NDOT Statewide Integrated Transportation Reliability Program

Transcription

1 NDOT Statewide Integrated Transportation Reliability Program Technical Memorandum No. 2 Stakeholder Identification and Current Processes Prepared by: April, Copyright 2010, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS STAKEHOLDER IDENTIFICATION AND CURRENT PROCESSES 1. INTRODUCTION Documents Reviewed Stakeholder Involvement CURRENT STATEWIDE PRACTICES Current Reliability Plans, Programs, and Processes Statewide Long-Range Planning Statewide Operations Planning CURRENT PRACTICES IN REGION 1 LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN AREA Current Reliability Plans, Programs, and Processes Background on Regional Transportation Reliability and Congestion Management Addressing Regional Congestion Addressing Congestion Caused by Physical Bottlenecks/Capacity Constraints Addressing Congestion Caused by Traffic Incidents Addressing Congestion Caused by Work Zones Addressing Congestion Caused by Weather Addressing Congestion Caused by Traffic Control Devices Addressing Congestion Caused by Special Events Addressing Congestion Caused by Fluctuations in Normal Traffic Other Findings in Region 1 Las Vegas Metropolitan Area Communication Roles and Responsibilities Impacts of Land Use Planning and Access Management on Congestion Performance Measures Funding Concerns CURRENT PRACTICES IN REGION 2 RENO/SPARKS/CARSON CITY/LAKE TAHOE AREA Current Reliability Plans, Programs, and Processes Background on Regional Transportation Reliability and Congestion Management Addressing Regional Congestion Addressing Congestion Caused by Physical Bottlenecks/Capacity Constraints Addressing Congestion Caused by Traffic Incidents Addressing Congestion Caused by Work Zones Addressing Congestion Caused by Weather Addressing Congestion Caused by Traffic Control Devices Addressing Congestions Caused by Special Events Addressing Congestion Caused by Fluctuations in Normal Traffic Other Findings in Region 2 Reno/Sparks/Carson City/Lake Tahoe Area Communication Regional TMC Impacts of Land Use Planning and Access Management on Congestion Region Wide Transit System Emerging Trends Funding Concerns i 04/10

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS STAKEHOLDER IDENTIFICATION AND CURRENT PROCESSES 5. CURRENT PRACTICES IN REGION 3 I-80 CORRIDOR AREA Addressing Congestion Caused by Physical Bottlenecks/Capacity Constraints Addressing Congestion Caused by Traffic Incidents Addressing Congestion Caused by Work zones Addressing Congestion Caused by Weather Addressing Congestion Caused by Traffic Control Devices Addressing Congestion Caused by Special Events CURRENT PRACTICES IN REGION 4 RURAL CORRIDORS AREA Addressing Congestion Caused by Physical Bottlenecks/Capacity Constraints Addressing Congestion Caused by Traffic Incidents Addressing Congestion Caused by Work zones Addressing Congestion Caused by Weather Addressing Congestion Caused by Traffic Control Devices Addressing Congestion Caused by Special Events LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 ITRP Regions Map... 2 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Documents Reviewed... 3 Table 2 Project Stakeholder List... 5 ii 04/10

4 LIST OF ACRONYMS AIEMS Arterial Incident and Event Management System AVI Automated Vehicle Identification BRT Bus Rapid Transit CAMPO Carson Area Metropolitan Planning Organization CAS Congestion Analysis System CCTV Closed-Circuit Television CEA Critical Emphasis Areas CIP Capital Improvement Program CMAQ Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality CMP Congestion Management Plan CMS Congestion Management System DMS Dynamic Message Sign EOC Emergency Operations Center EVM Emergency Vehicle Management FAST Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation FHWA Federal Highway Administration GIS Geographic Information System HAR Highway Advisory Radio HAZMAT Hazardous Materials HOV High Occupancy Vehicle HPD Henderson Police Department ICALL/ITAC International Calling Channel/International Tactical Channel IMG Incident Management Guidelines ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act ITRP Integrated Transportation Reliability Program ITS Intelligent Transportation Systems LOS Level of Service LVACTS Las Vegas Area Computerized Traffic System MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization NDOT Nevada Department of Transportation NHP Nevada Highway Patrol NIMS National Incident Management System NNACC Northern Nevada Area Communications Consortium iii 04/10

5 LIST OF ACRONYMS NSRS Nevada Shared Radio System REACT Regional Emergency Action Coordinating Team REMSA Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority ROC Road Operations Center RPD Reno Police Department RRS Regional Road System RTC Regional Transportation Commission RTP Regional Transportation Plan RWIS Road Weather Information System SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act A Legacy for Users SCIP Statewide Communications Interoperability Plan SHSP Strategic Highway Safety Plan SNACC Southern Nevada Area Communications Council TDM Travel Demand Management TEA-21 Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21 st Century TIC Tactical Interoperability Communications TIM Traffic Incident Management TIP Transportation Improvement Program TMC Traffic Management Center TMPO Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization TOC Traffic Operations Center TRPA Tahoe Regional Planning Agency TSM Transportation System Management VMT Vehicle Miles Traveled WCRCS Washoe County Regional Communications System WCSO Washoe County Sheriff s Office iv 04/10

6 1. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this document, Technical Memorandum No. 2 Current Nevada Practices, is to discuss current practices related to transportation reliability and congestion management processes, policies, and interactions occurring in Nevada at the regional and statewide levels. The findings of this technical memorandum will highlight what is working well in Nevada and discuss concerns or issues that have been identified through the data collection process. This document discusses the findings of stakeholder interviews held throughout the state and contains summaries of known existing reliability plans/programs in Nevada and how they relate to issues and concerns raised during stakeholder interviews. As was mentioned in Technical Memorandum No. 1 System Identification, the 2004 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) report, Traffic Congestion and Reliability: Trends and Advanced Strategies for Congestion Mitigation, lists the following seven root causes of congestion. Physical Bottlenecks (Capacity) Capacity is the maximum amount of traffic capable of being handled by a given highway section. Capacity is determined by a number of factors: the number and width of lanes and shoulders; merge areas at interchanges; and roadway alignment (grades and curves). Bottlenecks are locations where there is some capacity constraint that causes congestion. Traffic Incidents Are events that disrupt the normal flow of traffic, usually by physical impedance in the travel lanes. Events such as vehicular crashes, breakdowns, and debris in travel lanes are the most common form of incidents. Work Zones Are construction activities on the roadway that result in physical changes to the highway environment. These changes may include a reduction in the number or width of travel lanes, lane shifts, lane diversions, reduction, or elimination of shoulders, and even temporary roadway closures. Weather Environmental conditions can lead to changes in driver behavior that affect traffic flow. Traffic Control Devices Intermittent disruption of traffic flow by control devices such as railroad grade crossings and poorly timed signals also contributes to congestion and travel time variability. Special Events Are a special case of demand fluctuations whereby traffic flow in the vicinity of the event will be radically different from typical patterns. Special events occasionally cause surges in traffic demand that overwhelm the system. Fluctuations in Normal Traffic Day-to-day variability in demand leads to some days with higher traffic volumes than others. Varying demand volumes superimposed on a system with fixed capacity also results in variable (unreliable) travel times. Existing plans/programs and stakeholder interview findings related to each of these seven causes of congestion are discussed in this report for the various regions in Nevada that commonly experience congestion. The regional breakdown matches the four regions discussed in Technical Memorandum No. 1 System Identification, which were created to encompass primary transportation corridors throughout the State while also addressing the differences between rural and urban transportation reliability. The four geographic regions are shown in Figure 1 and are defined as: Region 1 Las Vegas Metropolitan Area; Region 2 Reno/Sparks/Carson City/Lake Tahoe Area; Region 3 I-80 Corridor Area; and Region 4 Rural Corridors Area. 1 04/10

