AVL and 511PA in Winter and Incident Management National Winter Maintenance Peer Exchange September 12, 2017 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
PennDOT Winter Operations Includes all PennDOT Districts and Executive staff Provide support Districts and Counties Winter weather forecast Statewide prestorm conference Statewide Area Command activation District Incident Command activation Monitor changing conditions Weather dissipation and Command deactivation Provided by On-Call Meteorologist Districts report to Area Command Perform After- Action Reviews
PennDOT Area Command PennDOT activates Area Command to maintain situational awareness during winter weather events
PennDOT Area Command Criteria for activation Significant winter weather event forecasted to impact a large region or several counties in the Commonwealth Winter weather projected to last several hours Possible need to utilize Mobile Equipment Team (MET) resources Activation Procedure Arrangement of staff varied on case-by-case basis Minimum staff of Area Commander and Deputy May include Planning, Logistics and Financial staff
PennDOT Area Command Area Command Operational Procedure Hourly exchange of situational reports between AC and Districts Monitoring of road conditions and incidents and reporting to Executive Staff Coordination of incident management, speed limit and vehicle restrictions, etc. Resources used by Area Command Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) 511PA and Road Condition Reporting System Public and contract weather services RWIS Network Monitor
Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) Over 2,800 trucks equipped with AVL 1,500 full GPS and material usage data 1,300 with only GPS (400 by contractors) AVL data is monitored during events to ensure operational coverage
AVL and 511PA AVL data feed to 511PA.com 2-hour truck locations with 30 minute delay Only available during winter weather events when activated by counties Allows PennDOT to share maintenance activities with public Improved maintenance relationship with public at statewide and local level Validates presence of winter maintenance services
511PA Connect 511PA + AVL One-Way Two-Way 511PA Connect
511PA Connect 511PAConnect is a trapped-traveler emergency communications tool that allows incident response teams to communicate via automated phone or text message directly with motorists who are trapped in a roadway backup
511PA Connect Connects impeded travelers to incident and traffic managers Live incident updates provided via cellular communication Geographically locates and targets affected travelers
511PA Connect Collaborative development with PA Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and PA Turnpike Commission Administrators send a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) message to vehicles within geographic area Recipients are directed to a website to register with phone, vehicle, and occupant information to receive updates No separate mobile app required all via browser Allows for multi-lingual user interface
511PA Connect
511PA Connect Timeline 0-Hour Initial incident detection and assessment 1-Hour Anticipated trapped queue for (4) or more hours Travelers unable to re-route for 4+ hours PennDOT internal authorization to proceed 3-Hour Approval of 511PA message by Area Command 2-Hour Authentication of IPAWS generated message to motorists Initial incident alert message sent to motorists 4-Hour Incident update messages every 15-60 minutes Ongoing incident assessment Free Flow Incident closed and user data removed. Perform AAR Incident clearance message
511PA Connect
511PA Connect Road will be closed for 1-2 more hours. Do you have any non-emergency needs? Our vehicle is low on fuel. A roadside service technician is in the area and may be able to assist you. Call 911 for emergencies. Thank you. The technician was able to assist us.
511PA Connect Date/Time Incoming/ Outgoing Phone Message 12/11/17 12:01 AM Outgoing 555-789-4455 Road will be closed for 1-2 more hours. Do you have any non-emergency needs? 12/11/17 12:15 AM Incoming 555-789-4455 Our vehicle is low on fuel. 12/11/17 12:34 AM Outgoing 555-789-4455 A roadside service technician is in the area and may be able to assist you. Call 911 for emergencies. 12/11/17 12:49 AM Incoming 555-789-4455 Thank you. The technician was able to assist us. 12/11/17 1:40 AM Outgoing 555-789-4455 Road will be reopening soon. Call 911 for emergencies. 12/11/17 2:22 AM Outgoing 555-789-4455 Road has been reopened. You have been opted out of this service.
511PA Connect AAR March 3, 2017 I-80 EB closure between MM 133-147 Initial 511PAConnect request sent 1:42 PM 17 total recipients, all choosing text message option Four (4) update messages sent Final reopening message sent at 4:25 PM
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