Maryland Emergency Truck Parking during Winter Storms

Maryland DOT, Maryland Motor Truck Association, and the I-95 Corridor Coalition announced a new pilot program for emergency truck parking in select park and ride lots during heavy snow events as a safe haven for truckers to ride out the storm. The announcement provided a list of park and ride lots that can accommodate large trucks to park during snow storms of six inches or more instead of parking along highway ramps and shoulders. They also announced a new "mobile app" that gives truckers an easy way to navigate to these six new lots and to existing truck parking, bringing the total truck parking options during a storm to 45 across the State.

Read Press Release
View new Maryland’s Emergency Truck Parking Portal

The I-95 Corridor Coalition addresses electronic tolling activities from a multi-state approach to assist agencies in coordinating efforts with neighboring jurisdictions. Following are two example of the Coalition's electronic tolling activities:

Toll Enforcement Across State Lines

The enforcement of unpaid tolls across state lines has been a long-debated topic within the toll industry. In 2010, over 20 states formed a committee through the Alliance for Toll Interoperability (ATI) to focus on researching states' ability to enact legislation to allow for state-to-state reciprocity agreements to pursue toll violations by another state, similar to motor vehicle agreements that uphold traffic violations, i.e. you enforce my tolls on your citizens, I'll enforce your tolls on mine.

Authorities in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire have been working together, releasing a Memorandum of Understanding in early 2010 to move forward with drafting and signing violation enforcement agreements. Essential legislation was adopted early in 2011 in Maine, allowing the three states to move forward with establishing the reciprocity agreements, documents that outline the specific requirements of out-of-state violation enforcement.

In late 2010, the I-95 Corridor Coalition joined forces with ATI, providing support for the initiative which allowed ATI to hire a legislative drafting attorney, Willoughby (Tim) Sheane, Jr. ATI has since produced draft legislation that was approved by the committee. The legislation provided through Maine encompasses the overall goals of ATI's proposed language. As ATI, in conjunction with the I-95 Corridor Coalition, continues to move this necessary initiative forward, continued cooperation and discussions with Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire will be essential to ensure general conformity in legislation and state-to-state agreements adopted by other states within the US.

Electronic Tolling: Benefits, Challenges, and What's Needed

Drivers on the nation’s tolled roads, tunnels and bridges expect non-stop, reliable, safe and convenient travel. Toll operators are striving to deliver these benefits to toll-paying customers. This brochure, developed collaboratively by public agencies and related associations, provides a brief overview of electronic tolling and introduces “what’s needed” to meet ever-increasing customer demands.

A number of organizations were involved in developing this brochure, including the Alliance for Toll Interoperability (ATI); American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA); Council of State Governments’ Eastern Regional Conference (CSG-ERC); E-ZPass Group; Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (operators of SunPass); International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA); and the I-95 Corridor Coalition. The states comprising the I-95 Corridor Coalition rely more heavily on tolls to fund their transportation needs than counterparts in other areas of the country. Each year, the Coalition states’ toll-supported roads, bridges, and tunnels process over 4 billion transactions, representing over $8 billion in toll revenue. These facilities provide vital support for the region’s $4.7 trillion economy.

View the Electronic Tolling Brochure
Click here for more information on Electronic Tolling

Coalition to Demo CVII at the ITS World Congress

The I-95 Corridor Coalition, in partnership with the New York State Department of Transportation and Commercial Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (CVII) Project Team Members (Volvo Technology of America, Southwest Research Institute, and Kapsch) demonstrated elements of the CVII Program during the mid- October 2011 ITS World Congress in Orlando, Florida. Well over 100 attendees rode in the CVII-equipped tractor trailer along a nearby highway demonstration route to see the technology in action. As shown in the photos, Secretary Ananth Prasad of Florida DOT, I-95 Coalition Executive Board Vice Chair, and the Swedish Minister for Infrastructure Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd were among the many demo participants.

The CVII Program, initiated in 2009, focuses on developing, testing and deploying 5.9 GHz dedicated short range communications (DSRC) technology for heavy vehicles. One of the major initiatives in the national connected vehicles development effort, the CVII activities which were exhibited included safety and mobility applications between vehicles and roadside infrastructure (V2I/I2V) and vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication including:

• In vehicle signage and traveler information (I2V) including traveler advisories;
• Vehicle probe data including location, heading, speed and time (V2I)
• Commercial Vehicle driver credential verification including vehicle enabling/disabling for security purposes;
• Enhanced mainline screening of commercial vehicles for wireless safety inspections including driver credential information and vehicle safety systems’ status (brakes, lights, seat belt, tires);
• Maintenance vehicles broadcasting location and plowing/work zone operations to other vehicles;
• All vehicle (V2V) driver warnings including blind side, tailgating, emergency braking ahead, and safe to pass/safe to merge; and,
• Railroad/highway at-grade crossing driver warnings (I2V).

