Division of Traffic Operations, Office of Traffic Management

California Department of Transportation

Division of Traffic Operations, Office of Traffic Management

PURPOSE

Federal regulation 23 CFR 511 requires the establishment of a real-time information program for reporting traffic and travel conditions along State designated metropolitan area Routes of Significance (RoS). The four provisions for traffic and travel conditions reporting are: construction activities, roadway or lane blocking incidents, roadway weather observations and travel time information. The information for all four provisions must be 85 percentaccurate and available 90 percent of the time. The Regional ITS Architecture features the components and functionality of the real-time information program and if necessary, may be updated to address real-time highway and transit information and the methods to meet these needs.

Please follow this checklist as it will assist with proposing RoS and addressing each provision with regard to accuracy and availability.

CHECKLIST

Construction Activities: Federal regulation 23 CFR 511 states the timeliness for the availability of information regarding full construction activities that close or reopen roadways will be 10 minutes or less from the time of the closure or reopening within Metropolitan Areas. Caltrans must have the capability to access construction activity information (data) within five minutes or less from the time of the closure or reopening.

Describe the tools used to report, monitor and status construction activities on roadways (e.g. databases, web based applications, platforms, message signs,information networks, data feeds, formats and sources).

Describe the process to status a planned lane closure. Explain how a closure is approved (e.g. manager, engineer),how the closure is entered or posted (e.g. databases, applications) and reported (e.g. operations center). Explain how the closure is put into place (e.g. staff member, operations center), how it is displayed (e.g. traveler information, web based maps) and how it is removed (e.g. staff member, operations center). Explain the difference between a planned lane closure that is accurately or not accurately statused (e.g. lane closure is put into place but not removed and vice versa).

Describe how after hours planned lane closures are managed. Explain who is responsible for the after hours planned lane closure (e.g. operations center) and how the planned lane closure is entered or posted (e.g. staff member).

Describe how planned lane closure information is made available to interested parties (e.g. databases, manager, traveler information, web based maps, message signs and cameras). Explain who manages the information (e.g. manager, staff member).

Describe how the construction activity information (data) is 85 percent accurate and the reported information is available 90 percent of the time (e.g. databases, database redundancy/latency, web based applications, platforms, message signs data feeds and sources). Explain if applicable situations where construction activity information is not 85 percent accurate or 90 percent available, and the remedial actions (e.g. statusing in rural areas).

Roadway or Lane Blocking Incidents: Federal regulation 23 CFR 511 states the timeliness for the availability of information related to roadway or lane blocking traffic incidents within Metropolitan Areas will be 10 minutes or less from the time the incident is verified. Caltrans must have the capability to access roadway or lane blocking incident information (data) within five minutes or less from the time the incident is verified.

Describe the tools used to report, monitor and status incidents on roadways (e.g. databases, web based applications, platforms, data feeds, formats and sources).

Describe the process to status incidents. Explain the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for statusing an incident. Explain how the incident is verified (e.g. law enforcement, reporting party, camera images, staff member), reported and released (e.g. law enforcement, staff member, databases, web based applications). Explain if applicable how an incident is managed where incident data exists but the incident may not have occurred (e.g. false data/no actual event, camera images, staff member, law enforcement, web based applications, data feeds and sources).

Describe how after hours incidents are managed. Explain who is responsible for the after hours incident verification and reporting (e.g. operations center, databases, automated systems, local entities).

Describe how incident information is made available to interested parties (e.g. telephone, databases, traveler information, message signs). Explain who manages the information (e.g. manager, staff member).

Describe how roadway or lane blocking incident information (data) is 85 percent accurate and the reported information is available 90 percent of the time (e.g. databases, database redundancy/latency, web based applications, platforms, automated systems, staff member, operations center, data feeds and sources).

Roadway Weather Observations: Federal regulation 23 CFR 511 states the timeliness for the availability of information about hazardous driving conditions and roadway or lane closures or blockages due to adverse weather conditions will be 20 minutes or less from the time the hazardous conditions, blockage or closure is observed. Caltrans must have the capability to access roadway weather observation information (data) within 15 minutes or less from thetime the hazardous conditions, blockage or closure is observed.

Describe the tools used to report, monitor and status roadway weather observations on roadways (e.g.databases, web based applications, platforms, weather networks, weather sensors, cameras, message signs, roadway detectors, web based applications, platforms, data feeds, formats and sources).

Describe the process to report roadway weather observation data. Explain how the data is reported or entered (e.g. information networks, databases, platforms, operations center, telephone, staff member, automated systems).

Describe how the decision is managed to close a roadway due to adverse weather conditions. Explain who is responsible for the closure decision (e.g. agency, law enforcement) and how the adverse weather conditions were verified (e.g. field inspection). Explain where the closure is reported (e.g. operations center, law enforcement, manager, staff member). Explain who is responsible for reporting the closure information (e.g. operations center, law enforcement, staff member) and where the closure information is entered (e.g. databases, tracking systems). Explain if applicable the procedure to report incidents (e.g. reporting policy or matrix). Explain if applicable the field response process to a weather related roadway closure (e.g. staff member, agency, law enforcement, field inspection, traffic delay estimate test runs, reroute escorts).

Describe how roadway weather observation information is made available to interested parties (e.g. telephone, radio, message signs, databases, web based applications, traveler information).

Describe how roadway weather observation information (data) is 85 percent accurate and the reported information is available 90 percent of the time (e.g. databases, database redundancy/latency, web based applications, platforms, data feeds and sources).

Travel Time Information is only required on freeways (limited access roadways). Federal regulation 23 CFR 511 states the availability of travel time information along limited access roadway segments within Metropolitan Areas will be 10 minutes or less from the time the travel time calculation is completed. Caltrans must have the capability to access travel time information (data) within five minutes or less from the time the travel time calculation is completed.

Explain the process to report and display travel time information that is 85 percent accurate. Focus on tools, databases, message signs, commute travel time displays, cameras, speed data, radar detection, data sources and feeds. Explain if applicable the procedure on displaying travel times if detection is not functional or a service interruption is encountered (e.g. message signs, algorithms, data sources).

Explain the process to report and display travel time information that is available 90 percent of the time. Focus on tools used to validate the accuracy of the data (e.g. databases, detection, algorithms, probe data, vehicle studies, data sources and feeds). Explain if applicable the process to verify the accuracy of displayed travel times (e.g. verification test runs,pilot vehicles). Explain if applicable the procedure on non-operational travel time displays (e.g. investigation, maintenance).

Regional ITS Architecture: Federal regulation 23 CFR 511 requiresCalifornia and its regions that have created a Regional ITS Architecture to evaluate their Regional ITS Architectures to determine whether or not real-time highway and transit information needs and the methods need to meet such needs are explicitly addressed. The Regional ITS Architectures may be updated to address coverage, monitoring systems, data fusion and archiving, and accessibility to highway and transit information for value added information product providers.

February 10, 2015Page 1