Text from 'Work Zone & Incident Management in Wisconsin' PowerPoint Presentation
Slide 1
Work Zone & Incident Management in Wisconsin
Process & Applications
Michael S. Hardy
Wisconsin D.O.T.
633 W. Wisconsin Ave, Suite 1200
Milwaukee, WI 53203
Slide 2
1) Process
Marquette Interchange Reconstruction
Slide 3
Marquette Interchange - Outline
- Project overview
- Incident Management Planning for construction
- Traffic Mitigation
- Approach
- Solutions
- Future steps
Slide 4
Reconstruction Overview
- Downtown Milwaukee, Wis.
- 1968: Interchange is dedicated and is opened to traffic Dec. 23
- Today:
- 5-level interchange
- 300,000 vehicles per day
- 120,000 downtown jobs
- 7 million downtown visitors
- Problems:
- Structures are at end of useful life
- High crash rates
- Increasing traffic congestion
Photos of the reconstruction process
Slide 5
Reconstruction Overview
- Rebuild and realign entire interchange
- Minimize construction time
- 4 years (2004 - 2007)
- Minimize impacts
- Keep downtown "open for business"
- Through movements will remain open
- Some closures of freeway-freeway ramps
- Closure of service ramps
- Reduced number of lanes, speed, lane widths, shoulders
Slide 6
Active Incident Management Program
The TIME program: A HEAD START
Slide 7
Managing a Planned Incident
- Traffic Mitigation Task Force - Proposals
- Freeway operations and incident management
- Public information
- Transit and demand management (commuter options)
- Local road operations
Slide 8
Scenario-Based Operations Planning
- Table-top exercises
- Every day operation during construction
- Major incident within interchange
- Major incident on bypass
- Major special events
Slide 9
Table-Top Exercises
- Multi-agency, multi-disciplined
- Define conditions and assumptions
- Verify roles and responsibilities
- Identify problems and needs
- Develop solutions
Slide 10
Results/Proposals
- Maintain freeway operations
- Maintain "Monitor" Freeway Traffic Management System
- Additional CCTV and detection coverage for interchange surveillance
- Entrance-ramp metering and improvements
- TOC Night staff
- Web page CCTV image-sharing with stakeholder
- FTMS system preservation contract - construction in 2003 prior to reconstruction
Screen capture of the Freeway Traffic Mangagement System
Slide 11
Results/Proposals
- Maintain freeway operations (alternate routes)
- Signal re-timing, upgrades
- Emergency vehicle preemption
- Intersection improvements
- Parking restrictions
Slide 12
Results/Proposals
- Emergency services/public safety
- Crash investigation sites
- Hydrant stand-pipes
- Enforcement pads
- Smaller fire-response vehicles
- Additional freeway patrols
- Revise SOP
- Pre-positioned emergency traffic control equipment
- Full-time construction - public agency liaison
Slide 13
Results/Proposals
- Commuter options
- Additional local and Freeway Flyer bus routes
- Park-n-Rides
- Free transfer programs
- Transit-Fairs
Photo of a commuter bus
Slide 14
Results/Proposals
- Traveler and public information
- Business Survival Guide
- Kiosks at major events
- Web page for parking options
- Brochures
- Web page
- Construction updates
- Map your own travel route with real-time conditions
- Alternate route "familiarization" tours
Screen capture of the Park Milwaukee web site
Slide 15
Next Steps
- Further refinement/prioritization of solutions
- Funding (Steering Committee)
- 20 mil / 210 mil
- Implement some solutions this year
- LET Contracts / Service Procurement
- Interagency Agreements
- Process review
- Resources
- Contract administration
- Work Zone accountability
Slide 16
2) Application Travel Time Prediction System Traffic-Responsive Variable Message Sign System
Alan J. Horowitz, UW Milwaukee
Thomas Notbohm, WisDOT
Slide 17
Characteristics of Work Zone
- I-94, south of Milwaukee County
- 12 miles long
- Normally 3 lanes, reduced to 2 lane + no shoulder
- Normally 65 mph, reduced to 55 mph
