Cross-cutting Issues

The objective of this project was to implement and evaluate a low-cost system that can
accurately estimate arterial travel times (suitable for use in traveler information systems) with
only minor revisions to Mn/DOT’s standard detection layout. A secondary objective is to
provide automatic mainline turning movement counts at a level accurate enough for traffic
analysis and signal timing work. This project will use a University of Minnesota developed
technology (SMART-SIGNAL) that logs, at a high resolution, real-time intersection data,
including signal controller events and detector data, whereby arterial performance measures such
as travel time, queue length and progression quality can be estimated. The system will be
evaluated by comparing manual traffic count and travel time data to the values estimated by the
SMART SIGNAL system.

Minnesota Department of Transportation - Metro District

Alliant Engineering, Inc.

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minnesota (U.S.A.) has created an Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) to address growing
traffic congestion and operations problems in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area
(also called the Twin Cities). The Minnesota Department of Transportation (DOT), the
Metropolitan Council, local communities and academia joined forces to implement costeffective,
rapid deployment solutions to reducing congestion. Although the Twin Cities has a
mature transportation management system, transit system, and innovative traffic management
technologies implemented on the region’s highways, the UPA takes a “Four Ts” approach that
combines Tolling, Transit, Telecommuting, and Technology together in targeted congested
freeways and arterial corridors. This paper highlights the innovative aspects of the UPA
program. Key words: partnership; high-occupancy vehicle lanes; high-occupancy toll lanes;
priced dynamic shoulder lanes; lane guidance systems; dynamic shoulders.

Minnesota Department of Transportation

Paper submitted for publication and presentation at the ITS America’s 2009 Annual Meeting and Exposition

This paper demonstrates the use of a sketch model, Tool for Rush-Hour User Charge Evaluation (TRUCE), to evaluate the costs, revenues, and congestion reduction benefits that congestion pricing scenarios could generate in four metropolitan regions in the United States. The paper gives a general overview of congestion pricing and its benefits. It describes system design and costs for four pricing scenarios that employ different methods of congestion pricing and management strategies and presents estimates of system revenue and future net benefits for each scenario. The model recognizes that each urban area is different and should be addressed with its own unique solutions based on the level of congestion, population density, size, geographical layout of the highway/arterial network and travel patterns. The scenarios result in different types of revenue generation, traffic impacts and congestion relief showing that congestion pricing can be a viable source of revenue while providing an effective mechanism for metropolitan areas to manage worsening congestion.

Federal Highway Administration

Booz Allen Hamilton

D’Artagnan Consulting

Paper submitted for publication and presentation at the ITS America’s 2009 Annual Meeting and Exposition

This paper compares the life-cycle costs of deploying, maintaining, and operating a national
DSRC infrastructure for IntelliDriveSM with the costs of leasing data cellular services. Although
cellular data services do not meet the requirements for low latency safety applications, cellular
services do meet the requirements for most of the envisioned mobility and commercial
applications, and the use of cellular communications has been a recurring topic of discussion.

Noblis

Paper submitted for publication and presentation at the ITS America’s 2009 Annual Meeting and Exposition

Effective corridor management during non-recurring conditions requires a combination of traffic
diversion to parallel routes, signal timing changes, adjustment of ramp metering rates (when
ramp metering is available) and comprehensive motorist information; actions for which
simulation studies have demonstrated significant benefits. Operations personnel may be
reluctant to use these techniques due to the absence of the comprehensive information needed to assess traffic conditions on potential diversion routes. A new traffic monitoring technology has
been developed that provides accurate measurement of travel times for both freeways and arterial roadways. This technology, which receives signals from Bluetooth equipped devices (cell
phones, PDAs, car radios, etc.) located in passing vehicles, provides the reliable traffic
information needed for effective corridor management.

Center for Advanced Transportation Technology

Traffax Inc

Paper submitted for publication and presentation at the ITS America’s 2009 Annual Meeting and Exposition