Developing a Corridor-wide, Web-based Monitoring System to Assist in Performance Measurements

State and local transportation agencies are rapidly adopting performance measurements as a core business practice to help keep the public informed about the benefits of transportation investments as well as better identify areas where improvements need to be made. The introduction of new, higher quality, wide-area, third-party travel time data provides great potential for supporting enhanced performance measurement activities that were previously unobtainable due to the high cost of detection.

The I-95 Coalition is developing a corridor-wide, web-based visual analytics monitoring system for identifying major bottlenecks, reporting on travel time reliability, and displaying other congestion measures using private sector vehicle probe data fused with agency incident/event data where available. This system demonstrates how states can create a congestion monitoring program using a variety of data sources, with an emphasis on vehicle probe data.

The Coalition is leveraging statewide Inrix probe data (click here to read more about the Coalition’s Vehicle Probe Project) and North Carolina Department of Transportation event data to develop a Wide-area Mobility Measures Visualization and Reporting System. The web-based visual analytics software will be capable of displaying performance measures at the statewide, corridor, and segment levels, and will allow users to view both real-time performance and historical performance at various zoom levels. Statewide congestion measures will be displayed first, and then users will be able to “zoom” into the state to view specific corridors or even specific segments. The website will be highly interactive. Easy to comprehend graphics will depict whether performance is better or worse than historical conditions and by how much. A separate section of the site will display “top-10” lists of best and worst performing roads in any given jurisdiction. Measures available will include Travel Time Index, Travel Time reliability, Hours of Congestion per Mile, Buffer Index, Analysis of Peak Periods, Facility Ranking, and Trend Analysis.

As part of the project, the Coalition also builds on its previous work which identified delay patterns at major bottlenecks. The acquisition of Inrix vehicle probe data now makes it possible to measure performance directly at such congestion points as freeway-to-freeway interchanges and toll facilities. Having established baseline congestion, an ongoing congestion monitoring program based on annual changes in performance at the bottleneck locations can be instituted. Also, the addition of data on congestion influences (day-to-day volumes, incidents, weather, and work zones) can be layered onto the base to understand the reasons why congestion grows or shrinks.

For more information about the Performance Measurements Project, click here.
View Bottleneck Performance in the I-95 Corridor (Final Report). 

A 2040 Vision for the I-95 Coalition Region: Supporting Economic Growth in a Carbon-Constrained Environment

The I-95 Corridor Coalition's Long Range Strategic Vision project (view) formulated and analyzed a transportation vision for the entire region – one which accommodates key values and issues related to a global economy, climate change, energy, and quality of life, while re-examining the traditional modal mix and service options available for passenger and freight movement in the corridor.

The Vision report shows the implications of continuing with "Business as Usual" and, alternatively, the impact of bold strategies for accommodating mobility and economic development, with an emphasis on reducing energy usage and the carbon footprint. With the implementation of the bold strategies outlined in the report, economic growth will be supported by improved system performance. Major highway and rail bottlenecks will be removed, and delay on urban Interstates will be reduced by 46 percent. The region will also be on path to achieve GHG emissions reductions of 60 to 80 percent by 2050 (as compared to 2005 levels).

The I-95 Coalition 2040 Vision was developed based on long-term trends and, even with the recent short-term fluctuations in the economy, the Vision's projections are still valid assumptions for the longer term 2040 vision period.  The Vision study assumed that the region's long term growth would rebound following the current severe economic downturn, albeit at a lower rate of growth than previously forecast.  Importantly, the region's more modest economic and travel growth assumptions were developed in the context of significantly reduced fossil fuel use and dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

2040 Vision for I-95 Region Executive Summary: View
2040 Vision for I-95 Region Full Report: View

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces Designation of “M-95” – the Marine Highway Corridor Serving the Landside I-95 Corridor

M-95 Designation, Projects and Initiatives to Benefit I-95 Corridor Coalition States

The I-95 Corridor Coalition’s waterside system was selected as a Marine Highway Corridor under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT’s) America’s Marine Highway Program, a new initiative to move more cargo on the water rather than on crowded highways. As the sponsor of the M-95 Marine Highway Corridor, the I-95 Corridor Coalition will be assisted by the USDOT Maritime Administration in developing transportation services and with identifying potential freight and passenger markets.

In addition to the M-95 Marine Highway Corridor designation, several projects and initiatives in the I-95 Corridor were selected to be eligible for federal assistance under the Program. “These projects will help make better use of America’s Marine Highway by reducing gridlock, improving the environment, and putting skilled mariners and shipbuilders to work,” said David Matsuda, Maritime Administrator.

Projects and Initiatives selected in the I-95 Corridor include:

• Cross Sound Enhancements Project (Connecticut DOT)
• New England Marine Highway Expansion Project (Maine DOT)
• Cross Gulf Container Expansion Project (Ports of Manatee, FL, and Brownsville, TX)
• Gulf Atlantic Marine Highway Project (South Carolina State Ports Authority and Port of Galveston, TX)
• Trans-Hudson Rail Service Project (Port Authority of New York & New Jersey)
• James River Container Expansion Project (Virginia Port Authority)
• Hudson River Food Corridor Initiative (New York City Soil & Water Conservation District) 
• New Jersey Marine Highway Initiative (New Jersey DOT)
• East Coast Marine Highway Initiative (Ports of New Bedford, MA, Baltimore, MD, and Canaveral, FL)

M-95 Marine Highway Corridor Attributes:

The 1,925 mile-long I-95 Corridor is the major North-South landside freight corridor on the East Coast. The USDOT identified more than a dozen major freight truck bottlenecks along this route, along with significant critical rail congestion along the upper portions. Projections of future freight volumes indicate increasing freight congestion challenges, with limited opportunity to increase landside capacity.

The Corridor is home to 15 of the largest 50 marine ports in the United States (as ranked by total throughput). These ports handle approximately 582 million short tons of cargo, or 26 percent of the national total. Much of this freight begins or ends its journeys with an I-95 transit. Fortunately, the East coast also possesses a host of waterways, bays, rivers, and the Atlantic coast itself. The Corridor is also lined with less congested, smaller niche ports that could play a vital part in the developing marine highway service network. While several Marine Highway operations already serve this corridor, there is significant opportunity for expansion to help address growing congestion, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve energy, and lower landside infrastructure maintenance costs.

View additional information on America’s Marine Highway Program (USDOT Maritime Administration)

2011 Traffic Signal Operations Self Assessment Survey -- Supports Development of the 3rd National Traffic Signal Report Card

The 2011 Traffic Signal Operations Self Assessment is now available at www.ite.org/selfassessment, and is to be completed by November 30, 2011. The self-assessment provides agencies with a tool to benchmark current practices and to evaluate opportunities for improving their policies and practices to better support the management of traffic signal systems.

Drive Safely Work Week - October 3-7

Focused driving is concentrating on the coordination of your hands, feet, eyes, ears and body movements while deciding how to react to what you see, hear, and feel in relation to other cards and drivers, traffic signs and signals, conditions of the highway, and the performance of your car. To be completely focused, there is just no room for secondary tasks.

View Drive Safely Work Week - Focus 360°: Getting there safely is everyone's business (Driver Tips)

“Know Before You Go” New Tool Helps Marylanders Navigate Daily Commutes, Road Trips, Special Events

Know Before You Go is the theme of the new Maryland 511 traveler information system now available throughout the State. It provides key travel information to help guide Marylanders before heading out to major events, cross-state travel and daily commutes. Calling 511 from any mobile or land line or logging onto www.MD511.org provides free one-stop shopping for travel information on State maintained roadways, including travel times, incident or work zone lane closures, weather reports and connections to transit, airport and tourism information.

Go Maryland 511 website

USDOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration Releases ITS Strategic Plan

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Research and Innovative Technology Administration has released the new, five-year Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Strategic Plan.  The plan explores the potentially transformative capabilities of wireless technology to make surface transportation safer, smarter and greener and ultimately enhance livability for Americans.  The core of the research plan is a program called IntelliDriveSM, a multimodal initiative to support safety, mobility and environmental enhancements by providing safe, interoperable wireless connectivity between vehicles, infrastructure and passengers' devices. 

View additional information about the Strategic Research Plan.

The Federal Railroad Administration Releases Preliminary National Rail Plan

The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA) directed the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to develop a Preliminary Rail Plan to address the rail needs of the Nation. The PRIIA also directed FRA to provide assistance to States in developing their State rail plans in order to ensure that the Federal long-range National Rail Plan is consistent with approved State rail plans. Subsequent to PRIIA, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 sets the framework for the development of true high-speed rail in the United States. This Preliminary Plan is, therefore, an important first step in an ongoing process.

This Preliminary Plan lays the groundwork for developing policies to improve the U.S. transportation system. Its goals are consistent with the top goals of the U.S. Department of Transportation's: to improve safety, to foster livable communities, to increase the economic competitiveness of the United States, and to promote sustainable transportation. The important attributes of rail - safety, fuel efficiency, and environmental benefits - can meaningfully assist in achieving these goals.

View the National Rail Plan