FHWA Report to TRB Committee on Freeway Operations

For further information on topics mentioned briefly below, visit the FHWA Operations web site (www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov), the ITS Joint Program Office web site (www.its.dot.gov), or the ITS Electronic Document Library (http://www.its.dot.gov/welcome.htm). Handouts on many of these topics are also available during the TRB annual meeting at the DOT booth .

ITS Architecture Consistency Final Rule - this rule, which implements the ITS architecture consistency language contained in TEA-21, is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on January 8, 2001. Visit the ITS web site for further information.

511 - in July 2000, the FCC reserved 511 for traveler information purposes. The number may be requested only by governmental entities. In August, FHWA solicited applications for conversion funding (up to $50,000) for converting existing traveler information numbers to 511. An AASHTO led coalition has been formed to determine the need for guidance on 511 implementation, and develop level of service and business model guidance. Visit the ITS web site for further information.

MUTCD Millenium Edition - was published in December 2000. The manual is currently available on the MUTCD website, http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov. Hard copies will be available through AASHTO, ATSSA, ITE, and the Government Printing Office in the Spring.

TMC Committee - Working closely with ITE, a web site and two listservs focused on Transportation Management Center managers and operators are being established to encourage dialogue on common issues and problems. The web site should be live in February 2001. Contact: Jon Obenberger (202) 366-2221.

TMC pooled fund study - 13 States, the District of Columbia, and FHWA have initiated a pooled fund study to work on TMC-related projects of common interest. Projects related to TMC operator requirements, maintenance concept and plans, DMS practices, policies and procedures, configuration management, and data collection and archiving are being initiated. The FY 2001 call for contributions to the study and new State partners has been issued. For further information, contact Jon Obenberger (202) 366-2221.

Revised FHWA HOV policy - FHWA is in the process of refining its policy on making major changes to existing HOV facilities, including conversion to facilities open to single occupant vehicles. The revised policy, which will include additional detail on factors to be used in evaluating the impacts of a potential change, will be available in the Spring. The existing policy is available on the FHWA Operations web site.

HOT lane guidance - FHWA is developing guidance on implementing and operating High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. The guidance should be available in Spring 2001.


Freeway Management Handbook Revision - funding for this activity has been secured. Procurement will take place later in 2001, with the revised handbook expected to be available in early 2002.

Incident Management Handbook Update and Incident Management Implementation Guide - these publications were recently completed and are available on the Electronic Document Library

NHI Course Revisions - Revisions to three existing NHI courses on Incident Management (Dave Helman - 202-366-8042), HOV Facilities (Jon Obenberger - 202-366-2221), and Freeway Traffic Operations (Jon Obenberger) will be initiated in 2001.

FHWA Customer Surveys - FHWA conducted several customer surveys in 2000, to assess customer satisfaction with the condition and operation of the nation's roadways. Full results of these surveys will be available on the FHWA web site (www.fhwa.dot.gov) in February 2001.

TTI Freeway Performance Measures Study - FHWA is working closely with the Texas Transportation Institute to develop and calculate areawide, travel-time based performance measures using archived data from freeway management systems in 10 metropolitan areas. Contact Vince Pearce at 202-366-1548 for further information.

Shared Resources Guidance - On December 22, 2000 FHWA issued guidance to all field offices on telecommunications installations on freeway rights of way. This guidance reaffirms the right of the State to manage their right of way, defines key competitive issues a State should consider when developing a shared resources agreement, and offers a recommended approach to developing shared resources agreements. Visit the ITS web site for further information.