- Peak volume, 4000 vph
- Queues sometimes exceed 2 miles
- Frontage road for full length
Slide 18
Characteristics of Signage System
- "Travel Time Prediction System"
- Commercial product (4 mo. Lease)
- Detectors (volume + occupancy)
- Desktop computer (field office)
- Portable CMS
- Radio communication between devices
- No other reliable source of information about delays though the work zone
- No information about alternative routes
Slide 19
Characteristics of System Function
- Display Travel Time to end of work zone, and distance to end of work zone
- Travel time updates every 30 seconds
- 4 minute intervals to control update frequency
- 85% occurrence of predicted travel time within 30% of actual travel time
Slide 20
TIPS Sign and Sample Message
Photos of TIPS signs with "36 min to end of workzone" and "workzone ends 15 miles" messages
Slide 21
Sign Deployment
- Location of TIPS
- Detectors (5)
- Signs (4, 2 Interstate)
- Work zone
Road map of Milwaukee area with TIPS sign locations indicated
Slide 22
Experimental Design
- Before/After (70 days)
- Entirely in the summer months, June 11 to August 19
- Virtually everything held constant, except:
- Travel lanes open
- Operation of the signs
- Work zone in existence well ahead of data collection
- Same counting devices (microwave, tube)
Slide 23
Cutlines
- B,C,D are TIPS
- F-G are tubes
- All data aggregated to 15 minute intervals
Map indicating where the cutlines are located
Slide 24
Weekday 15-Minute Counts at Cutlines
Chart: Highlights weekday 15 minute counts on I-94, 27 St, Howell, CTH V, and
the on ramp at 27th before and after cutlines (I College, II Ryan and III College)
are established.
3 hours each of four Thursdays and Fridays, before and after (96 samples before,
96 samples after)
Slide 25
Sunday 15-Minute Counts at Cutlines
Chart: Highlights Sunday 15 minute counts on I-94, 27 St, Howell, CTH V, and the on ramp at 27th before and after cutlines (I College, II Ryan and III College) are established.
3 3/4 hours each of four Sundays before and 3 Sundays after (60 samples before, 45 samples after)
Slide 26
Conclusion
- A 10% alternative route selection rate during peak periods is achievable when accurate, up-to-the-minute, information about delay through a work zone is provided and there is an attractive set of alternative routes
- No significant change in crash numbers compared to opposite direction, but observed reduction in injury frequency
- More detection to increase accuracy
Slide 27
3) Application Work Zone Speed Advisory System
Tom Notbohm, WisDOT Scott Nelson, WisDOT
Slide 28
Characteristics of Work Zone
- USH41 NB, west side of Green Bay
- 4.3 miles long
- Normally 2 lanes, reduced to 1 lane + no shoulder @ times
- Normally 65 mph, reduced to 55 mph\
- Peak volume, approaches 3000 vph
- Friday queues exceed 4 miles
- Alternate route using freeway ring advertised
Slide 29
Characteristics
- Display Speed of traffic and distance downstream in work zone
- 4 month test
- Speed reports will be
- >50mph, blank
- 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, for respective range
- 20mph, STOPPED TRAFFIC AHEAD
- Application started May 5, 2003
- 2 other fixed incident CMS, and 6 portable project CMS
Slide 30
Field Devices - US 41
Photos of Field Devices including: RTMS1 MCU, RTMS2 VMS1, RTMS3 Traffic Sensor
Trailer, RTMS4 VMS2 and VMS3
Slide 31
WiDOT Project Layout - 4 Sensors, 3 VMS
Road map indicating the locations of the mobile control unit, RTMS devices and several VMS.
Slide 32
Functional Block Diagram - 4 Sensors; 3 VMS
Functional Block Diagram illustrates how 4 sensors and 3 VMS communicate with internet
Slide 33
Hopeful Conclusions
- An increase in alternative route selection when downstream work zone speed is displayed
- Reduction in crashes and crash severity numbers
- Determine if application is applicable beyond test
Slide 34
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