Active Traffic Management Strategies: A Planning and Evaluation Guide (2024)
Chapter: Front Matter
Active Traffic Management Strategies
A PLANNING AND EVALUATION GUIDE
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2024 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
OFFICERS
CHAIR: Carol A. Lewis, Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston
VICE CHAIR: Leslie S. Richards, General Manager, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Victoria Sheehan, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC
MEMBERS
Michael F. Ableson, CEO, Arrival Automotive–North America, Detroit, MI
James F. Albaugh, President and CEO, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ
Carlos M. Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City
Douglas C. Ceva, Vice President, Customer Lead Solutions, Prologis, Inc., Jupiter, FL
Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul
Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany
Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington
Chris T. Hendrickson, Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering Emeritus, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Randell Iwasaki, President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services, Walnut Creek, CA
Ashby Johnson, Executive Director, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Austin, TX
Joel M. Jundt, Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre
Hani S. Mahmassani, W.A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation; Director, Transportation Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Scott C. Marler, Director, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames
Ricardo Martinez, Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA
Michael R. McClellan, Vice President, Strategic Planning, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Atlanta, GA
Russell McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta
Craig E. Philip, Research Professor and Director, VECTOR, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Steward T.A. Pickett, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY
Susan A. Shaheen, Professor and Co-director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, Berkeley
Marc Williams, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Michael R. Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC
Shailen Bhatt, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Amit Bose, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
Tristan Brown, Deputy Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Steven Cliff, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board, Sacramento
Rand Ghayad, Senior Vice President, Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC
LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Germantown, MD
William H. Graham, Jr. (Major General, U.S. Army), Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
Robert C. Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Zahra “Niloo” Parvinashtiani, Engineer, Mobility Consultant Solutions, Iteris Inc., Fairfax, VA, and Chair, TRB Young Members Coordinating Council
Sophie Shulman, Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Karl Simon, Director, Transportation and Climate Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC
Veronica Vanterpool, Acting Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC
Michael Whitaker, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Vinn White, Deputy Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, DC
___________________
* Membership as of August 2024.
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1120
Active Traffic Management Strategies
A PLANNING AND EVALUATION GUIDE
Beverly Kuhn
Robert Brydia
Margaret Fowler
Jeffrey Shelton
Ioannis Tsapakis
Kevin Balke
Srinivasa Sunkari
TEXAS A&M TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE
College Station, TX
Lisa Burgess
Maya Bouchet
KIMLEY-HORN AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
Phoenix, AZ
Subscriber Categories
Highways • Operations and Traffic Management
Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
Systematic, well-designed, and implementable research is the most effective way to solve many problems facing state departments of transportation (DOTs) administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local or regional interest and can best be studied by state DOTs individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation results in increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research.
Recognizing this need, the leadership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1962 initiated an objective national highway research program using modern scientific techniques—the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). NCHRP is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of AASHTO and receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), United States Department of Transportation, under Agreement No. 693JJ31950003.
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was requested by AASHTO to administer the research program because of TRB’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. TRB is uniquely suited for this purpose for many reasons: TRB maintains an extensive committee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; TRB possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; TRB’s relationship to the National Academies is an insurance of objectivity; and TRB maintains a full-time staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those in a position to use them.
The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators and other staff of the highway and transportation departments, by committees of AASHTO, and by the FHWA. Topics of the highest merit are selected by the AASHTO Special Committee on Research and Innovation (R&I), and each year R&I’s recommendations are proposed to the AASHTO Board of Directors and the National Academies. Research projects to address these topics are defined by NCHRP, and qualified research agencies are selected from submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National Academies and TRB.
The needs for highway research are many, and NCHRP can make significant contributions to solving highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement, rather than to substitute for or duplicate, other highway research programs.
NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1120
Project 03-114(01)
ISSN 2572-3766 (Print)
ISSN 2572-3774 (Online)
ISBN 978-0-309-71010-7
Library of Congress Control Number 2024946010
© 2024 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.
Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.
NOTICE
The research report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; the FHWA; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
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The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major program divisions of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to mobilize expertise, experience, and knowledge to anticipate and solve complex transportation-related challenges. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 8,500 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state departments of transportation, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.
Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1120
Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs, and Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program
Zuxuan Deng, Senior Program Officer
Anthony P. Avery, Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
NCHRP PROJECT 03-114(01) PANEL
Field of Traffic—Area of Operations and Control
Edward L. Mark, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany, NY (Chair)
Melissa A. Ackert, Palm Beach County Engineering & Public Works Department, West Palm Beach, FL
Brian D. Burk, Travis County, Austin, TX
Jing Dong-O’Brien, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Jack R. Hall, Contra Costa Transportation Authority, Walnut Creek, CA
Sanhita Lahiri, Virginia Department of Transportation, Richmond, VA
John H. Thai, City of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA
Jim Hunt, FHWA Liaison
Richard A. Cunard, TRB Liaison (retired)
AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The work to produce this guide was performed by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, a member of the Texas A&M University System, and Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. Gratitude is extended to the numerous individuals who provided input through engagement activities, without whose contributions this guide would not have been possible. Finally, the authors wish to offer thanks to Lisa Wagner for her unfailing dedication and creativity in making the guide a reality.
FOREWORD
By Zuxuan Deng
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
NCHRP Research Report 1120: Active Traffic Management Strategies: A Planning and Evaluation Guide presents processes for planning and evaluating active traffic management (ATM) strategies for both recurrent and nonrecurrent congestion. Based on experience drawn from successful deployment examples throughout the world, this guide can help agencies (1) identify conditions that make a corridor a good candidate for the implementation of ATM; (2) develop performance goals and select appropriate performance measures for the corridor; (3) identify ATM strategies that are likely to contribute to meeting those performance goals across the full range of operating conditions for that corridor (e.g., recurring congestion, incidents, special events, evacuation); and (4) select deterministic, simulation, and/or other analysis tools suitable for evaluating the likely impacts of a planned installation, conducting scenario planning, analyzing the system performance in real time, and conducting after-action evaluations. The material in this guide will be of immediate interest to transportation management system managers, engineers, and planners at local and state transportation agencies as well as transit and metropolitan planning organizations.
Recent initiatives in the United States and Europe pointed to the largely untapped potential of ATM to dynamically manage recurrent and nonrecurrent congestion based on prevailing and predicted traffic conditions. Since ATM strategies are new to many agencies and differ in many ways from traditional capital projects, they can present challenges during the planning, programming, budgeting, staffing, operational, and maintenance phases.
Under NCHRP Project 03-114(01), “Planning and Evaluating Active Traffic Management Strategies,” the Texas A&M Transportation Institute team was asked to develop resources to help transportation agencies decide which ATM strategies could help them achieve their objectives, including improving safety, reducing congestion, and improving travel-time reliability for all road users of different modes. The guide can assist agencies using performance data (field, probe, or synthetic data) for activities such as real-time system monitoring and operations, agency dashboards, performance trend analyses, and performance-based planning to support ATM deployment. The guide also offers information on developing a budget and staffing plan for installing, operating, and maintaining the system; demonstrating to senior management, elected officials, and the public the value of the selected ATM strategies for that corridor; and addressing institutional and other barriers associated with the deployment, maintenance, and operation of ATM strategies.
The guide is accompanied by NCHRP Web-Only Document 402: Developing a Planning and Evaluation Guide for Active Traffic Management Strategies, related presentation materials, and an implementation plan that identifies opportunities for dissemination and moving research into practice. These materials are available on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org) by searching for NCHRP Web-Only Document 402: Developing a Planning and Evaluation Guide for Active Traffic Management Strategies.
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CONTENTS
Chapter 1 Setting the Stage for Active Traffic Management
Remaining Chapters at a Glance
Chapter Highlights and Objectives
Chapter Highlights and Objectives
Chapter 4 Assessing the Suitability of ATM
Chapter Highlights and Objectives
Feasibility and Screening Activities and Tools
Preparation for Feasibility and Screening
Assessment of Agency Policies and Capabilities
Identification of Major Roadway Segments for ATM
Analysis and Prioritization of Facilities and Strategies
Estimation of Benefits and Costs
Other Important Considerations
Chapter 5 ATM Performance and Data
Chapter Highlights and Objectives
Basic Principles, Goals, and Objectives for ATM Performance
Performance Measurement Principles
Other Aspects of Data to Support Performance Measures
Chapter 6 Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation for ATM
Chapter Highlights and Objectives
Chapter 7 Design Considerations for ATM
Chapter Highlights and Objectives
Context for ATM Design in Different Environments
Physical ATM Design Considerations
Systems and Technology-Related Design Considerations
Chapter 8 ATM Implementation and Deployment
Chapter Highlights and Objectives
Project Delivery Considerations
Software Development and Implementation
Chapter 9 ATM Operations and Maintenance
Chapter Highlights and Objectives
ATM Operational Needs—An Operations Plan
Daily Operations and Performance Monitoring
ATM Asset Management and Maintenance
Chapter 10 Learning from ATM Deployments
Chapter Highlights and Objectives
Ongoing Monitoring and Longer-Term Evaluations
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