Example Transportation Management Plans (TMPs)
Sample Transportation Management Plans and Templates
This FHWA-developed guide consists of samples, templates, and tips to help transportation agencies develop and implement their own TMPs. The TMP samples and templates represent two projects with different levels of impacts: projects with minor-to-moderate level of impacts (Template 1 and Sample 1); projects with moderate-to-major level of impacts (Template 2 and Sample 2). The sample TMPs were developed based on information provided by the State/agency where the project is located. The templates and samples are intended as resources and are not the only acceptable format for a TMP. The links below provide the entire document, which includes the sample plans and templates, and the individual templates in editable Microsoft Word format so that agencies can fill in and tailor the templates to their projects.
- Sample Transportation Management Plans and Templates (HTML, PDF 5.2MB)
- TMP Template 1: Minor-to-Moderate Impacts (HTML, DOC 417KB)
- TMP Template 2: Moderate-to-Major Impacts (HTML, DOC 517KB)
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) TMP for I-5/I-805 Widening Project
The Interstate 5/Interstate 805 Widening Project created a separate freeway bypass system from the junction of Interstates 5 and 805 to the Del Mar Heights Road Interchange in San Diego. The project, which occurred from 2002 to 2007, also included the construction of a diamond interchange at Carmel Mountain Road and the addition of auxiliary lanes to the existing main lanes.
The TMP for this project (HTML, PPT 2.8MB) included strategies for public information, motorist information, incident management, construction, demand management, and alternate routes. The TMP budget was approximately $4.6 million, which equates to 2.7% of the total project cost of approximately $170 million.
Caltrans TMP for the Bay Bridge Full Closure
Caltrans began a major project to retrofit the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to current seismic design standards in summer 1998 and expects to complete the work by winter 2014. To demolish and replace one of the viaducts, Caltrans had to close the Bay Bridge and did so as part of an 81-hour planned full closure during Labor Day weekend 2007. In addition to normal recurring traffic congestion, Caltrans anticipated that numerous major sports and cultural events planned for the weekend would cause traffic disruptions and potential gridlock around the bridge.
Caltrans considered transportation management planning to be critical to the overall success of the full closure and began planning efforts one year prior to the closure. Caltrans held regular coordination meetings to obtain approvals for the bridge closure from the appropriate Caltrans offices, and a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency team developed the TMP in a presentation format to allow key information to be easily accessible internally and to the public and the media. The TMP described the project (slides 3-13), illustrated the construction activities (slides 22-42), discussed the anticipated transportation impacts (slides 13-21 and 43-62), and described the work zone management strategies. Strategies included public information (slides 65-80), traveler information (slides 81-97), transportation and incident management (slides 98-107), construction approaches (slides 108-110), demand management (slides 111-114), and alternate routing (slides 115-117). A TMP binder was also developed, which included detailed implementation plans for the TMP strategies, such as the communication plan for public outreach, the emergency transportation response plan, and additional transit services. The binder serves as a useful reference for future TMP efforts.
Close to $1 million was spent on public outreach, with notifications sent statewide to both local and out of town travelers more than four months in advance. The TMP strategies that were implemented during the closure effectively informed travelers and reduced the number of trips made around the Bay area during Labor Day weekend, thereby managing congestion levels.
Caltrans TMP for I-5 "Boat Section" Rehabilitation
On May 30, 2008, Caltrans began rehabilitation work on I-5 between L and S streets in Sacramento. This stretch of I-5 has been dubbed the "Boat Section" because it was built below the adjacent Sacramento River water level and has a history of flooding.The work included replacing pavement, improving drainage, and installing new de-watering wells and monitoring equipment. The high Average Daily Traffic (ADT) of 190,000 and reduced shoulders on this section of the roadway made repair work difficult. Work was done on a 24/7 basis, with a majority of construction done using a crossover to handle through traffic, while two non-diverted lanes handled merging traffic and traffic to downtown Sacramento destinations. The remainder of construction was completed using standard lane closures and 55-hour weekend lane closures.
The I-5 Boat Section TMP outlines the strategies implemented to minimize impacts to the traveling public during construction, and lays out the roles and responsibilities of the project stakeholders prior to and during construction. The TMP includes sections on motorist information, incident management, construction approaches, stakeholder coordination, corridor/network management, alternate routes, public information/public awareness, and contractor and Caltrans emergency contingency plans. Commuter traffic experienced some delays during this project, but the delays were not as bad as expected due to extensive Caltrans public outreach efforts. For this project, traffic handling plans (i.e., a traffic control plan, or TCP) were included as part of the Plans, Specifications, and Estimates package. Under the Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule, a TMP needs to include a TCP for the project.
Caltrans Preliminary TMP for State Route 11 and Otay Mesa Port of Entry
Caltrans developed a preliminary TMP (PDF 314KB) for the construction of State Route 11 (SR-11) and the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry (OME POE). The preliminary TMP was developed in 2010 while the project was in the Project Approval and Environmental Document phase. Construction on the project is scheduled to begin in late 2013 with completion in late 2015. The project consists of a proposed four-lane highway connecting the SR-905/SR-11 freeway-to-freeway interchange to the proposed OME POE at the border with Mexico. SR-11 will intersect four existing local roadways, and three design alternatives were proposed for how the intersections will be built. The TMP proposes strategies for the project as a whole, regardless of the alternative chosen, and notes that it is a living document and must be updated as the alternative is chosen and the project develops and changes during project development, and to adequately address any congestion issues at the project site during construction. Information such as lane closure charts and road user costs will be added to the TMP once the project moves into the PS&E stage. This example illustrates how TMP development can be started early in project development and refined as project details become known. The TMP notes that after the project is completed, a follow-up report will be prepared by the TMP Coordinator to discuss the effectiveness of the TMP elements used and to provide "lessons learned" that can improve preparation of future TMPs. Estimates will be given concerning how much traffic was diverted away from the construction area, the volume of traffic that was able to flow past the work area, queue lengths, and traffic delays that were caused by the construction.
