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21st Century Operations Using 21st Century Technologies

Connecting the East Orlando Communities - Volume 1: Technical Application

Letter to Secretary Elaine Chao

Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Initiative
Notice of Funding Opportunity Number 693JJ317NF0001


Mrs. Elaine Chao - Secretary
United States Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE, Washington, DC 20590

RE: Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) Initiative Grant Application

Dear Secretary Chao:

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) continues to move from a "shovel ready" approach to a "connection ready" philosophy. Connection Ready goes beyond the threshold of whether a project can be quickly implemented. Connection Ready is a focus and plan for how projects connect communities, transportation modes, technologies and data, economic drivers, investments, short and long-range plans, and, ultimately, a focus on how to best connect people. New connections will improve the safety, livability, economic opportunities, and mobility of a region, city, neighborhood, and individual.

Commitment: USDOT's ATCMTD Initiative is an extraordinary opportunity to advance key connection opportunities in East Orlando and the Central Florida region by leveraging local, regional and state resources with federal funds to improve mobility and safety. The $12 million of Federal funding requested will be matched by $53 million in non-federal funds or in-kind assets. In addition, FDOT has programmed $47 million over the next five years (the limit of the work program) for the operations and maintenance of the program so the user and community benefits will exist long after the grant has been implemented.

Technology: The FDOT, MetroPlan Orlando (the MPO for Orange, Seminole and Osceola Counties) and the University of Central Florida (UCF) will utilize the grant to advance the following opportunities:

  1. PedSafe is an innovative pedestrian and bicycle collision avoidance system currently being designed by the FDOT. PedSafe will connect advanced signal controller capability, use of Connected Vehicle (CV) technologies, and existing communication capabilities to reduce the occurrence of pedestrian and bicycle crashes. As a region and a state that annually tops the Dangerous by Design list of most dangerous areas for walking, development and implementation of PedSafe is an immediate priority with multiple benefits. The application will be easily transferable throughout the country.
  2. GreenWay is a FDOT project to connect Advance Sensor Technology, Conditional Transit Signal Priority (TSP), Adaptive Deployment Traffic Signal Interface with Track Positive Train Control (SunRail), and Smart Parking technology with Signal Performance Metrics (SPM), Expand Integrated Corridor Management (ICM), and Signal Control Analytics and Visualization. GreenWay is designed to better utilize the multimodal transportation system by actively managing over 1,000 traffic signals within the region. Data managed in the proposed SunStore will be connected with GreenWay to support Real Time Operation through a regional Decision Support System (DSS). This connection will allow strategic planning for special events to include consideration of all modes and users and will provide a unified approach to system operations and management.
  3. SmartCommunity is an integrated program that connects people to the places they need to go and the services they need to receive. Through a Mobility on Demand (MoD) framework, SmartCommunity leverages existing ridesharing and car sharing products to offer residents access to cars when required. SmartCommunity's trip planning application, Transit AVL, and Transit Kiosks will provide real-time multimodal travel information to integrate trip planning with modal choice options. SmartCommunity will allow travelers in the same area to share information and coordinate trips to destinations such as employment centers, education facilities, the grocery store, and medical treatment centers. SmartCommunity will have a benefit for low income and underserved populations in the area and help to connect the community to the region.
  4. SunStore is an ongoing FDOT initiative to connect and integrate the many data sources created and utilized by the FDOT. SunStore includes Master Data Management, Data Fusion, and Sensor Fusion for increased data quality. SunStore interfaces with Florida's Data Integration and Video Aggregation System to make transportation data available to universities, research institutions, and businesses to encourage and support innovation. Data in SunStore will be used to support the PedSafe, GreenWay, and SmartCommunity deployments.

Implementability: The East Orlando area to implement PedSafe, GreenWay, and SmartCommunity was strategically chosen to be part of a Smart City vision for the Central Florida Region. The area is anchored by the University of Central Florida and is part of a CV environment that includes an existing FDOT CV test bed to the north and a Central Florida Expressway CV demonstration project to the south. The area experiences bike and pedestrian safety issues, congestion, and limited connectivity to the broader transportation system. The area is ideal for congestion management technology due to the existing robust communication and multimodal network, a population of people comfortable and equipped with technology (such as university students), and a transit, bicycle, and walking dependent population. It is expected that the community will see immediate benefits related to pedestrian and bicycle safety, and increased accessibility to traveler information and mode choices. This expectation of change and improvement will be measured and documented using a range of defined performance measures. This area is truly Connection Ready!

Scalability/Portability: But a successful implementation and use of the grant funding in East Orlando is just the beginning. The lessons learned and technology and processes developed will quickly be applied to the currently developing Creative Village in Downtown Orlando. The Creative Village will be a 68-acre transit oriented, urban infill neighborhood in the heart of Orlando that supports a dynamic mix of uses including office/creative studios, higher education, PS-8 education, mixed-income residential, retail/commercial and hotel. It is expected that the Creative Village will add over 10,000 students and residents to downtown Orlando. With vertical construction underway, the Creative Village is Connection Ready! This pattern of using and improving upon the technology developed by the grant can be repeated throughout the Orlando and Central Florida area. Over $100 million in non-federal funds or in-kind assets has been committed to make these connections happen. The presence of over 65 million visitors to the region will serve as demonstration of the benefits of the project implementation.

We are proud of the work that is underway in the region and the connections we have made. Our success has been based on collaboration with counties, municipalities, transportation agencies, and UCF. In this spirit, 28 local governments and regional agencies have approved Resolutions in support of the grant application. This letter confirms our full commitment and endorsement for the grant application in response to the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) dated April 12, 2017. We look forward to working with your team on this exciting opportunity. We are Connection Ready!
Sincerely,

Stever Martin, PE signature

Steve Martin, PE
District Secretary | FDOT District Five

Harold W. Barley

Harold W. Barley
Executive Director | MetroPlan Orlando

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