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ICM Summer Newsletter
- ICM Early Adopter Profile: Maricopa Association of Governments: I-10 Integrated Corridor Management System (ICMS)
- Preliminary Results Show Positive Impact of ICM!
- Recent and Upcoming ICM Events
ICM Early Adopter Profile: Maricopa Association of Governments: I-10 Integrated Corridor Management System (ICMS)
Background
In 2003, as part of their Regional Concept of Operations development, the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) identified a regional goal of implementing one fully integrated corridor. This Integrated Corridor Management System (ICMS) project would carry out the ground work necessary to develop a fully Integrated Corridor Management System along one heavily traveled freeway/arterial corridor in the MAG region.
ICM Corridor
The MAG and key partners originally selected the I-10 corridor between I-17 and SR 85 as their future ICM corridor. The corridor includes I-10, and parallel arterials McDowell Road, Van Buren Road, and MC 85/Buckeye Road. The MAG and key partners have recently shifted their focus from the I-10 corridor to the Loop 101 East due to a external issues regarding funding.
Goals of the ICMS
The focus of the ICMS project in Arizona will be to develop effective corridor management strategies and apply appropriate technologies to reduce traffic congestion and related negative impacts to corridor traffic flow due to the combined effects of heavy travel demand and the freeway construction work zone.
There were seven key goals and objectives for the I-10 ICMS:
- Achieve maximum throughput on freeways and arterials in the ICMS operational test area;
- Improve safety and mobility by reducing incident response and clearance times on freeways and arterials;
- Make efficient use of technologies and resources to manage day-to-day demands and optimize the multi-modal network;
- Implement new technologies and systems and integrate with existing agency systems to achieve seamless system operations;
- Reduce demand by balancing trips among modes and networks, expanding commute alternative programs, and educating travelers about commute options and alternatives;
- Enhance traveler information resources, and promote awareness among the public about travel conditions information that is available to them; and
- Leverage investments among modes and agencies to effectively mainstream integrated corridor management approaches.
The MAG is currently in the process of developing goals and objectives for the new Loop 101 East ICM corridor.
ICM Activities:
- I-10 Corridor:
- Developed Concept of Operations (http://www.mag.maricopa.gov/pdf/cms.resource/ICMS_2009-04-07_I10-Integrated-Corridor-Management-System-Final-Report_94081.pdf)
- Undertaking ITS enhancements with ICMS in mind along the I-10 Corridor.
- Loop 101 East Corridor:
- Developing a regional incident management plan.
- Organizing an Incident Management workshop for fall 2010.
- Identifying stakeholders and key partners.
- Defining existing operations protocols.
Key Project Partners:
- I-10 Corridor:
- Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT)
- Department of Public Safety (DPS)
- Valley Metro/Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA)
- City of Phoenix
- City of Goodyear
- City of Avondale
- Town of Buckeye
- Loop 101 East Corridor:
- ADOT
- DPS
- City of Phoenix
- City of Tempe
- City of Scottsdale
Preliminary Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation Results Show Positive Impact of ICM!
The AMS Sites (Dallas, TX; Minneapolis, MN; and San Diego, CA) are in the process of finalizing their results from their AMS. However, data from all three AMS Sites indicates positive results and impacts of implementing ICM. Overall:
- ICM is a great investment for all three sites. Both Benefit-Cost ratios and 10-year net benefits are positive and significant across all three sites.
- Improved travel time reliability is the largest benefit of ICM. Reduced travel time is the second largest benefit, followed by fuel consumption and emissions benefits.
- ICM improves mobility.
- ICM helps improve the reliability of travel time.
- ICM helps reduce fuel consumption and mobile emissions.
- ICM strategies produce more benefits at higher levels of travel demand and during non-recurrent congestion.
- The ICM AMS effort improved analysis tools and methods.
- The ICM AMS effort improved model calibration and data analysis methods.
