1 Annual Report web.pdf 7 SIRV Due to its outstanding record of success, FDOT approved a new Severe Incident Response Vehicle (SIRV) contract in October 2011, expanding service to

www.SMARTSunGuide.com 1

2 2012 SMART SunGuide ITS Annual Report

The year 2012 has proven to be another exciting and successful year for the District Four Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) program. In past years, we have highlighted the successful expansion of ITS throughout the district, and now our “Vision Into the Future” can be seen not only on the roadways but also in The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Four Regional Transportation Management Center (RTMC).

This year’s annual report highlights the relentless efforts it took to prepare for the future and the innovative concepts for collecting the data which is now displayed throughout the control room.

The RTMC significantly expanded its operations and workstations to support future ITS programs such as I-75 Express Lanes, Phase 2 of the I-95 Express Lanes and I-595 Express Lanes. Installing and integrating ten additional workstations was just one of several upgrades to the control room over the past year. Five new monitors were added to each console to create a “mini video wall,” with 81 camera images displayed simultaneously. Projectors were also mounted onto the ceiling to display speed data, weather conditions

and web site status. Displaying “big picture” information in this manner gives both managers and operators a greater situational awareness of the roadway. The public will benefit from the RTMC’s enhanced system operations by enjoying a seamless driving experience on the District Four transportation network.

Please join us in the unveiling of our accomplishments of the past year and our plans on continuing success.

Dong Chen

FDOT District FourITS Program Manager

A Message to Our Readers…

District Four SMART SunGuide Regional Transportation Management Center

2300 W. Commercial Blvd.Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309954-847-2785www.SMARTSunGuide.com

ITS Staff

Gaetano Francese 16 yearsSylvester Sammy 10 yearsDong Chen 9 yearsAnthony Mendoza 7 yearsDaniel Smith 6 years Jason Trujillo 5 years

ITS Consultants

AECOM Anchor TowingEland EngineeringFlorida International UniversityGannett FlemingI-595 Express, LLCIBI GroupMiller ElectricSunshine Towing at Broward, Inc.TelventTranscore


Benefit-Cost Ratio 4Find out why ITS Programs are a smart investment

Freeway Operations 6District Four SIRV now patrolling Palm Beach County

Infrastructure 8Take a look for current deployment statuses

Information Technology 10Improvements continue for collecting data

TMC Operations 11District Four upgrades operator consoles

Traffic Information 12Continued Education on and for the ITS Program

Report Card 13Our grades for the year

New Initiatives 14Up and coming projects

Achievements 15Recognition from regional and national ITS leaders

Table of Contents

What’s Inside:The Florida Department of Transportation SMART SunGuide 2012 ITS Annual Report is a snapshot of the past year’s growth and a look at innovative ideas for future deployments. This report highlights program successes, new techniques for collecting data and several strides made for the future of traffic management districtwide. Look inside to see what achievements made this year exceptional.

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8

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Each year, the District Four ITS Unit highlights its Benefit-Cost (B-C) ratio. The B-C ratio is a performance measure calculated to give a numerical representation of the annual return on investment that ITS provides to motorists for each dollar invested. The 2012 benefit is $254,122,434 (1.5% greater than 2011) and the total annual cost is $28,165,080 (5.5% greater than 2011). Using these two numbers, the benefit-cost ratio for 2012 is 9.02.

The majority of the 5.5% cost increase was attributable to the completion of the ITS equipment replacement project and the inclusion of its capital costs. Eighteen dynamic message signs (DMS) were replaced along 1-95, 1-595, and I-75. DMS help drivers stay informed on the District’s roadways conditions by providing real-time traffic information and contribute to improving overall mobility and safety.

Though the B-C ratio has shown decreases since 2007, the ITS Unit expects that the B-C ratio will begin to stabilize as the program will be introducing new costs and significant benefits in the coming years. The 2012 B-C ratio of 9.02 will be set as the new base line for this important performance measure. Even with this B-C result, the unit maintained its consistent net present value (NPV) of $2 billion for the sixth consecutive year. NPV is a measure of long-term profitability of a project. In this case, the NPV is based on a 15-year time span and a 7 percent interest rate.

