Traffic Control on IH 35 · –Environmental mgmt. system (e.g., const. stage gate inspections)...

Traffic Control on IH 35

TxDOT Short Course October 16, 2012

Andy Petter, P.E. Interim District Engineer (Waco) Texas Department of Transportation

Gary Thomas, P.E. I-35 Mobility Coordinator Texas A&M Transportation Institute

I-35 Expansion Project

TxDOT is committed to finishing the widening of Main Street Texas

(I-35) to six lanes from San Antonio to

Hillsboro. San Antonio

Hillsboro

Highlights

• 45% of Texas population lives within 50 miles of I-35

• Over 30 million travelers per year use this corridor

• Approximately two-thirds travel through the corridor

• Over 1,000 businesses on these 96 miles

Highlights

• 14 segments/17 projects

• 55,000–111,000 vehicles/day

• 25–30% trucks

Total Cost Approx. $2.1B

Construction

Right-of-Way

Utilities$1.6B

$410M

$110M

Highlights

Completed

Nearly completed

Active

Starting soon

6B

6A

5C

5B

4

3C

3A2

3A1

2B

1C 1B

1A

3B

5A

Hill County Safety

Rest Areas

Bell County

Safety Rest Areas

BRB

• Complete: 1A, 3C, 6A, 6B

• Nearly complete: 5C

• Active today: 1B, 1C, 3A1, 3B, BRB, 5A, 5B Hill Co. safety rest areas

• Complete in early 2017

Loop 121 Interchange Belton

General Improvements

• 3 lanes in each direction on I-35

• Added I-35 crossings

• Added and relocated ramps

• 1-way continuous frontage roads

• U-turns at selected crossings

• Safety rest areas

• Technology/ITS

• Truck lane restrictions

• Aesthetics

• Green initiatives

Aesthetics

• Brazos River Bridges

Aesthetics

• Wall Murals

West

Abbott

Salado

Green Initiatives

• Air Quality – Night-time lane closures delays and emissions

– Warm-mix asphalt technologies to fuel and air quality

• Storm Water Pollution Prevention – Environmental mgmt. system (e.g., const. stage gate

inspections)

– Wetland preservation

• Habitat Protection – Salado Springs salamander

– Cliff and barn swallows’ nests under bridges

– Man-made bat houses (Salado Creek, Lampasas River)

Green Initiatives

• Recycling – Roadway base material, concrete

– Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP)

– Recycled asphalt shingles (RAS)

– Rubber for crash and guardrail systems

– Metal for signs, bridge girders, sign posts

• Sustainable Practices – Compost to reestablish vegetation fertilizer

– Solar panels to power irrigation systems + warning beacons

– Xeriscaping focused on native plants irrigation

FM 2837 Interchange Lorena

13

Impact

59

64 64

56

15

6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Today 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

I-35 Miles Under Construction

Peak Construction: 2012 – 2014 64 miles

Reducing Impacts - Construction

• Lane closures limited to evenings – Sun 10:00pm - Mon 7:00am

– Mon - Fri, 7:00pm - 7:00am

• Lane rental fees

• Lane closure blackout dates

• Advance notifications

• 6-day work week

• Incentives for completing ahead of schedule

Reducing Impacts - Communication

• 80+ outreach efforts

• Business community meetings

• www.my35.org

• I-35 newsletter

• Lane closure notifications

• No surprises!

Work Zone Research

Traveler Information

Bluetooth sensors

Queue

Warning

System

Lane Closure

Notification System

End of Queue Warning Systems

• Automated monitoring near a work zone

• Warning of slow speeds

• Warning location of stop and go traffic

Lane Closure Notification System

• My35.org • E-mail • Twitter • Facebook • Lane Closure

Assessment

• DMS • HAR • End of Queue

Warning System • Travel Delay

Rules

Automatic

Manual

Estimating Construction Traffic Delay

• Use of TTI research to estimate delay, queue length and duration

Forecast of Future Conditions

• En-route via signage

• Pre-trip via My35.org, social media, email alerts

Current Travel

Time = 70

minutes

Lane

Closure

Anticipated Delay

t+70 = 25 minutes

2 5

Business 77 Interchange Lacy-Lakeview

Thank you