7 Figure 1 ITRP Regions Map 1.1 Documents Reviewed Table 1 shows the documents that were reviewed that deal with transportation reliability and congestion management in Nevada. 2 04/10

8 Table 1 Documents Reviewed Document Name Nevada Statewide Transportation Plan (2008) Nevada Strategic Highway Safety Plan (2006) Nevada Communications Interoperability Engineering Project (2008) NDOT Work Zone Safety and Mobility Implementation Guide (2008) NDOT HOV/Managed Lanes and Ramp Metering Implementation Plan and Policy Manual (2006) RTC Las Vegas Valley Congestion Management System (2003) RTC/FAST Incident Management Guidelines AIEMS Event Management Strategies for Las Vegas Motor Speedway (2008) Southern Nevada ITS Plan (2008) Congestion Management Plan RTC of Southern Nevada Summary This plan is intended to provide direction and strategies for Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) over the next 20 years. This is a multimodal plan that explores the issues affecting airplanes, bicycles, pedestrians, buses, cars, trucks, and trains and the linkage between these modes. This plan was developed by NDOT and others with the purpose of serving as a guide for accomplishing specific goals such as providing a forum and process for engaging safety partners in order to reduce the number of fatal and life-changing injuries associated with traffic crashes in Nevada. This document establishes the direction and priorities for planning, acquisition, deployment, training, and utilization of interoperable communications capabilities by public safety agencies within the state. This guide is meant to provide the administrative procedures for the implementation of the Federal Highway Administration published Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule. It is the intent of NDOT to apply this rule for all work zones on state maintained roadways. The policy manual is meant to address state and federal requirements by creating guidance to assist NDOT, local and regional transportation jurisdictions and authorities with the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and enforcement of managed lanes and ramp meters. The implementation plan presents general guidance on how to implement high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and ramp meters in an effective and consistent fashion throughout the State of Nevada. This document is intended as a comprehensive summary of the development of the Congestion Management System which is used as a decision support tool for local transportation officials The purpose of this incident management document is to present information to help provide for a coordinated effort among agencies such as NDOT, local agencies, public safety, and emergency responders to identify, respond to, and clear incidents from freeways and arterial streets. This document describes strategy development and implementation concepts in a way that will allow the users of the Arterial Incident and Event Management System (AIEMS) to develop and implement a library of pre-defined strategies to be used for this and similar events. The primary purpose of this project is to establish a regional intelligent transportation systems architecture and strategic deployment plan for the southern Nevada region which will allow agencies to utilize electronics and communication systems to collect, process, disseminate, or act on information in real time to improve the operations, safety and convenience of the transportation system. This document provides a summary of the activities of the Congestion Management Process Improvement Team. Activities include defining the region s congestion management objectives and identifying an implementation schedule, responsibilities, and funding sources. 3 04/10

9 Table 1 Documents Reviewed (continued) Document Name RTC of Southern Nevada 2030 Regional Transportation Plan Northern Nevada Regional ITS Architecture and Strategic Deployment Plan (2004) RTC of Washoe County 2030 Regional Transportation Plan RTC of Washoe County Draft 2040 Regional Transportation Plan Summary A comprehensive and long range plan for the transportation system of the Las Vegas metropolitan area which lays out the transportation investments needed between now and the year The purpose of this plan was to develop an architecture, which is similar to a master plan, for future deployments and coordination of additional ITS throughout northern Nevada. This plan included both urban area and rural applications. A plan that proposes highway improvements which focus on the maintenance of the existing street and highway system and provide additional capacity for existing and future residents and businesses. The plan addresses the implementation of transportation systems management and transportation demand management and the transportation control measures necessary to implement them. The updated draft 2040 plan builds upon nearly all of the concepts presented within the 2030 plan, with new chapters addressing the congestion management process, environmental justice, and alternatives analysis. 1.2 Stakeholder Involvement Stakeholders from around the state have been given an opportunity to provide input relating to topic areas that are influencing reliability in Nevada. It is important to note that these topic areas may or may not be directly affecting reliability, but all have influenced the existing operations and planning that occur in the different areas of Nevada. For example, the connection between funding for projects and reliable travel on the roadways may not be a direct connection. However, funding typically dictates which projects are implemented and when they are implemented, which can affect the capacity on the roadway on which that project will be implemented. Discussions with stakeholders will be used to identify areas of planning, operation, and coordination that could be used to positively affect travel reliability in Nevada. Each of the stakeholder agencies has roles and responsibilities with regard to the transportation system in Nevada. Some agencies have incident management roles and specific processes they may use to coordinate with the necessary resources to clear incidents or respond to weather or natural disaster events. Some agencies have a transportation focus for the road and freeway network that looks at the bigger picture of planning for the future and doing what is necessary now to coordinate objectives for that future network. Transportation agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, and other stakeholders are increasingly recognizing the value of coordination and collaboration among planners and operators. Although they come from differing perspectives, transportation planning and operating agencies generally share the goal of enhancing system performance, and they can benefit from stronger linkages. While each group has its own priorities, both planners and operators need to be involved in all phases of the project development timeline. Keeping stakeholders engaged in the Integrated Transportation Reliability Program (ITRP) project as well as obtaining their input on key strategies is a mission-critical component of the ITRP project. Stakeholders involved in this project are providing valuable input on their respective agency s perspective of what is happening in Nevada and are offering insight into potential ways to mitigate congestion and improve reliability through coordinating efforts. 4 04/10

