IMTC Steering Committee Meeting Agenda

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1 IMTC Steering Committee Meeting Agenda Thursday, October 18, :00am 11:30am CBSA Douglas Port-of-Entry, Surrey, British Columbia Please RSVP to: Remote access Please visit & join the meeting space from your computer, tablet, or smartphone. You can also dial in using your phone. United States: +1 (571) Canada: +1 (647) Access Code: Introductions and current event updates 2. Infrastructure a. U.S. Pacific Highway POE Passenger vehicle booth additions planning update (Darin Lenderink, U.S. General Services Administration) b. BC Highways 13 & 11 project updates (Lina Halwani, B.C. Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure) 3. Operations a. Update on development of truck-towing alternatives b. Setting up a tabletop exercise for the IMTC Communications Protocol 4. Data a. Cascade Gateway Border Data Warehouse out of funding as of December 31: next steps and future upgrades discussion 5. IMTC November Core Group mtg agenda, topics, presenters 11:30am 12:30pm IMTC Traffic Study Subgroup Meeting International Mobility & Trade Corridor Program

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5 IMTC Issue update: Stalled truck strategies ongoing research For October 18, 2018 Steering Committee Previous information: At our last meeting (Sep. 13), presented summary of CBSA data (table below). CBP observed one similar incident in a similar time frame. Incidents per month 13 % needing tow 86% Est tows per month 11 Avg duration of closure 90 min New information Phone discussion with Bellingham office of Washington State Patrol (WSP). WSP currently has one towing company in Whatcom County on a letter of contract capable of providing Class C towing (heavy trucks). Under WSP policy, if the situation is a disabled vehicle (as opposed to a crash or enforcement action?) any towing company can be used. Current hourly Class C rate for WSP is $396/hr. Comment: If a vehicle is not being towed to an impound yard, tower will require payment before releasing vehicle. Current cost estimates Cost per quick-tow - $396 USD Cost for administering company(ies) contract agreements / payment -? Benefit estimate 30 Est. avg. Trucks affected by resulting backup. 60 Minute back up 30 Hours of cumulative, truck wait time $26 Hourly value of time for truck drivers (USDOT guidance) $774 Avg. benefit of each quick-tow $378 Avg. benefit per incident (Benefit of quick-tow less the cost) $4,914 Est. monthly benefit $58,968 Est. annual benefit. Current assessment (pending discussion of value assumptions) While not insignificant, the current estimated benefit (for Pacific Highway northbound) is not dramatic. Are lower cost towing services able to clear stalled trucks from the booth? Are engine shut-off requirements able to be reexamined?

6 IMTC Operations Tabletop Exercise Draft Proposal for discussion - 18 Oct BC-WA Regional Protocol for Binational, Interagency Communication about Highway and Border Station Incidents that Affect Cross-border Travel Outline Question: While acknowledging that the scope of the IMTC protocol is to support effective cross-border communication, should the table top exercise be done with other agencies to embed the communications piece in a broader incident management exercise? 1) Scope of the Protocol: To facilitate effective communication, public information, and coordinated information updated during incidents. The scope would not include management of the incident itself. 2) Goals of the Incident Response Communications Protocol a) Support delivery of information about incident-related border disruption and trafficmanagement responses between border system-operating agencies and: i) Other affected and involved system operators, ii) Cross-border travelers and freight carriers, iii) Media / other public information channels. b) Improve the efficiency and speed of information transfer. c) Improve accuracy and consistency of information. d) Maintain communications during the incident. 3) Structure a) Duration: Three hours. b) Location: Conference room at or near a regional border port of entry. c) Participants: i) U.S. CBP ii) CBSA iii) WSDOT traffic management center iv) BC MoTI traffic management centre v) Washington State Patrol vi) Royal Canadian Mounted Police vii) Local police? (Blaine, Sumas, Whatcom Sheriff, Abbotsford) viii) Others? 1

7 IMTC Operations Tabletop Exercise Draft Proposal for discussion - 18 Oct d) Observers i) WCOG iv) WSDOT ii) Transport Canada v) BCMoTI iii) FHWA vi) Others e) Script: i) Truck crash / spill ii) Challenges: (1) Diversions? (to Lynden-Aldergrove), route traffic management? (2) Affects other modes more directly? iii) Getting mesg on the VMS both directions 4) Resources required i) Facilitator ii) Recorder iii) Large incident area map. iv) Script (one or two incidents?) 5) Next steps (if we proceed) a) When? b) Others to involve? c) 2