AMS Summary Results
| Dallas | Minneapolis | San Diego | |
| Annual Travel Time Savings (Person-Hours) | 740,000 | 132,000 | 246,000 |
| Improvement in Travel Time Reliability | 3% | 4.4% | 10.6% |
| Gallons of Fuel Saved Annually | 981,000 | 17,600 | 323,000 |
| Tons of Mobile Emissions Saved Annually | 9,400 | 175 | 3,100 |
| 10-Year Net Benefit | $104M | $264M | $82M |
| Benefit-Cost Ratio | 20:1 | 22:1 | 10:1 |
Benefits were calculated using consistent methodologies across the three sites. 10-year net benefits are larger in Dallas than in the other two sites because Dallas ICM affects a larger area than the other two sites. Benefit-cost ratios are similar between Dallas and Minneapolis (20:1 and 22:1, respectively) and 10:1 for San Diego. This difference may be a function of how costs were reported by the sites, including cost breakdown and ICM costs versus more general ITS costs.
ICM Resources under Development
Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation (AMS) Guide
AMS is an integral part of the ICM concept and is an ongoing, continual improvement process. The USDOT is developing an AMS Guide to provide a recommended approach to help agencies interested in implementing ICM, and in particular, conducting modeling to assist them in their implementation, to conduct AMS successfully and effectively. The AMS Guide will clarify the minimum levels of data, knowledge, skill sets, and tools that will be needed to conduct AMS successfully. The AMS Guide will also provide examples from the Pioneer Sites and links to additional resources that will help provide guidance and support as corridors work towards developing their AMS plan.
The ICM AMS methodology offers the following benefits to corridor managers across the country:
- Invest in the right strategies. The methodology offers corridor managers a predictive forecasting capability that they lack today to help determine which combinations of ICM strategies are likely to be most effective under different conditions and enables a better understanding if ICM impacts and benefits.
- Invest with confidence. AMS allows corridor managers to “see around the corner” and discover optimum combinations of strategies as well as conflicts or unintended consequences inherent in certain combinations of strategies that would otherwise be unknowable before implementation.
- Improve the effectiveness/success of implementation. With AMS, corridor managers can understand in advance what questions to ask about their system and potential combinations of strategies to make any implementation more successful.
- AMS provides a long-term capability to corridor managers to continually improve implementation of ICM strategies based on experience.
Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Implementation Guide
The USDOT is preparing an ICM Implementation Guide to assist practitioners with implementing ICM systems (ICMS). The ICM Implementation Guide will provide direction to agencies interested in implementing ICM on how to plan, develop, deploy, operate and maintain an Integrated Corridor Management System (ICMS). It will provide an overall framework, activities that need to be undertaken, and also recommend products needed to develop an ICMS as well as provide assistance in development of the Concept of Operations (ConOps) and System Requirements. The guide will focus on what has been learned to date from the ICM Initiative and provide samples and excerpts from the Pioneer Sites.
AMS Results and Webinar
The AMS Sites (Dallas, TX; Minneapolis, MN; and San Diego, CA) are in the process of finalizing their results from their AMS. Once the results are available, USDOT will hold an AMS Webinar to discuss the AMS results and lessons learned. Stay tuned for more information!
Recent and Upcoming Events
American Public Transportation Association (APTA) 2010 Annual Meeting
October 3-6, 2010 - San Antonio, TX. More information on this event can be found at http://www.apta.com/mc/conferences/90days/2010annual/Pages/default.aspx.
2010 ITS World Congress
October 25-29, 2010, Busan, South Korea. More information on this event can be found at http://www.itsworldcongress.kr/.
AASHTO 2010 Annual Meeting
October 28-November 2, 2010, Biloxi, MS. More information on this event can be found at http://www.transportation.org/meetings/224.aspx.
To learn more about the USDOT ICM Initiative:
Brian Cronin
USDOT/Research and Innovative Technology Administration
202-366-8841
brian.cronin@dot.gov
Steve Mortensen
USDOT/Federal Transit Administration
202-493-0459
steven.mortensen@dot.gov
Bob Sheehan
USDOT/Federal Highway Administration
202-366-6817
robert.sheehan@dot.gov
Dale Thompson
USDOT/Federal Highway Administration
202-493-3420
dale.thompson@dot.gov
Visit the ICM Website to learn more about the USDOT's ICM Initiative and sign up for the optional RSS feed to be notified when updates about ICM are posted to the web site!