10 The following specific stakeholder involvement strategies will be used throughout the project to maintain consistent focus on the projects objectives: Introductory presentations to stakeholders in northern and southern Nevada as part of already established meetings to initially inform stakeholders that this project is being developed and to request their participation and input; One-on-one meetings with the various stakeholder agencies throughout the state to better understand the current plans and processes relating to travel reliability and congestion planning; Stakeholder workshops to gather stakeholders together to review existing conditions, best practices, and strategize about potential integration needs within Nevada; and A project website to provide a one-stop resource for project deliverables, meeting dates, and important links to other web sites. The website URL is: which can be accessed through the NDOT website ( and clicking on the Major Projects & Corridor Studies link. Agencies that participated in the aforementioned stakeholder discussions are listed in Table 2. Table 2 Project Stakeholder List Region Statewide Region 1 Las Vegas Metropolitan Area Region 2 Reno/Sparks/Carson City/Lake Tahoe Area Stakeholder Agency NDOT Headquarters Nevada Highway Patrol City of Henderson City of Las Vegas City of North Las Vegas Clark County FAST Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) Southern Command NDOT District 1 Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada City of Reno City of Sparks NDOT District 2 NDOT District 3 Washoe County Washoe County Sheriff s Office RTC of Washoe County Douglas County 5 04/10

11 Table 2 Project Stakeholder List (continued) Region Region 3 I-80 Corridor Area Region 4 Rural Corridors Area Stakeholder Agency City of Elko NDOT District 2 NDOT District 3 Elko County Sheriff NHP Central Command NDOT Headquarters NDOT Districts 1, 2 and /10

12 2. CURRENT STATEWIDE PRACTICES Many of NDOT s plans and operational processes are executed at the district level and are focused on district issues, objectives and goals. NDOT is divided into three districts which have primary responsibility for state facility corridor management and operation within their respective districts. NDOT Headquarters leads the strategic partnering, and oversees the development of statewide plans and policies that are implemented across jurisdictional boundaries. Statewide practices offer uniformity in policy-level strategies that can be implemented and enforced on a statewide basis. These policies and procedures also offer a baseline for specific area needs. Some of the statewide over-arching policy level strategies discussed in this section include interoperability with public safety communications, long-range transportation planning, safety planning for highways, and implementation policies for infrastructure on the state highway system. Several key partner agencies work together with NDOT to help develop and implement many of the critical reliability strategies that affect both rural and urban roadways throughout the state. NHP is an important NDOT partner at both the state and regional level. NHP is structured similarly to NDOT, serving the state of Nevada through three regional command areas. Other important partners within the state include both the Bureau of Land Management and the Federal Highway Administration. 2.1 Current Reliability Plans, Programs, and Processes Statewide Long-Range Planning The Nevada Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan, published in 2008, is a policy document intended to provide direction and strategies for NDOT over the next 20 years. The plan was prepared by NDOT with assistance from numerous individuals and organizations. This plan is multimodal and explores issues affecting airplanes, bicycles, pedestrians, buses, cars, trucks, and trains and the linkage between these modes. This plan was developed in accordance with the Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). Also in accordance with SAFETEA-LU, the four designated Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) in Nevada (Regional Transportation Commission [RTC] of Southern Nevada, RTC of Washoe County, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and Carson Area MPO) are required to prepare a long-range plan for their respective regions. NDOT worked closely with all of Nevada s transportation partners, including MPOs, local, state, and federal agencies, as well as tribal nations, to ensure that efforts were coordinated and consistent among all agencies. All plans should provide a consistent and accurate depiction of the needs of the transportation system. Throughout the development of the Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan, NDOT reached out to citizens, businesses, and government agencies in Nevada to find out what is important to them and what they want their transportation system to look like in the future. Citizens said they wanted safe accessibility and mobility that enhanced Nevada s economy while preserving quality of life. The intent of this plan was to develop a direction that reflects the needs of the users of Nevada s transportation system. Nevada was home to the fastest-growing population in the nation between the years of 1990 and By 2010, the population is expected to increase by 2.8 million people and 7 04/10

13 vehicle travel is expected to increase to 35 billion miles annually (an increase of 80 percent by 2010). NDOT s top priority is moving people and goods safely in and through Nevada, which NDOT feels is essential to ensure continued economic growth and prosperity. However, this desired mobility will require significant investment, and NDOT is facing a severe funding shortfall crisis. Without accounting for inflation, the state highway system will need an expected $11 billion by 2015 (2006 dollars). To generate and preserve additional funds, NDOT promotes programs such as sponsor-ahighway. As another tool to address anticipated funding shortfalls, Governor Gibbons has named a 12-member Public-Private Partnership Advisory Panel to explore the use of publicprivate partnerships. A public-private partnership is when a contractual agreement between a public agency, such as NDOT, and a private company is used to fund transportation improvements. The intent of this new program is to help develop innovative road funding and construction partnerships, to hopefully provide faster project delivery, and relieve congestion while securing more funding amid a statewide transportation funding deficit. Toll roads and lanes are a prime example of public-private partnerships; however, NDOT s Pioneer Program innovations may also look to take the form of design-build project and developer-paid projects. Other options include availability payment programs in which NDOT would pay back road builders/operators according to the number of vehicles using the road, and asset management programs where outside companies provide certain road services. The Pioneer Program will join other NDOT initiatives to deliver quality transportation project for the citizens and visitors of Nevada. The Nevada Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), published in 2006, is a document that was developed to address the frequency, rate, and primary factors contributing to fatal and severe injury crashes in Nevada. According to the SHSP, the annual average of 43,000 traffic deaths nationally, and approximately 400 in Nevada, makes highway traffic crashes one of the leading causes of death and a significant contributing cause of congestion. The SHSP is meant to serve as a guide for accomplishing specific goals such as providing a forum and process for engaging the safety partners in order to reduce the number of fatal and life-changing injuries associated with traffic crashes in Nevada. The plan started with guiding principles and then made adjustments based on the input from a variety of safety partners through a series of workshops attended by professionals representing Enforcement, Education, Emergency Services, and Engineering (the 4 Safety E s). Some key results of the SHSP planning process include: A state-adopted safety goal of reducing the statewide fatality rate by 33 percent; Use of Nevada crash records to identify areas of emphasis in the plan based on the number of related fatal crashes and ultimately development of the Critical Emphasis Areas (CEAs); Focusing the vision of the plan through the selection of the five CEAs which include Seat Belt Usage, Lane Departures, Impaired Driving, Intersections, and Pedestrians; and Analysis of alternative safety investment options. According to the SHSP, the greatest challenge facing traffic safety professionals in Nevada is the need to acknowledge that the effort to reduce fatal and life changing injuries is tied to 8 04/10