BENEFIT-COST RATIO

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

9.36

9.02

7.86

10.44

14.94

15.60

16.19

13.91

12.99


The District Four ITS Unit has used the chart below as a graphical representation of ITS Program costs since 2007. Unit managers created the 10-year snapshot for the three types of spending they manage: capital cost, operating cost and maintenance. The ITS Unit annualizes the capital cost over the life expectancy of the project using a 20-year life expectancy for TMCs and a 10-year life expectancy for ITS field device deployments (at 6% amortization). This methodology provides a more even distribution of total costs and eliminates large fluctuations in the benefit-cost ratio.

SMART SunGuide TMC

Districtwide Maintenance

Software Support

General Consultant

Road Rangers

Severe Incident Response Vehicle

Dynamic Message Signs

CCTV & Detection System Phase I

CCTV & Detection System Phase II

Northern Three Counties I-95 ITS

Broward County Advanced ITS

Palm Beach Vista Center

Northern Counties Incident Management Office

Palm Beach County I-95 ITS

Broward County ITS Power Upgrade

ITS Replacement Equipment

TOTAL

District Four ITS Program Costs

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

$14,198,051 $15,175,811 $16,895,761 $18,452,571 $26,670,677 $28,165,080

Legend Annualized Capital Cost Operating Cost Maintenance Cost Capital cost distributed over project lifetime

“The NPV has remained consistently near $2 billion for six consecutive years.”


Freeway Operations

FACT:

Since its start in 2005, SIRV Operators have responded to nearly 4,614 events and saved emergency responders more than 1,874 hours at severe crashes and other lane-blocking incidents in District Four.


SIRV

Due to its outstanding record of success, FDOT approved a new Severe Incident Response Vehicle (SIRV) contract in October 2011, expanding service to full-time along the 46-mile section of I-95 in Palm Beach County. The expansion follows a pilot project conducted by FDOT from July 6, 2010, to January 28, 2011.

The SIRV team is on duty in Palm Beach, Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on call 24/7 to respond to traffic incidents, including full highway closures, fatal crashes, overturned commercial trucks, and other events that may last longer than two hours.

As part of the program’s expansion, four new SIRV vehicles were included in the new contract, two in Broward County and two in Palm Beach County. SIRV vehicles in both counties have a “new look,” with additional safety reflectors and lights. Each SIRV vehicle carries specialized equipment, including a roof-mounted arrow board for maintenance of traffic, spill pads and containment pools, standard and electronic flares, roadway repair supplies, emergency scene signs, high-intensity lighting, brooms and shovels, 100 traffic cones, spill absorbent, bottled water, and extra fuel.

During 2012, SIRV responded to 1,015 incidents in District Four, resulting in an agency time savings of 15,212 minutes (more than 253.5 hours).

RISC

The Rapid Incident Scene Clearance program (RISC) has proven to be a results-driven program since its 2009 launch in District Four. The purpose of the RISC program is to expedite the safe clearance of major incidents from the highways using heavy duty, specialized equipment. The program offers financial incentives to qualified companies to respond to and clear major incidents such as large vehicle crashes, rollovers, fire and cargo spills within a specified period of time. RISC responded to 12 events in District Four in 2012.

Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Teams

TIM is one of the several ITS Unit’s programs designed to assist the RTMC and enhance incident management activities throughout the District. The TIM protocol brings together various agencies responsible for responding to incidents. The multi-agency TIM partners meet bimonthly in Broward, Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast to provide, discuss and improve operational services related to traffic management.

An important performance measure TIM managers use is the Federal Highway Administration’s “TIM Self-Assessment” which is a tool used to assess the achievements of their programs and identify opportunities for improvement. All three District Four TIM Teams achieved a significant increase in their Self-Assessment score in 2012 compared to the previous year.

1,015SIRV Responses

15Minutes Saved Per

SIRV Response

129,805Road Ranger

Stops

81.2%Current TIM Self-

Assessment ScoresNational Average:

68.2%.

RISC inspections are designed to certify only those towing contractors capable of providing heavy duty recovery on interstate highways.


Infrastructure

Dynamic Message Signs were replaced along I-95 during the first replacement project in Broward County.


