Incident Management on Managed Lanes

Roles of Transportation Management Centers in Incident Management on Managed Lanes FHWA-HOP-14-022 December 2014 1 Notice This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document. The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document. Quality Assurance Statement The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement. Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession 3. Recipient's Catalog No. FHWA-HOP-14-022 No. 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Roles of Transportation Management Centers in Incident Management on December 2014 Managed Lanes 6. Performing Organization Code 7.Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Michael J. Tantillo, Edwin Roberts, and Uzoamaka Mangar 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc (VHB) 11. Contract or Grant No. 8300 Boone Blvd., Suite 700 DTFH61-12-D-00039 Vienna, VA 22182-2626 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE Washington, DC 20590 14. Sponsoring Agency Code FHWA 15. Supplementary Notes The contract manager for this report was Jimmy Chu. 16. Abstract This guidebook examines traffic incident management practices that are implemented by transportation management centers on managed lanes. The document examines the unique operating environment of managed lanes from an incident management perspective. The roles of the transportation management center in the managed lane environment are discussed in terms of incident preparedness and real-time incident management activities and support. A comparison of best practices for eight case studies is presented, and an in-depth analysis of the role of the transportation management center in incident management is presented for three of the managed lane facilities examined in the case studies. 17. Key Words: 18. Distribution Statement transportation management center, incident No restrictions. management, managed lanes 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified page) Unclassified 101 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed pages authorized TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ��1 Chapter 1—Introduction and Background ��7 1.1 Definition of Managed Lanes ��8 1.2 Access to Managed Lanes ��9 1.3 Physical Design of Managed Lanes ��10 1.4 Importance of TIM in Managed Lanes ��13 1.5 TMC Operations ��14 Chapter 2—Unique Aspects of TIM in Managed Lanes ��17 2.1 Need for Interagency Coordination ��17 2.2 Enhanced Traffic Management System Capabilities ��18 2.3 Enhanced Operational Control ��19 2.4 Physical Access Constraints ��23 2.5 Financial Considerations ��24 Chapter 3—TMC Role in the Managed Lane Environment—Preparedness ��27 3.1 Technology and Communications ��28 3.2 Interagency Relations and Coordination ��30 3.3 Managed Lane Enforcement Patrols ��33 3.4 TMC Resources ��35 3.5 TMC Involvement in Managed Lane Design ��35 3.6 TMC Involvement in Operational Planning ��38 3.7 TMC Preparedness Checklists ��40 Chapter 4—TMC Role in the Managed Lane Environment—Real Time TIM Response Activities and Support ��43 4.1 Shared Operations Responsibilities ��43 4.2 TIM Process ��46 4.3 Incident Detection and Verification ��47 4.4 Incident Response ��49 4.5 Scene Management and Traffic Control ��51 4.6 Clearance and Recovery ��57 4.7 System and Corridor Management ��58 4.8 TIM Response and Support Checklist ��60 ROLES OF TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT CENTERS IN INCIDENT MANAGEMENT ON MANAGED LANES ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 5—Case Studies ��63 5.1 Case Study 1 Minnesota’s I-35W HOT/Priced Dynamic Shoulder Lane and ATM System ��67 5.2 Case Study 2 Houston’s Katy Freeway Managed Lanes and Interagency Coordination ��73 5.3 Case Study 3 Fairfax County, Virginia’s I-495 Express Lanes and Private Sector Operators ��79 Chapter 6—Conclusions ��85 Glossary of Terms ��87 Acknowledgements ��93 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Photo. Uncongested managed lanes adjacent to congested general purpose lanes �� 7 Figure 2 Photo. Managed lanes function as a “freeway within a freeway” �� 8 Figure 3 Illustration. MUTCD sign showing HOV lanes have a minimum vehicle occupancy requirement �� 9 Figure 4 Illustration. MUTCD sign showing ETLs with congestion pricing have variable tolls �� 9 Figure 5 Illustration. MUTCD sign showing HOT lanes are ETLs where HOVs do not pay for access �� 10 Figure 6 Photo. Part-time shoulder lane �� 11 Figure 7 Photo. Managed lane separated from general purpose lanes with painted buffer �� 11 Figure 8 Photo. The left lane is a continuous access HOV lane �� 11 Figure 9 Photo. Invisible electronic barrier using toll tag readers and cameras �� 11 Figure 10 Photo. Plastic post barrier ��12 Figure 11 Photo. Permanent physical barrier creates two separate roadways ��12 Figure 12 Photo. Zipper barrier and mobile machine ��12 Figure 13 Photo. An incident in a managed lane can inconvenience many people, such as transit riders, since vehicle occupancies are high ��13 Figure 14 Photo. Inside of the New Jersey Statewide Transportation Management Center ��15 Figure 15 Photo. The 91 Express Lanes in Orange County, CA are operated by

Load more