14 implementing a new, more effective safety program that is different from what has been done in the past Statewide Operations Planning Interoperability is defined within the Nevada Communications Interoperability Engineering Project ( ) document as, the ability of appropriate officials and personnel to effectively communicate by radio across jurisdictions and with each other, when authorized, as needed and in real time. The state, under the oversight of the Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management, has developed a Statewide Communications Interoperability Plan (SCIP). The Department of Emergency Management is the State Administrative Assistant responsible for the application and administration of the Homeland Security Grant Program for the state. The purpose of the SCIP is to establish the direction and priorities for planning, acquisition, deployment, training, and utilization of interoperable communications capabilities by public safety agencies within the state. Public safety disciplines include emergency management, fire service, hazardous materials (HAZMAT), law enforcement, public health, and federal, state, county, tribal, and local agencies among many others. There is a document similar to the SCIP called the Nevada Tactical Interoperability Communications (TIC) Plan. The purpose of the TIC is to provide statewide interoperability policies that reflect the National Incident Management System (NIMS) standards and structure in order to provide a framework for coordinating the response efforts of incidents that cross city, county, and regional boundaries. Nevada public safety agencies rely on four core communication systems to provide interagency interoperability: The Southern Nevada International Calling Channel/International Tactical Channel (ICALL/ITAC) Interoperability Network is used in the Las Vegas area. This network consists of VHF/800 MHz cross-band repeaters throughout the Las Vegas basin; The Southern Nevada Area Communications Council (SNACC) is an 800 MHz connecting agencies in the Las Vegas metropolitan area; The Washoe County Regional Communications System (WCRCS) in the Reno/Sparks area is an 800 MHz trunked system that connects 15 agencies in the northern urban area of Reno/Sparks; The Northern Nevada Area Communications Consortium (NNACC) in northeast Nevada, is a VHF network connecting Elko, Eureka, Lander, Humboldt, Pershing, and White Pine counties; and The Nevada Shared Radio System (NSRS) is used by state agencies throughout Nevada, and connects highway patrol, emergency management, and other state agencies. This document emphasizes that as the state moves toward a higher level of interoperability, existing technologies must be maintained and incorporated into the TIC. The Nevada TIC plan is designed to take advantage of existing county-to-county cooperation, current 24 hour/day dispatch centers, Core System dispatch centers and Emergency Operation Centers to coordinate the efforts of multiple agencies. This coordination must directly address the mixture of 700 MHz, 800 MHz, VHF, and UHF conventional and trunked systems that are currently in operation throughout the state. The ability of key agencies to communicate 9 04/10

15 day-to-day, and especially during an emergency or disaster, is of vital importance to maintaining mobility and reliability on the statewide and regional transportation networks. The NDOT Work Zone Safety and Mobility Implementation Guide (2008) was developed in response to federal legislation requiring that all state and local governments receiving Federal-aid highway funding must comply with the FHWA Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule published September 9, 2004 in the Federal Register (69 FR 54562). While the rule applies specifically to Federal-aid highway projects, it is NDOT s intent to follow the rule for all work zones on state-maintained roadways. The document lays out a set of transportation management strategies and describes how they will be used to manage the work zone impacts of a project. The transportation management plan is comprised of three distinct strategies to manage project work zone impacts including a temporary traffic control plan, a transportation operations plan, and a public information plan. The NDOT HOV/Managed Lanes and Ramp Metering Policy Manual (2006) addresses state and federal requirements by creating guidance to assist NDOT, local and regional transportation jurisdictions and authorities with the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and enforcement of managed lanes and ramp meters. This document details some general policies aimed at assembling guidelines and providing a framework to ensure statewide consistency for HOV/managed lanes and ramp metering facilities. This document also discusses system needs, goals and objectives of the policy, as well as public information and outreach. The NDOT HOV/Managed Lanes and Ramp Metering Implementation Plan (2006) presents general guidance on how to implement HOV/managed lanes and ramp meters in an effective and consistent fashion throughout the State of Nevada. This document lays out prerequisites for HOV/managed lanes and for ramp metering. The following goals for the implementation of managed lanes, based on national experience, were presented in the document: Maintaining or improving mobility; Improving roadway operation efficiency and reliability; Promoting transit and ridesharing; Addressing environmental considerations and adopted land uses; Enhancing air quality (compared to no-build and conventional build alternatives); Maintaining safety; 10 04/10

16 Providing travel options to meet user needs, such as time-sensitive travel; and Addressing economic and financial considerations. In addition, the document presented the following set of goals developed by local Las Vegas stakeholders during workshops: Optimize the movement of people and goods; Provide incentives to share the ride; Increase bus transit efficiency; Do not unduly impact traffic operations or transit services; Have public support; Consider value pricing as a means to optimize system performance; and Promote goods movement by trucking if possible. The document stresses the use of three management strategies to regulate demand; eligibility, pricing, and access. Restricting eligibility consists of limiting demand by restricting a dedicated lane to specific users. On HOV lanes, user restrictions take the form of eligibility requirements based on the requisite minimum number of people traveling in a vehicle. Pricing can help maximize the use of available pavement while continuing to prioritize operation for HOV lanes. Typically, limiting access is applied to express lanes and some HOV lanes as a means of regulating entry and exit movements. This practice helps alleviate specific bottleneck locations and also helps to ensure that lanes do not become overloaded regardless of the level of demand they generate. NDOT began work on a strategic plan in 2004 with the following goals in mind: Improve safety in public transportation; Develop and deliver beneficial projects in a timely manner; Effectively communicate to improve customer satisfaction; and Make the most of the department s assets and minimize its risks. Ramp metering policies relate directly to the first, third, and fourth goals. The first goal is achieved through the reduction in collisions that is typically realized following implementation of ramp meters. Ramp metering can also reduce congestion, which would allow NDOT to make the most of its assets (urban freeways). It is critical for NDOT and RTC to effectively communicate with the public on the issue of ramp metering. Ramp metering is not always understood by the public and can sometimes be a controversial issue. From an operations perspective, NDOT also leads the statewide traveler information activities which include the 511 services as well as web-based traveler information for construction, closures, incidents and winter weather. These systems currently provide information for NDOT facilities only (interstates, US and state routes), but there are discussions with the RTC of Southern Nevada to explore options for including more urban area detail within the 511 system /10

17 3. CURRENT PRACTICES IN REGION 1 LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN AREA As mentioned in Technical Memorandum No. 1 System Identification, Region 1 Las Vegas Metropolitan Area consists of the City of Las Vegas, City of North Las Vegas, City of Henderson, and other developed parts of Clark County. Stakeholders within this region include the Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation (FAST), RTC of Southern Nevada, and NHP Southern Command. Information was gathered from stakeholders and documents related to current reliability and congestion management practices in Southern Nevada. 3.1 Current Reliability Plans, Programs, and Processes Background on Regional Transportation Reliability and Congestion Management The 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) federal transportation bill required MPOs, such as the RTC of Southern Nevada, to develop a multi-modal regional transportation plan (RTP) for managing congestion in urban areas. ISTEA represented a fundamental shift away from the automobile-focused plans of the prior decades that considered increasing roadway capacity to be the primary solution for addressing current and projected congestion. This paradigm shift was carried further by the 1998 Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21 st Century (TEA-21), which required that all air quality non-attainment urban areas develop and maintain a congestion management system (CMS) that considered alternate congestion mitigation measures prior to adding roadway capacity. RTC accordingly developed a CMS for Southern Nevada because it is a non-attainment area (see the Development of the Las Vegas Valley Congestion Management System final report, prepared for RTC in August 2003 by Orth-Rodgers & Associates, Inc., Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Transportation Research Center). According to the CMS final report, the RTC CMS consists of two portions: a congested corridor identification tool and a mitigation strategy selection tool. The congested corridor identification tool is called the Congestion Analysis System (CAS) and is an automated database system. The mitigation strategy selection tool is also automated and is spreadsheet-based. The findings from the CMS analysis are then incorporated into the RTP. The CAS calculates a composite congestion score for roadways in Southern Nevada based on the following four components of congestion: intensity, extent, duration, and reliability. The composite congestion scores are one of the inputs in the selection of potential candidate corridors for improvement projects. Once corridor selection is complete, the congestion mitigation strategy selection process is initiated. Strategies from the following five groups of strategies are screened and evaluated for potential effectiveness in addressing identified congestion problems on the selected corridors: Group 1: strategies that eliminate the trip through land use changes or similar actions; Group 2: strategies that cause a mode change, removing the trip as an auto trip; Group 3: strategies that increase auto occupancy by encouraging ridesharing; 12 04/10

