Wednesday,
April 2, 2003
FHWA
8-03
Contact: Bill
Outlaw
Tel:
202-366-0660
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today
announced a partnership to conduct an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
model deployment with the Florida State Department of Transportation (Florida
DOT). The U.S. Transportation
Department’s (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will provide Florida
$10 million dollars in federal ITS funds for the project and Florida DOT will
contribute more than $8 million in matching funds from state, local and private
sector sources.
“Safety is the Bush Administration’s highest transportation
priority,” Secretary Mineta said.
“This partnership will create a model for states and jurisdictions across
the country – a model that can be used to improve safety, security and mobility
on America’s roadways and public transportation networks.”
The project will show how security, reliability, safety,
incident response and the overall operational performance of the surface
transportation system can be improved by making
information, collected and disseminated by ITS, widely available in real time.
“We’ve made a major commitment to Intelligent Transportation
Systems (ITS) in Florida to improve our transportation network,” said Governor
Bush. “This advanced use of technology will produce real-time results in moving
people and goods quicker, safer and more efficiently across our state.”
The project, which is officially known as the “Surface
Transportation Security and Reliability Information System Model Deployment,”
will be carried out under a cooperative agreement between USDOT and Florida
DOT. The schedule calls for a
two-year deployment.
Afterwards, a two-year operational evaluation will follow in
which USDOT will work with Florida DOT to assess benefits so that lessons
learned can be shared with other states and jurisdictions.
The project will demonstrate innovative techniques for
collecting, integrating and using surface
transportation data. While
the project is statewide, specific components will be focused in Orlando, on the
Florida intrastate highway system of freeways and major arterials, in the Cape
Canaveral coastal area, and in Jacksonville.
In Orlando, vehicles equipped with toll tags will serve as
probes, collecting data and providing travel-time information on the entire
freeway and arterial network.
Orlando’s fleet of transit vehicles (including paratransit vehicles that
assist special-needs travelers) will be equipped with automatic vehicle location
technology to improve transit fleet management and provide riders with
information on transit schedules and arrival times.
A new statewide reporting system will provide information on
events, incidents, construction and other capacity restrictions on the entire
Florida Intrastate Highway System.
Road weather sensors will provide weather conditions information and
forecasts and detect fog, high winds or flooding conditions. This information will help
transportation officials control traffic, deploy maintenance crews and give
travelers the information they need to plan trips. Statewide 511 telephone service will
provide travelers with easy access to current travel times and weather
conditions by roadway segment.
The Florida project will also provide for complete monitoring
of the two major highway corridors, SR 528 and SR 520, that support hurricane
evacuations from the Cape Canaveral coastal area. Travel time data will be collected on
parallel arterials, giving transportation officials a complete picture of
traffic flow, thus helping them direct traffic and manage an evacuation. The model deployment will also
demonstrate and evaluate strategies for monitoring critical surface
transportation infrastructure.
The FHWA and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
evaluated 17 proposals before selecting Florida for this partnership.
ITS improves
transportation safety and relieves congestion through the application of traffic
management, communication and information technologies. For additional information on ITS
applications, go to USDOT’s ITS website at http://www.its.dot.gov/.
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