98.2%ITS Device Availability

200.8ITS Freeway Miles

Managed

The ITS deployment program has achieved a number of accomplishments for the year 2012. The major deployment projects for the year include:

Palm Beach ITS

ITS deployment along I-95 in Palm Beach County is divided into two phases: Phase A south of PGA Boulevard, and Phase B north of PGA Boulevard. Phase A, which was completed in June 2011, installed permanent ITS devices including highway and arterial dynamic message signs, a roadway weather information system, Highway Advisory Radio, closed- circuit television cameras and vehicle detectors. The construction of Phase B was completed in September 2012, and is currently undergoing operations testing.

DMS Replacement Project

In 2012, the ITS Unit completed its first dynamic message signs (DMS) replacement project. The $3 million project replaced 18 message signs, including 16 on I-95, and one each on I-595 and I-75. Construction to replace the existing fiber/flip disk DMS’ began in March 2012, and was completed in December 2012. The previous DMS signs were approaching the end of their useful life and replacement parts were no longer available.

I-75 ITS Safety Project

The Alligator Alley/I-75 ITS Safety Project uses sensors to detect a motorist’s speed. If the speed is above the configured threshold, a message is posted on a nearby DMS advising the motorist

of the posted speed limit and reminding them to drive safely. Special weather sensors were also installed to detect and monitor smoke/fog, rain and wet pavement conditions along the corridor. Construction began in December 2010, and is now complete. The project has gone through system testing and was accepted in March 2012.

I-95 Managed Lanes Project Design-Build Phase 2

This project extends the I-95 managed lanes, as a homogeneous system, from north of the Golden Glades interchange in Miami-Dade to north of Sunrise Blvd. in Broward County. Construction began in November 2011, including work on the outside shoulder area, relocation of existing utilities and ITS equipment, and removing or relocating existing landscaping. Expected competition is early 2014. Detailed information on the project is available at www.95express.com

SR 25/US 27 ITS Design-Build Project

This 45 mile ITS deployment project on US 27 from Griffin Road in Broward County to SR 80 in Palm Beach County includes installation of a wireless communication network, closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, dynamic message signs, vehicle detectors, Highway Advisory Radio, roadway weather information subsystem and a citizens band remote broadcast station subsystem. This project was advertised in December 2011; work began in August 2012; and completion is expected by late 2013.

Cameras installed during the first phase of ITS deployment in Palm Beach County are currently undergoing operations testing.


Information Technology Network Infrastructure Upgrades

In 2012, the ITS unit worked diligently to improve the reliability of the ITS network infrastructure by creating a central network. This task was accomplished by re-designing the current network from a single core switch to a dual core, following the Cisco best practice hierarchical network model. This model separates the network infrastructure to an access layer, distribution layer, and core layer. The new design provides scalability, high availability, redundancy, fast convergence, and best performance to the network.

Another improvement made to efficiently manage the network in 2012 was with the implementation of SolarWinds®, a network management solution used to manage connections and generate alerts whenever change is detected. SolarWinds notifies information technology (IT) and maintenance staff of any network failures and shows the location of the failure. This allows for quick action in the event restoration of “normal” power is required.

As a way to visualize site link status in real time, a map of the network fiber optic backbone, core routers and switches are displayed on the RTMC video wall. If there is a network connection failure due to power loss, the link changes from green to red and email alerts are sent out to the team.

Displaying the SolarWinds map on the video wall was part of the unit’s decision to improve situational awareness for operations staff and provide as much information on the system as possible.


TMC Operations25.9

Minutes

Roadway Clearance Time

53.8 Minutes

Incident Clearance Time

Looking forward, the ITS Unit recognized that the consoles in the SMART SunGuide RTMC control room could not support the number of staff needed. To solve the problem, an innovative plan was developed to reconfigure the control room and increase the number of workstations from 12 to 22. This plan was implemented because, in the not so distant future, operations’ responsibilities will expand to include managing the 46 mile ITS Deployment on US 27 as well as increased incident management coordination as part of Phase 2 of 95 Express.

These 22 workstations are all identically equipped with 10 monitors at each; six for viewing 81 streaming CCTV images simultaneously; four to enter data in SunGuide and manage ITS devices; and one to carry out miscellaneous administrative functions. Depending on their area of responsibility, operators sit at specific workstations in order to facilitate coordinated response from a geographic perspective.