DC Department of Transportation Virginia Avenue Tunnel Reconstruction Preliminary TMP
The Virginia Avenue Tunnel is a 100 year old rail tunnel owned by CSX that is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of the District of Columbia. It runs beneath eastbound Virginia Avenue SE from 2nd Street SE to 9th Street SE, Virginia Avenue Park, and 11th Street Bridge right-of-way, and runs along the south side of Interstate 695. Reconstruction of the tunnel will require temporary and long term closures of these heavily-used roadways, have significant impacts on the surrounding residential area, and will require coordination with several other projects in the nearby vicinity to minimize additional impacts. The project started in 2013 and is anticipated for completion in 2018. The preliminary TMP (PDF 13MB) for the project documents the project alternatives; project communication and coordination (including coordination with other, nearby projects); information on existing traffic conditions; construction phasing, closure, and detour information; preliminary work zone impacts assessment; traffic operations analysis; impacts management strategies; and strategies for TMP implementation and monitoring.
Oregon Department of Transportation Three Levels of TMPs
As a result of the 10-year, $3 billion Oregon Transportation Investment Act (OTIA), a significant period of construction began in Oregon. To keep traffic and freight moving during this time, the Oregon DOT (ODOT) instituted a statewide traffic mobility program and is focusing on identifying and addressing mobility issues for projects prior to and during the design phase and through the development and implementation of TMPs. The goal of the TMPs is to address the traffic-related impacts of the construction projects in a cost-effective, timely manner with minimal interference to the traveling public through the effective application of traditional and innovative traffic mitigation strategies. Read more…
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Sample TMP
The Pennsylvania DOT (PennDOT) includes a sample TMP on page 335 of its Examples of Temporary Traffic Control Plans. This TMP was created for a project on a rural interstate highway with low traffic impacts and was drafted using information that was readily available from other sources. The sample TMP contains sections for roles and responsibilities, project description, traffic conditions (includes safety data), work zone impacts assessment, work zone impacts management strategies (to include a traffic control plan, traffic operations plan, and public information plan), TMP performance, contingency plans, and a breakout of TMP costs. It is meant to be expanded as needed depending on the size and complexity of the project.
Rhode Island Department of Transportation Sample TMPs
The Rhode Island DOT (RIDOT) developed requirements for TMP preparation and submission. The TMP strategies selected for a project are based on the project's Impact Level. Projects assigned as Impact Level 1 or 2 are considered significant projects. Projects assigned a Level 3 are considered to have moderate impacts, and projects assigned a Level 4 are considered to have low impacts. To assist designers in preparing TMPs for projects, RIDOT has developed a set of four TMP Templates and four Sample TMPs, one for each Work Zone Impact Level. Read more…
Wisconsin Department of Transportation TMP for US 41 Expansion Project
The US 41 expansion project spans over 17 miles of highway in Winnebago County and 14 miles in Brown County. The project includes expanding US 41 from four to six lanes; improving 16 interchanges (13 completely rebuilt); adding 40 roundabouts; installing 17 traffic cameras; and building an eight-lane Lake Butte des Morts Causeway. Work began in Winnebago in 2009 and will last through 2014, and work began in Brown County in 2010 and will last until 2017. The Wisconsin DOT (WisDOT) identified the project as level 4, which means that it was anticipated to have significant impacts.
The Winnebago County portion of the project includes the new Causeway, 16 of the roundabouts, and four of the interchanges. The TMP for the Winnebago County portion of the project was developed in July 2007. The TMP was one of the first developed by WisDOT and was written at a high level with general concepts of construction staging and strategies to be used to manage work zone impacts. The TMP was updated in July 2011 to add information based on completed and ongoing work. The update provided more details on the construction schedule and TMP strategies that were only described generally in the original TMP. The TMP includes traffic impact management strategies, an incident management plan, work zone safety management strategies, a traffic management communication plan, motorist information strategies, and a section on TMP monitoring.
All interchange closures for the project were completed by October 2012 and all traffic impacts from the project ended in July 2013 with completion of the Causeway. A TMP evaluation report was developed in January 2013, after all interchange closures were complete, providing feedback on the effectiveness of the TMP. The report provides a list of TMP strategies and the level of success for each strategy. Public reaction to the project was very positive, likely as a result of keeping two lanes open on US 41 in each direction during construction. Overall average delay on US 41 was minimal during construction and no peak traffic times exceeded what was predicted. The use of a freeway service team (FST) to help clear incidents was beneficial to the project, with law enforcement reporting much quicker response times due to the FST. The report notes that for future projects, WisDOT should consider how long FST should be employed (construction season vs. entire year) so costs can be budgeted early on for its use. Other findings that can be used for future projects were to provide as much room as possible on temporary roadways built specifically for the project; provide as much room as possible on shoulders for snow storage and vehicle breakdowns during winter months when work is shut down; require contractors to meet before each nighttime lane closure to prevent confusion on what work was going to be performed, when, and for how long; and hold monthly coordination meetings with law enforcement, fire departments, and the emergency dispatch center.
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