1. PROBLEM STATEMENT TITLE State of the practice and lessons learned from Recent Freeway ATMS Deployment Projects

Focus Area: Transportation Systems Management & Operations
Submitting On Behalf Of: TRB Committee on Freeway Operations
Urgency: Critical - High Priority
Cost: $500,000 - 749,000
Timeframe: 1 - 2 years
Type of Research: Full Research Project

Date Posted: Jul 14, 2024
Status: Not Funded

Research Description

This research will advance the state of the practice in Advanced Traffic Management Systems. This research effort shall conduct a comprehensive study of Freeway ATMS procurements and deployments since 2016 and generate a series of recommendations that will elevate the state of the practice and influence the next round of procurements and deployments. This project will formulate critical topics and gather perspectives of public and private sector personnel. Topics to explore in this research project include: • Level of satisfaction of agencies and vendors with their experiences. It is well known that while some states are satisfied with their vendor and solution, there are several agencies who are dissatisfied and chose either to terminate their ATMS vendor contract or stick it our rather than proceed with a long and arduous procurement and cutover process. Why do we have so few success stories? • Success rate of delivering ATMS within budget and schedule. How many new systems were implemented on-time and within budget? What are the major factors that cause project delays or cost overruns? What can be done to improve the success rate? • Evolution of the vendor community. In the past 10 years, the vendor community has been dominated by a small handful of companies Why is it difficult for small or emerging companies to break into the industry. What can be done to promote innovation? • Effect of the Systems Engineering Process on ATMS deployments. The systems engineering process was designed to improve how large-scale ITS systems are planned, procured, designed, and implemented. Has SEP helped or hindered ATMS projects? Today when ATMS offerings are more mature and agile processes are the norm, do we need to rethink the system engineering process? • Rate of adoption of new and merging technologies. Over the past decade, technology has rapidly advanced. While other industries have adapted more quickly to emerging technologies such as cloud computing, mobile computing, AI/machine learning, and big data analytics, statewide ATMS seems to be lagging. • Change in agency capabilities. How has agency staffing and capabilities changed in recent years and what effect has it had on project planning and delivery. What level of involvement does the consulting community have in supporting agencies across the ATMS lifecycle?

Additional Supporting Information

This research is extremely urgent. Since 2016, 21 states have issued contracts to upgrade or replace their freeway traffic management systems. In the next 36 months an additional 10 states are expected to issue tenders to upgrade their systems. This is an unprecedented opportunity to perform a comprehensive evaluation of the state of the practice in TMS. This research will be invaluable to affect changes in how ATMS are procured and implemented and increase the likelihood of successful projects. The results and recommendations in this research will be valuable to state agencies, vendors, and consultants.

Submitted By: Jim Katsafanas; Michael Baker International; 412-269-4635

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