Increased responsibility makes monitoring the constant flow of rapidly-changing information a challenge for TMC operators and managers. To combat the challenge, key data are now displayed on the TMC video wall for each District Four county in arranged cubes. The top line of numbers in each county cube represents the “real time” number of active incidents. On the lower line is the number of emergency generators currently in use; the average incident clearance time, year to date; and the number of ITS devices that are currently unavailable.

The districtwide average incident clearance time is displayed in its own cube in green or red, depending on whether it’s better or worse than last year’s number. In addition, there’s a large digital clock with the official SunGuide time and a district map of the network fiber optic backbone and core router switch status.

The shift from displaying camera images on the video wall to “big picture” information is expected to continue in the upcoming years as a means of providing situational awareness on the network as a whole.

Incident Clearance Time (Min.)

50

60

70

80

pre-ITS 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Each District Four workstation is now equipped with 10 monitors; six of which are for viewing 81 streaming CCTV images simultaneously.


Traffic InformationThe ITS Unit continued to work with partner agencies and various outlets to educate the public on the ITS program. In order to provide the public with the level of service they have come to expect and deserve, successful partnerships were established and maintained. This year’s highlights included:

• Media events: The RTMC hosted Memorial Day and Thanksgiving media events which provided the opportunity to reach a vast audience through various media outlets. FDOT hosted these events with 511 to promote the 511 mobile and twitter app as well safe traveling over the busy holiday weekends. Media correspondents from major networks gave live reports from the control room during the morning news.

• Transportation Management Academy: In addition to public education, the unit worked to educate ITS staff as well. Five members of the ITS Unit participated in the second Transportation Management Academy, a first-of-its-kind in Florida training program. The Academy provided a comprehensive insight to

incident management, traffic engineering, roles of partner agencies, and ITS developments with the objective of improving job performance and providing better customer service.

Other ongoing events, such as working with partner agencies to distribute information and providing tours of the RTMC, occurred throughout 2012. District Four had an ITS presence at the annual South Florida Construction Career Day in October through Road Ranger participation in the roadway clearance demonstration. Over 1,800 students from South Florida high schools were able to talk to Road Rangers and many other agencies about careers and safety on the roadway. Several staff members were able to participate at Transpo this year in nearby Bonita Springs where they were able to learn from a nationally recognized group of peers. The Severe Incident Response Vehicle was on display during the incident management learning session.

*494,644511 Calls in District Four

*22.8% of all calls statewide

District Four SIRV Manager demonstrates tabletop TIM scenario during Transportation Management Academy.


Report CardThe report card below depicts the ITS Unit’s performance in a “letter-grade” format. The “overall” grade increased from 3.7 in 2011 to 3.8 in 2012 (out of 4.0 possible). The main reason was the increase in system reliability. This is the second year permanent devices have been operational in Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast counties resulting in improved system uptime. The resulting one-grade increase helped the unit’s overall “grade”.

Performance Measure (Metric) 2011 Score

2012 Score A B C D F

ITS Systems% Completion of Systems Build-Out (Actual # Miles Built Per Year / Planned # Miles Built Per Year)

A 100

A 100 ≥90% 80-89% 70-79% 60-69% <60%

ITS OperationsAnnual Benefit / Cost Ratio (BCR - from Annual Report)

C 9.36

C 9.02 >15 11-15 6-10 1-5 <1

ITS MaintenanceSystem Reliability - Field Devices (% Time Operational)

B 96.0

A 98.2 >97% 95-97% 91-94% 85-90% <85%

Road RangersCustomer Satisfaction (% of Respondents Satisfied with Service)

A 95

A 95 ≥95% 90-94% 80-89% 70-79% <70%

Traffic Incident ManagementIncident Clearance Time(Overall Time to Clear Travel Lanes after Road Ranger Arrival)

A 54.3

A 53.8

<60 min.

60-75 min.

76-90 min.

91-120 min.

>120 min.