8 CASCADE GATEWAY BORDER DATA WAREHOUSE CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE NEEDS October, Problem statement The Cascade Gateway Border Data Warehouse (BDW), a nationally-recognized and well-used data resource for cross-border wait times and travel data, will no longer have funding available to remain online as of January 1, Introduction The BDW is a proven data solution that provides critical metrics to multiple border stakeholder agencies, including federal and regional transportation agencies, inspection agencies at the border crossings, planning organizations, and municipal governments. The BDW is a unique and national best-practice for combining multiple data sets across the U.S. - Canada border to provide queriable, fully accessible data to multiple agencies. However web archives need maintenance to prevent data corruption, assure backups, and maintain cybersecurity. In addition, the border environment is constantly evolving; since the archive s beginnings in 2007, three border crossing ports-of-entry (POEs) have added dozens of new road detectors, redefined lane types, retired old loop detectors, and undergone changes that need to be reflected in the database structure. In addition, new options for accessing, viewing, and downloading the data are available. History The first version of the Cascade Gateway Border Data Warehouse (1.0) was completed in 2007 under a grant provided by U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) with matching funds from Transport Canada, B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (BCMOT) and WA State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). An upgraded version (2.0) was completed in 2010 as part of the Transport Canada Border Information Flow Architecture program. Matching funds for this project were provided by FHWA and the Whatcom Council of Governments (WCOG). Additional maintenance STATUS OF EXISTING DATA FEEDS SOURCE DATA STATUS B.C. Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure WA State Department of Transportation U.S. Customs & Border Protection Booth Status Data U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics regional commodity trade data Crossing data - Auto and truck volumes, wait times, queue length, service rate Detector data - volume, occupancy, speed, vehicle length (4 POEs) Crossing data - Auto and truck volumes, wait times, queue length, service rate Detector data - volume, occupancy, speed, vehicle length (4 POEs) No. passengers, state/ province of license, lane type, processing rate Customized feed of commodity values for regional POEs Loops need redefining; volumes wrong; NEXUS values wrong Loops need redefining; volumes wrong; NEXUS values wrong Stored but not queriable Broken after BTS website upgrades; removed support was granted in 2013 by Transport Canada to keep the archive current and functioning through December 31, In 2018, WCOG has matched its funds to FHWA remaining research funds to keep the archive online. But this funding terminates December 31, Major challenges for the archive in 2019 End of maintenance funding - This resource is very important to regional and national stakeholders, and its closure would have long-reaching implcations; if data collection, constant for over eleven years, were to stop, the long-term impacts would be detrimental for years to come. At the very minimum, funding is needed to keep the archive, even in its current semi-functioning state, active. Even if the query tools and data access are limited, at least the archive continues to store the raw data for future use.

9 Problems with data accuracy - Because the current version of the archive doesn t incorporate the booth status data, it is erroneously archiving volumes for NEXUS and standard passenger cars. A revision of the archive is needed to allow for dynamic lane types, a change at the POEs since No way to access new data sets - The booth status data and archived commercial wait times aren t available for querying on the existing archive. These resources would be extremely valuable to stakeholders but are currently only stored, not shared. Loss of BTS functionality - The BTS upgraded its data reporting to Tableau, so now the BDW can no longer directly link to its data. If the BDW also converts to a newer reporting system, these data can be incporporated. Border Data Warehouse 3.0 project WCOG seeks funding for a thorough update of the archive that it needs after nearly a decade of running on the same software and technology. The project would: 1. Improve warehouse performance 2. Incorporate new data feeds 3. Improve regional commercial volume and freight value data reporting Beyond maintaining the existing, partially broken system, BDW 3.0 would align the archive to better collect data representative of the current border environment. Investments in BDW 3.0 go beyond maintaining over a decade of data continuity. Rather than installing new hardware or systems, this proejct leverages investments made at federal and regional levels by reaping additional benefits from prior efforts. Improvements align with local/ regional/national priorities In BCMOTI s 2015/ /18 Service Plan, strategies listed under Goal 1: Improved infrastructure drives economic growth, Objective 1.1: Improve mobility on routes servicing major economic gateways include: Undertake improvements that reduce bottlenecks on major urban and rural trade corridors; and Promote efficiencies at Canada/U.S. border crossings through infrastructure improvements and the deployment of intelligent transportation technology to reduce border wait times. In WSDOT s Washington Transportation Plan Phase 2 Implementation , two key action items include: make decisions based on data and track and report results. The plan also includes a list of action areas where WSDOT will Adopt metrics for all modes to align with performance objectives. Improvement scenarios The table below shows a variety of options available for regional stakeholder investments to keep BDW functioning. The lowest cost option will at least keep the data stored. The most expensive option will provide the region with years of a new, robust data resource. ARCHIVE SCENARIOS RANKING DESCRIPTION COST Minimum cost Lowest cost Basic update Full update with 5 years of maintenance NO IMPROVEMENTS, NO MAINTENANCE: Funding hosts archive only; minimal backups, no maintenance, no fixing any errors NO IMPROVEMENTS, WITH MAINTENANCE: Funding hosts archive and allows for monthly maintenance to keep site functioning SOME IMPROVEMENTS WITH MAINTENANCE: Redesigns back end of database to allow for dynamic lane types (addressing NEXUS issues), re-integrates with BTS data, allows users to query booth status data, hosts archive and allows for monthly maintenance FULL IMPROVEMENTS WITH MAINTENANCE: All basic updates plus improved user interface for data viewing, downloading, querying For more information $3,000 annually ($300 monthly hosting) $16,000 annually ($1,080 monthly maintenance, $300 monthly hosting) $250,000 one time, plus $30,000 annually ($1,080 monthly maintenance, $300 monthly hosting, $16,000 annual dynamic reporting charge) $400,000 one time, good for 5 years of project life Contact Melissa Fanucci, AICP, Principal Planner, Whatcom Council of Governments: melissa@wcog.org Website: