5.2 Advanced Technology

Be Prepared for “Limited Use of ITS Technology – Realize that with massive outages, the use of ITS to suggest alternative routes may be limited. One value of ITS technology is that it allows agencies to better inform the public of transportation options and to respond to incidents more rapidly. Information relayed during the blackout could have informed the public of certain closures, but because gridlock conditions prevailed on almost all roads for the first three hours following loss of power, there were not many transportation options available.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: August 2003 Northeast Blackout New York City
Communicate Updated Traffic Information – “Since the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the Traffic Management Center has updated the means by which they relay traffic information. Cable TV is now being used; real-time traffic information is available on the Internet; and Teletext, a scrolling sign placed at key points in the freeway system, updates commuters to potential back-ups.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: Northridge Earthquake
“Consider ITS Functionality That Could Be Particularly Useful During an Emergency – When Detroit area freeways flooded, operational cameras would have helped the Traffic Management Center personnel monitor the event and advise state police on what resources were necessary to deploy. In addition, functioning variable message signs would have helped the Traffic Management Center operators warn motorists about the incident.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: August 2003 Northeast Blackout Great Lakes Region
Share Advanced Technology Information – “The Interregion Video Network operated by the Transportation Operations Coordinating Committee allows 13 traffic management centers in the New York region to share video feeds of its network. This allows other agencies to better understand what is happening outside of its purview but that might have a significant impact on its operations. This system is available on a more limited basis to the general public through the MetroCommute Web site, giving motorists real-time information through the web.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: Cross-Cutting Study
Use Dynamic/Variable Message and Highway Advisory Radio to Communicate to the Public – “The most significant contribution from advanced technology came in the use of dynamic message signs/variable message signs and highway advisory radio to provide information to travelers on the closing of roadways into the City on the day of the event. Maryland’s Coordinated Highways Action Response Team system is state-of-the-art, and the State was able to post messages that covered the portions of the Interstate system impacted by the incident.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: Howard Street Tunnel Fire, Baltimore City
Use ITS Technologies to Provide Information and Assist in Decision Making – “Once a catastrophic event has occurred, advanced technologies and ITS can aid in providing information and assisting decision-makers in these ways: help make better informed decisions on when and how to open or restrict facilities, aid better communications with other public and private agencies involved in the response, and assist in communicating with the public about the status of the transportation system.

ITS technologies aided both agencies and travelers on September 11 in several ways. Its ability to alert motorists of problems long before they reached the Manhattan area was critical. Both customers and facility operators benefited in having traffic diverted before it reached the bridges or tunnels. After the Transportation Operations Coordinating Committee alerted I-95 Corridor member agencies of problems in the New York City region, these agencies used highway advisory radio and variable message signs on I-95 as far south as Delaware and as far north as New Haven, Connecticut, to alert travelers to avoid the New York City region.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: Cross-Cutting Study
Use Traffic Data to Assist In Decisions – “Traffic along key sections of the roadway system including bridges and tunnels leading to Manhattan was measured, and the information was used to help determine changes in the hours of the lower Manhattan crossings single-occupancy-vehicle ban. Variable message signs were used to communicate real-time information to travelers. Within two minutes of the decision to close the George Washington Bridge, the variable message signs alerted motorists ten miles away. The information provided by its 1-800 telephone lines was simultaneously updated and the information was electronically transmitted for broader dissemination.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: Cross-Cutting Study
“Utilize Portable ITS Equipment in Responding to Incidents – The Integrated Incident Management System, a joint program by New York City Department of Transportation, New York State Department of Transportation, and New York Police Department includes installed ITS equipment, including mounted and portable cameras, that allow managers to view an accident or situation from remote locations. But, during the blackout, the system was not operational, and agency officials were not sure that the Integrated Incident Management System would have been useful because it is designed primarily to respond to isolated incidents.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: August 2003 Northeast Blackout New York City

February 7, 2006
Publication #FHWA–HOP-08-015