intersections. The program uses a combination of Stop Sign Assist, Through Road Warnings and Dynamic STOP Sign Warnings.
A Stop Sign Assist uses detection on the through roadway to determine when vehicles are approaching the intersection and provides an alert to the driver waiting at the STOP sign to indicate a situation where the driver should not enter the intersection. With Through Road Warning, drivers receive a warning to watch for crossing traffic and be prepared to respond in case the cross traffic pulls out in front of them, while Dynamic STOP Sign Warnings let a driver know to clear the intersection if a vehicle is approaching that will be unable to stop.
To learn more about the MnDOT ITS efforts, contact Kevin Gutknecht, 651-366-4266 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
About the Intelligent Transportation Society of America
ITS America is the leading advocate for ITS technology development and deployment in the United States. ITS America was established in 1991 as a not-for-profit organization to foster the use of advanced technologies across America’s surface transportation system. Members include private companies and industry leaders, government agencies at all levels, universities and research laboratories. For more information, visit www.itsa.org.
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