ITS SystemsSystem Reliability - TMCs (% Time TMC Systems are Operational)

A 99.12

A 99.98 >99% 98-99% 95-97% 92-94% <92%

PartneringNumber of Private and/or Public Partners (# Partners Collaborating with on a Daily Basis)

A 8

A 8 ≥7 6 5 4 ≤3

Traveler InformationRegional Travel Time Index (Peak Period Travel Times vs. Free Flow)

A 1.00

A 1.00

1.00-1.09

1.10-1.24

1.25-1.44

1.45-1.69 ≥1.70

Public OutreachSatisfaction with ITS Program (Customer Survey - Scale of 1 to 10)

A 9.0

A 9.1 >9 8-9 7-8 6-7 <6

New ITS InitiativesNumber of New Initiatives (# of New Initiatives)

A 4

A 5 ≥4 3 2 1 0


In 2012 the District Four ITS program continued its expansion and technical improvements. These innovative solutions are projected to continue throughout 2013.

• I-75 Managed Lanes: The proposed I-75 Managed Lanes Project includes the addition of two managed lanes within the median of I-75, physically separated from the existing general purpose lanes by a 28-foot grassy median. These lanes along I-75 will link the future managed lanes of I-95 and I-595. Detailed information on this project is available at www.75express.com.

• I-95 Managed Lanes Phase 3: FDOT is currently conducting a study to improve the I-95 corridor from north of Oakland Park Boulevard (SR 816) to south of Glades Road (SR 808). The current study is examining a proposed project that would extend the I-95 managed lanes in Broward County to Palm Beach County. Detailed information on this project is available at http://www.i95study.com.

• Managed Lanes Network: I-95, I-75 and I-595 are part of the National Highway System, the Florida Intrastate Highway System (FIHS), and Florida’s Strategic Intermodal System (FSIS). These roadways are part of a larger network of existing and planned congestion-priced managed lanes in southeast Florida. The proposed improvements are needed to address existing congestion, enhance transit services, accommodate future regional growth and development, enhance hurricane and other emergency evacuation, and improve system connectivity between key Southeast Florida limited access facilities.

• SR80- Fog & Smoke: The US 27/I-75 Task Force was created in cooperation with the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and other partner agencies to develop an operations plan to improve communications among all agencies during dangerous fog and smoke conditions. The plan provides for pre-defined standard operating procedures that clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of incident management and traveler information agencies. This is an innovative “take charge” stance to a recurring problem that can potentially save lives and significantly reduce travel delays. The plan also benefits the public by improving traveler information services along key corridors.

New Initiatives


AchievementsStatewide Awards

Intelligent Transportation Society of Florida (ITS Florida)• ITS Florida Outstanding Achievement Award in

recognition of outstanding service to ITS in Florida by developing an ITS-supported Smoke and Fire Plan

The 2012 Prudential Financial – Davis Productivity Awards• ITS Maintenance Contract Team – “Saved Costs by

Reducing Consultant Markup” recognized with a plaque• ITS Lane Closure Request Process Team – “Created

Online Lane Closure Request Process” recognized with a plaque

• ITS and FHP Camera Sharing Team – “Saved Time for Law Enforcement by Sharing Cameras” recognized with a plaque

• ITS Transportation Management Academy Team – “Developed Unique Transportation Management Training Program” recognized with a certificate of commendation

• ITS Incident Management Contract- “Combined contracts to Save Costs” recognized with a certificate of commendation

• ITS Design Team – “Combined Two Deployment Contracts to Save Costs” recognized with a certificate of commendation

• ITS Video Wall Cost- Savings Team – “Saved Costs by Changing Maintenance Procedure” recognized with a certificate of commendation

• ITS Project Management Team – “Reduced Project Management Role to Save Costs” recognized with a plaque

• ITS Control Room Modification Team – “Expanded Video Wall Capability at Minimal Cost” recognized with a plaque

Local Recognition • FDOT District Four 2012 – Operations Manager as

Role Model of the Year recognized with a plaque

16 2012 SMART SunGuide ITS Annual ReportAll annual reports are available at www.SMARTSunGuide.com V3 01.28.13

Documents

1 Annual Report web.pdf 7 SIRV Due to its outstanding record of success, FDOT approved a new Severe Incident Response Vehicle (SIRV) contract in October 2011, expanding service to