Mississippi

Department of

Transportation

ITS Response to

Hurricane Gustav

Acey Roberts, ITS Engineer

MDOT Traffic Engineering

MDOT - ITS

Response to Hurricane Gustav

• ITS Program Overview

• Traffic Management Center (TMC) Operations

• Gustav Evacuation

• Future of ITS in MS

ITS Program Mission Statement

It is the Mission of the Mississippi Department of Transportation to use

ITS technologies to improve the quality of life for State residents and

visitors by providing more reliable, informative, safer, and flexible

passenger and freight multi-modal transportation services.

TMC Operations

CCTV SYSTEM

VDS SYSTEM

DYNAMIC MESSAGE SIGNS (DMS)

TIM Timeline

Incident

Occurs

Incident

Reported

Incident

Verified

Response

Identified

and

Dispatched

Response

Arrives on

Scene

Incident

Cleared

Normal Flow

Returns

Time To Return To Normal Flow

Detection Response Clearance

Incident Duration

GUSTAV EVACUATIONS

TMC Emergency Operations

GUSTAV TIMELINE

• Monday, Aug. 25th. TMC began full time operations of statewide TMC in Jackson.

• Thursday, Aug. 27th. TMC began formal preparations for emergency operations.

• Friday, Aug 29th. MS orders partial evacuation orders.• Saturday, Aug. 30th. TMC began 24 hour operations in

response to evacuations and contraflow.• Sunday, Aug. 31st. Gustav enters Gulf as a Cat 3. Expectations

are for a Cat 5 for the US coast.• Wednesday, Sept. 3rd. TMC ended 24 hour operations while

still handling massive return traffic volume.

GUSTAV CHALLENGES

• Communication Hierarchy

• DMS Operations

• Email Notifications

• Staffing and Maintenance

• Special Requests

GUSTAV RESULTS

• Minimized Congestion

• TMC operations model proven

• Comparison to other Cities

• Funding increased

Future of ITS in MS

• Increase Efficiency of Roadways

• Expanding Communication Networks

• Remote Alternate Traffic Signal Timings

• Traffic Management Centers

• Increase ITS field elements

• Transit Improvements