18 Group 4: strategies that improve the operation of the existing highway system; and Group 5: strategies that add highway capacity. In 2005, a new federal transportation bill was passed SAFETEA-LU. One of the requirements of SAFETEA-LU is the development of a documented Congestion Management Process (CMP), which replaces the CMS with more emphasis on how transportation networks can more effectively be managed and operated to better mitigate congestion. SAFETEA-LU prohibits the implementation of projects that increase capacity for single occupant vehicles in air quality non-attainment areas unless the project is derived from a CMP that is developed and implemented as part of the metropolitan planning process. The RTC is currently in the process of updating its CMS to a CMP in accordance with the SAFETEA-LU requirements. The CMP requirements are guiding the development of the Regional Transportation Plan, a draft of which was published in September 2008 by the RTC. Projects in the RTP are prioritized and funding is secured in the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP), which is updated every four years and is reviewed annually Addressing Regional Congestion In the fall of 2008, RTC of Southern Nevada commissioned a CMP Improvement Team including members of government and private sector groups to develop and implement a technically valid project selection and evaluation process for projects to be included in the TIP. The requirements of the CMP are used to guide the Process Improvement Team through the task of developing a sound evaluation process. Specific Process Improvement Team tasks include: Reviewing and categorizing best practices in project selection; Developing criteria based on federal requirements and local preference; Developing a list of applicable criteria measurements; Carrying out modeling assessments of draft selection processes; Assessing options for project selection process policy documents; Developing final process selection documents; Presenting to committees for comment and RTC for adoption; and Implementing the adopted Project Selection Prioritization Process. The outcome of the Process Improvement Team s efforts will be the RTC Project Selection Prioritization Process Policy Document, which is expected to be completed by March According to the draft 2030 RTP, the Las Vegas Valley continues to be one of the fastest growing urbanized areas in the country. This rapid population and employment growth poses obvious challenges for the RTC in terms of addressing regional congestion. Right-ofway is limited within the developed areas to expand existing facilities or add new ones and construction costs are rising faster than revenues. The automobile remains the dominant form of transportation in the Las Vegas area with vehicular travel accounting for about 90 percent of all trips made on local roadways. Each day in Clark County, more than 100 cars are added to the roadways. Total daily miles traveled on the roadway network have increased from 12 million in 1990 to more than 33 million miles in According to the Texas Transportation Institute, average travel times during the peak periods have remained constant in recent years in Southern Nevada. This means the measures and projects the 13 04/10

19 RTC has helped implement have been successful in terms of minimizing increased congestion despite the increase in traffic volumes. Several congestion management strategies have contributed to this result. The RTC has identified four main approaches in the draft 2030 RTP that will be integral to continuing to address the challenges of increased congestion due to continued population growth combined with projected funding shortfalls. Improve the operational efficiency of existing roadways to improve capacity without major capital expense. Improving operational efficiency includes access management, incident management and freight movement. The FAST system is central to these improvements. Shift as many people as possible out of single-occupant vehicles by encouraging the use of carpools and vanpools and other measures collectively known as Travel Demand Management (TDM). Improve transit operations to provide attractive alternatives to the automobile. The RTC recognizes the need for improvements in the transit service that go beyond fleet renewal and maintenance of present operations. Make the environment friendlier for those on foot or riding bicycles, so that these transportation options become more attractive for people taking short trips. FAST is a multi-jurisdictional integrated traffic management system that streamlines the efficiency of metropolitan area traffic operations. FAST functions include providing information for travelers and incident management. FAST has expanded its Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), having deployed closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras; dynamic message signs (DMS); non-intrusive performance monitoring devices that detect vehicle volume, speed and occupancy; ramp meters at seventeen freeway entrances; a Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) system; and an upgraded distributed traffic signal system on a number of corridors /10

20 The draft 2030 RTP indicates the FAST system is central to improving the carrying capacity of the existing roadway system. The core purpose of FAST is to operate and maintain a diverse array of ITS devices that have been deployed with the aim of moving vehicular traffic safely, efficiently and effectively through both the arterial street system and the regional freeway networks in the region. These objectives are accomplished through several activities including: Arterial Signal Timing Coordination; Utilization of FAST ITS Systems to minimize the duration and magnitude of travel delays from recurring and non-recurring traffic congestion certain freeway segments and arterials; ITS System Upgrades and Maintenance; Improved Access Management; Improved Incident Management; and Improved Freight Movement. The first major investment in the freeway management portion of the FAST program has been on I-15 through the resort corridor. The interstate FAST system is being extended along US-95 north to the beltway and on I-15 north to Craig Road. There are several shortterm and long-term priorities for the FAST program corridor investments including new or upgraded fiber optic communications, traffic monitoring cameras, DMS, ramp metering at select locations, and electronic vehicle counting. Major future investment in the FAST system will focus on the regional freeway network, supplemented by the interconnection of signals on major arterial streets. In addition, NDOT will maintain its commitment to freeway operations management and the Freeway Service Patrol. The FAST signal synchronization system is designed to monitor and control more than 1,000 signals at some of the busiest intersections in the Las Vegas Valley. DMS provide drivers with information about roadway conditions and travel times. Many closed-circuit television cameras are linked into RTC s website so that travelers may view freeway conditions and some major arterial conditions in real time. The 511 system is a real-time source of information on roadway maintenance, construction, weather, and incidents that can be accessed by the general public via phone or Internet /10

21 NDOT and FAST operate a Freeway Service Patrol, which provides free roadside assistance on freeways to disabled vehicles and after incidents. In 2006, the Freeway Service Patrol provided assistance 43,422 times Addressing Congestion Caused by Physical Bottlenecks/Capacity Constraints According to the draft 2030 RTP, the Southern Nevada transportation network has numerous capacity constraints. Many freeway and arterial roadway segments operate near or over capacity during certain periods of the day, and projected future traffic volume growth is anticipated to result in additional capacity constraints. Most Southern Nevada stakeholders consider that the freeways do typically provide adequate capacity as long as there are not incidents that reduce the available capacity. Many of the Southern Nevada stakeholders at the various cities indicated that they consider the arterial street networks to generally provide adequate capacity. These stakeholders also recognized, however, that there are specific physical bottleneck locations where adequate capacity is not provided during peak periods. For example, in the City of Las Vegas, it is common during peak periods for drivers to need two to three signal cycles to get through major arterial intersections. The local agencies do not generally have a formal process in place as part of their respective capital improvement programs (CIPs) to identify congestion areas, develop mitigation strategies, and prioritize potential improvement projects. When potential improvement projects are identified, they must compete with other proposed capital improvement projects for the limited funding available. It is only at the regional level, through the RTC RTP, where a defined process is in place for mitigating congestion caused by capacity constraints. There are two fundamental ways to address congestion caused by physical bottlenecks. One way is to increase capacity, either by providing new facilities or by more efficiently using the existing facilities. The other way is to decrease demand by either reducing the number of trips travelers take or shifting those trips to off-peak periods or to alternate modes of travel. The aforementioned SAFETEA-LU legislation requires transportation agencies using federal funds to mitigate capacity-related congestion to first consider the feasibility of reducing or shifting demand, and improving the efficiency of existing facilities, before considering providing additional facilities. Examples of completed, planned, or proposed projects and programs that address congestion in the Las Vegas metropolitan area caused by physical bottlenecks/capacity constraints include the following: City of Henderson The west Henderson development area has been developing in anticipation of fixedroute transit. The Master Plan of Streets and Highways has cross-sections that include center/side-running transit systems and Henderson has been actively obtaining rightof-way along these corridors. City of Las Vegas The Las Vegas Valley would benefit from freeway lane restrictions similar to those in California. Restricting heavy vehicles from using multiple lanes would have a significant impact on operations and safety. Southern Nevada needs a comprehensive TDM program that forces large employers to stagger shifts to help minimize impacts on transportation infrastructure /10

22 City of North Las Vegas The City of North Las Vegas is currently in the process of building its own travel demand model. The RTC s model, which is currently used, is adequate for large-scale planning; however, the City needs a microscopic model to identify specific capacityrelated improvements and constraints. The City of North Las Vegas is looking to convert Pecos Road, a north/south primary arterial, into a 150-foot right-of-way super arterial similar to the developing North 5 th Street corridor. The project is currently in the planning stage. The City has a number of east/west arterials that provide adequate capacity and access but they lack north/south capacity. Clark County Clark County is actively working with FAST on signal timing improvements and interconnect projects. The County will also be working with RTC Transit to install bus turnouts on arterial roadways to help reduce congestion. Clark County currently does not have any operational or planned congestion management programs. The County is working on a capacity improvement program that helps to alleviate isolated congestion. There is not a defined list of improvements/locations for the County and they do not have adequate funding allocated to catch up to recent development. A Frank Sinatra Drive southern extension, a north/south arterial paralleling I-15 on the east side, was added to the transportation plan. This roadway should help relieve some congestion as areas farther south develop and act as a frontage road for I-15. There are currently no plans for a similar parallel roadway on the west side, except for the portions of Dean Martin Drive that already exist. Clark County has developed a pedestrian grade separation plan and promotes walking by improving sidewalks and streetscapes on County-maintained roads. Extending the monorail to the airport in conjunction with other alternate mode projects would help significantly reduce congestion. NDOT District 1 I-15 between Southern California and Salt Lake City has been designated by federal authorities as a Corridor of the Future. Improvement plans for this I-15 corridor include the I-15 North Design/Build, I-15 South Transportation Study, and Project Neon. The I-15 North Design/Build project is an I-15 corridor improvement project from the I-15/US-95 interchange north to Craig Road. The purpose of this project is to improve congestion and improve traffic flow along the I-15 corridor through roadway widening, reconstruction of ramps and interchanges, as well as sound wall and landscape improvements. A project-specific Traffic Incident Management (TIM) was developed on this project as a result of the contractor s desire to reduce the number of open lanes during construction. The I-15 North TIM includes accident investigation sites, process/procedures for responding to/clearing incidents. The I-15 South Transportation Study is looking at potential transportation alternatives to improve 12 miles of I-15 between the Sloan Road Interchange and Tropicana Avenue Interchange. The study is also looking at potential transportation alternatives to improve approximately eight miles of Las Vegas Boulevard, between St. Rose 17 04/10

23 Parkway (SR-146) and Sunset Road. The potential capacity improvements are intended to alleviate congestion along the I-15 south corridor by increasing capacity through additional travel lanes, collector distributor roadways, and new configurations of entrance/exit ramps to improve operations. Project Neon is an infrastructure improvement project in the downtown area between Tropicana Avenue and US-93/US-95 that includes construction of northbound and southbound HOV lanes on I-15, reconstruction of existing traffic interchanges, and local access improvements such as construction of additional freeway ramps, a new arterial connection over I-15, and a new bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad. NDOT is currently reviewing the conceptual plans for Project Neon in an attempt to break the project into smaller phases. The first phase is anticipated to include a direct connection from the US-95 HOV lanes to the I-15 express lanes. Express lanes are being built in both directions along I-15 in the Las Vegas Valley to help ease traffic congestion and allow commuters a time-efficient alternative when traveling non-stop between Russell Road and Sahara Avenue (a distance of 5.5 miles). This project is anticipated to be completed in the fall of The NDOT Package B project which is under design and the proposed southern I-215 Beltway projects are very important projects and need to be top priorities. The FAST system is blind in those areas and could provide reliable service for those areas if implemented. The future McCarran Airport tunnel reconstruction and I-215/I-15 improvements are anticipated to significantly change traffic patterns in the area. The first investment in carpool, or HOV, lanes in Southern Nevada was made as part of the recently completed improvements on US-95 west of I-15. Building upon this investment, the draft 2030 RTP proposes establishing a carpool lane network connecting the northwest suburban areas to downtown Las Vegas and the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip via I-15. This network would includes dedicated HOV ramps between major routes as well as direct access ramps to allow HOV traffic to bypass congested freeway intersections. The northwest HOV network would be supported by express transit routes and park-and-ride lots at key locations. RTC of Southern Nevada The draft 2030 RTP noted that some of the recently completed alternate mode projects have been the construction of 12 pedestrian bridges over Las Vegas Boulevard and the creation of 381 miles of bike lanes, paths and trails. RTC has also expanded the South Strip Transit Terminal by adding 100 park and ride spaces which have become especially popular with local residents using McCarran International Airport. Additional express transit routes have been proposed in the draft 2030 RTP to serve not only the Las Vegas Valley but also the outlying areas of Laughlin, Searchlight, Mesquite, Glendale and Logandale. Over the past few years, RTC has moved its transit operations toward premium service, trying to attract more users and increase transit mode share by showing that it can move more people more quickly. Some of RTC s transit activities include strategically located park-and-ride facilities as well as zoom routes with limited stops and fewer transfers. RTC also intends to build upon the success of its initial Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line by adding bus lanes in several key corridors, such as North 5 th Street, and by constructing stations and other amenities to extend BRT in mixed 18 04/10

24 traffic operations where dedicated lanes cannot be created. A downtown connector BRT route is expected by November RTC is working with businesses that employee 50 or more people to encourage participation in vanpool and rideshare programs. TDM strategies such as vanpool and rideshare programs are planned to be expanded in the future. Even with the implementation of all of the aforementioned projects and programs, there will still be physical bottlenecks that cannot be mitigated due to issues such as funding, environmental concerns, or right-of-way constraints. There will also be locations where the transportation network cannot be built fast enough to keep pace with the growth. For example, NDOT identified Blue Diamond Road (SR-160), SR-159 (Red Rock Loop), and St. Rose Parkway (SR-146) as rapidly developing corridors that have the potential for serious congestion and access control issues Addressing Congestion Caused by Traffic Incidents According to the Incident Management Guidelines (IMG), prepared for RTC and FAST in 2006 by Orth-Rodgers & Associates, Inc, traffic incidents and their response efforts directly affect roadway operations and traffic flow by temporarily reducing capacity. It is estimated that a traffic incident blocking one lane in a three-lane freeway reduces the capacity of the freeway to approximately 50 percent. Blocking a second lane further reduces the freeway capacity to approximately 20 percent. Even minor incidents can also have significant impacts on traffic if they are not removed from the travel lanes or roadway quickly, especially during peak periods. A lane blockage during peak periods (i.e., when traffic flow is at or near the capacity) can create severe traffic queuing problems. Non-recurring traffic congestion and delay can remain in the roadway well after the incident is removed. There are various agencies involved in traffic incident management in the Las Vegas Valley. Most of these agencies focus is not limited to traffic incidents only. They perform other duties in addition to responding, managing, and clearing incidents on area freeways and arterials. Interagency coordination has often not been strong and resource sharing has not typically been emphasized. The IMG proposed that developing a formalized multi-agency traffic incident management program would be beneficial for all who travel on Las Vegas Valley freeways and surface streets. In response to the recommendations made in the IMG, a TIM Coalition was formed in November 2007 in the Las Vegas Valley, with NDOT taking the lead in organizing the TIM Coalition. According to the TIM Coalition website ( the northern boundary limits of the TIM program are Kyle Canyon Road on US-95 and the community of Apex on I-15 while the southern boundary limits are the state line on I-15 and the railroad crossing on US-95. The TIM Coalition group consists of public and private organizations concerned with emergency response working together to provide the best possible response and recovery of incidents in the Las Vegas Valley. Member agencies include: FHWA; NDOT Environmental, Planning, Maintenance and Operations, District 1, Headquarters, and Public Information Offices; 19 04/10

25 Nevada Department of Public Safety State Highway Patrol and the Division of Emergency Management; RTC of Southern Nevada; FAST; Clark County Police, Fire, Public Works, HAZMAT, and Coroner s Office; Local City and County Public Works and Department of Transportation traffic offices; City of Henderson Fire Department; Local Ambulance Agencies; Local Emergency Management Agencies; Local Private Towing Providers; and Private Hazardous Materials Responders. The primary purpose of the TIM program is to provide a forum to resolve and debrief incidents, minimize congestion, and prevent secondary crashes by enhancing response time for removal of incidents. The TIM Coalition is also dedicated to sponsoring incident management workshops, developing incident management interagency training, developing joint operating policies and procedures, and conducting major incident debriefings. The TIM Coalition is currently in the process of developing a handbook and strategic plan that will be released sometime near the end of The TIM Coalition has also initiated a set of clear goals and objectives as a way to establish an avenue for enhanced communication and coordination. These goals include: Goal 1 Enhanced coordination, cooperation, and communications of responding agencies during traffic incident management; Goal 2 Reduce severity rate of crashes on state highways; Goal 3 Improve technology and use of technology in traffic incident management and traffic congestion; Goal 4 Improve consistency, accuracy, and timeliness of traffic incident management and congestion information to the public; and Goal 5 Increase funding (grants, etc.) and utilize available resources in the region to facilitate meeting goals and objectives for traffic incident management. Pertaining to Goal 4 mentioned above, member agency NHP has established an incident clearance time policy with target clearance times of 30 minutes for property damage incidents, 60 minutes for injury incidents, and 90 minutes for fatal incidents. Several agencies involved in the TIM Coalition were interviewed to learn about their current traffic incident management programs and processes, to find out their views on the TIM Coalition, and to identify concerns or issues they have related to incident management. Below is a summary of the interview findings: City of Henderson Incidents on the freeway are a key contributor to arterial congestion in Henderson. The arterials do not have capacity for diversion of freeway traffic due to incidents on freeways, and when such diversions do occur, they are not communicated consistently to Henderson staff so there is typically little or no advance notice /10

26 There is currently no formal agreement or chain-of-contact between the Henderson traffic division and the Henderson Police Department (HPD) for notification of incidents and/or fatalities. HPD is generally very responsive to requests for enforcement. HPD also seem to be aware of their impact on traffic operations and work to get incidents cleared and out of the traveled way quickly. City of Las Vegas Based on current policy, the City of Las Vegas traffic engineering staff does not respond to incidents on arterial streets unless requested by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police (Metro). Metro typically calls the City traffic engineering staff for equipment needs related to incidents, such as when a pole or sign is knocked down or when there is malfunctioning equipment in the field. There is currently no formal City process for incident management. The City typically relies on FAST to coordinate incident management activities. For incident diversions and road closures that affect City arterials, NHP will typically coordinate with FAST. Routine police traffic stops have a significant impact on arterial mobility. City of North Las Vegas The City of North Las Vegas has been actively working with NDOT to address high crash locations within the City. They stated that there is no formal program for incident management in the City. They also are not aware of any cooperation with other agencies on incident management, with the exception of the AIEMS project. The City of North Las Vegas, in conjunction with FAST, has deployed a number of new ITS devices as part of the AIEMS project. The devices include DMS, closed circuit television cameras, traffic monitoring stations, loop detectors and communications infrastructure and devices at several key intersections. These ITS devices will serve as tools for FAST to use to better manage traffic associated with incidents along Craig Road between US-95 and Las Vegas Boulevard. In the event of a fatality or an accident that could result in a fatality, City police dispatch will notify the City traffic department to send a team of investigators to the scene. The notification typically occurs shortly after the officer has arrived on scene and requested that dispatch send the coroner or other emergency service. During an incident, the North Las Vegas Police Department could potentially make some very simple changes to police procedures which could reduce the impacts they have on traffic operations. Clark County Clark County Traffic Management investigates all fatal crashes in the County. Metro Police and NHP notify the County in the event of a fatality on the roadway. County traffic staff is not notified under any other circumstances. Metro investigation operations could be more vigilant about moving drivers off the main arterials during crashes and other traffic stops. Would like to see NDOT implement a program similar to the Regional Emergency Action Coordinating Team (REACT) program that has been deployed in Phoenix. REACT is operated by the Maricopa County Department of Transportation. REACT is called upon by police and fire to provide traffic control support at incidents occurring on arterial streets /10

27 NHP Southern Command NHP acts as incident manager from beginning to end at the scene of an incident. NHP calls the towing service, notifies the coroner, requests emergency medical services, etc. NHP acknowledged that they do not clear incidents as quickly as they can or should, and that there is more they can do to clear incidents quicker. NHP is actively involved in the TIM Coalition and has already started to change the way they handle incidents. They believe the program is, and will continue to be, very effective. For example, NHP has already seen immediate benefits of the TIM actions to date, such as the NHP-developed road clearance policy with target clearance times of 30 minutes for property damage incidents, 60 minutes for injury incidents, and 90 minutes for fatality incidents. If incidents exceed these target clearance times, NHP holds a debriefing with affected partner agencies to review what could have been done differently. They may, depending on the location of the incident, be able to view FAST video to assess why the clearance time was exceeded. According to NHP, one significant benefit that has been in the works, but may be accelerated as part of the TIM, is the use of photogrammetric technology to survey a fatality scene. Previously, NHP used traditional survey equipment and methods to record all aspects of the scene. The old system was very time consuming and required extensive lane closures. The new technology will use digital photographs and a reference object placed in the actual incident scene to recreate and measure distances to objects. The new technology will dramatically reduce clearance times. NDOT will be purchasing the equipment as part of the TIM project, and NHP will deploy the equipment by the end of NHP identified high-crash locations throughout the Valley including I-15 from US-95 South to Russell Road; I-215 from Decatur Boulevard to Durango Drive; US-95 from Rainbow Boulevard to Ann Road; and US-95 from I-15 to Tropicana Avenue. Crash data is held in a system called Crossroads. NHP fills out a standardized form, which is then entered into the Crossroads system. Co-location of NHP dispatch with FAST operators has been very helpful. Once a call comes in through 911, dispatchers can notify FAST. FAST then locates the incident using their cameras and the dispatchers can assess what type of response is required. NHP notes that the time to identify necessary resources has been reduced dramatically with co-location. FAST is capable of changing signal timing and activating DMS in response to an NHP request or incident. The TIM Coalition is working to put together a response team that would respond to incidents. The team would work with the Freeway Service Patrol and would provide traffic control services and help clear incident scenes. NHP believes that this team would free up troopers to conduct the investigation and ultimately clear the scene quicker. NDOT District 1 NDOT District 1 needs a better system for recording, archiving, and reviewing crash records. NDOT, NHP, and local law enforcement send their data to the Central Database. The Central Database then sends consolidated data back to the agencies. NDOT is currently in the process of changing their crash analysis software. The TIM program is the only large on-going project that deals specifically with congestion and incident management. The TIM program has been very effective and 22 04/10

28 would be more effective if it is expanded to more fully include the local agencies and local law enforcement. NDOT is also planning to implement the TIM program in the Reno/Sparks area. The current I-15 North design-build project developed a project-specific TIM. It was a requirement that came out of the contractor s desire to reduce the number of open lanes. Their TIM includes accident investigation sites, process/procedures for responding to/clearing incidents. This procedure will set a standard for all new construction projects. Keeping enthusiasm and momentum going in a new project like the TIM plan is a challenge. Interest typically declines unless the projects have a champion. NDOT stated that they should be the champion and take a leadership role for statewide and local projects like the TIM Addressing Congestion Caused by Work Zones Aside from incidents, road construction caused the most serious delays on the freeways. NHP recommends limiting construction to weekends and evenings, but recognized the difficulty in getting things constructed in a timely manner. Arterial street construction should always be off-hours due to the congestion impacts during peak hours. NDOT posts work zone information on their web page in advance of scheduled construction phasing. Sometimes this work zone information is posted very far in advance which minimizes its impact because it is not real-time information. Construction activities are typically limited by time of day and time of closure. The County traffic management department used to have inspectors that reviewed permits for a portion of the day and then did time of day inspections and barricade conformance inspections. Those positions were transferred to the development services department, which does not currently perform inspections Addressing Congestion Caused by Weather NDOT primarily deals with congestion related to capacity constraints and incidents in Southern Nevada. However, they do have some weather-related incidents in the mountainous regions of SR-160 and SR-159 near Pahrump and Mt. Charleston. NDOT also handles road closures as a result of blowing dust on US-95 south of Boulder City. The roads near Mt. Charleston (SR-156, SR-157, and SR-158) are a concern due to the volume of tourists/recreational traffic and the congestion caused by winter weather conditions Addressing Congestion Caused by Traffic Control Devices According to the draft 2030 RTP, the most effective way of increasing the capacity of the arterial street network in congested areas is by optimizing traffic signals. Several research studies nationwide have shown that ramp meters can significantly increase capacity, promote safety, and improve travel time reliability on the freeways if they are operated appropriately. Recognizing the benefits of optimized traffic signals and ramp meters, FAST has taken the lead in developing coordinated signal optimization programs and ramp meter deployment and operations plans in the Las Vegas Valley. FAST has created a regional signal synchronization network that currently has approximately 1,120 signals, with an average of 3-5 new signals being added to the network 23 04/10

29 every month. FAST has established communications and implemented signal coordination plans at approximately of those signals. The FAST signal synchronization network is designed to monitor and control the traffic signals, with the local agencies handling any required maintenance of the signals. Freeway ramp meters have been deployed in the Las Vegas Valley on portions of US-95, I- 515, and I-15 through a successful joint project between RTC and NDOT. FAST controls the ramp meters and consistently monitors and adjusts the ramp meter timing, if needed, to ensure that the ramp meters do not create congestion on adjacent surface streets. FAST is also exploring alternative operating strategies for the ramp meters including allowing two cars per green to increase ramp capacity, and allowing ramps that have been installed but not operating due to lack of ramp storage, to be turned on. The Southern Nevada ITS Plan (2005) identifies some of southern Nevada s urban ITS needs. Urban ITS needs were obtained from direct stakeholder input during workshops and through written input. The needs were broken into categories reflective of the main National ITS Architecture service areas of Arterial Traffic Management and Freeway Traffic Management, among others. The report identified several high priority needs in the Arterial Traffic Management category including systemwide arterial management strategies, better management of congestion at signals, and provision of quality real time congestion related information. The Freeway Traffic Management table also identified several high priority needs such as deploying additional vehicle detection coverage, improving inter-agency coordination, and improving freeway traffic surveillance. In interviews with stakeholders, the following feedback was provided regarding the current signal coordination and ramp meter programs, the roles of FAST and local agencies, and how the management of traffic control devices such as traffic signals and ramp meters can be improved to further reduce congestion: 24 04/10