Transportation Management Center (TMC) Pooled Fund Study:  FY 08 Overview

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Purpose and Goal of TMC Pooled Fund Study:

The TMC Pooled Fund Study is intended to provide a forum for participants to identify and address operational and human centered issues that are common among agencies that manage and operate TMCs. The study focuses on issues facing traffic signal control system, freeway management system, and multi-modal TMCs, and brings together regional, State, and local traffic management agencies, in concert with the FHWA, to:

1. Identify human-centered and operational issues;
2. Suggest approaches to addressing identified issues;
3. Initiate and monitor projects intended to address identified issues;
4. Provide guidance and recommendations and disseminate results;
5. Provide leadership and coordinate with others with TMC interests; and
6. Promote and facilitate technology transfer related to TMC issues nationally.

Membership:

Membership in the TMC Pooled Fund Study consists of twenty-eight public agencies and the FHWA.  Agencies may join at anytime during the year by committing funds at a level deemed appropriate by the members.  The study has been approved for 100 percent SP&R funding.  Any non-commercial agency or organization that is responsible for the management and operation of any portion of the surface transportation system is welcome to join the study.  Such agencies and organizations may include cities, counties, toll authorities, turnpike authorities, port authorities, and corridor coalitions. Current members are the FHWA and the following agencies:

Process to Identify, Select, and Initiate New Projects:

The members meet annually to review progress on current projects, and to identify and select new projects.  Projects are selected based on needs that are identified through an iterative process that involves the TMC Pooled Fund Study member input, state-of-practice reviews, and issues identified by professional organizations.  Based on the prioritized list of needs, project proposals are developed for further consideration and reviewed by members in advance of the annual meeting.  At the annual meeting these project proposals are reviewed, revised, prioritized, and selected through an iterative process. Consensus building techniques are used to ensure that the needs identified by all members are accommodated to the extent possible.

The projects that are selected and advanced are based on priority ranking established by the members and resources that are available to the study for that year.  Project groups that consist of representatives from the member agencies guide the development of the scope of the project, provide technical assistance, and direction after the annual meeting.  This involvement includes any further revision of the project scope, clarification of project objectives, development of the statement of work, contractor selection, technical review and direction throughout project development and execution.

Completed, Current and Future Projects:

19 projects have been selected over the past seven years.  Nine additional projects have been selected at the annual meeting in July 2008 and will be initiated in 2008-2009.  Brief descriptions of the current projects are provided in the following paragraphs.  Additional information on these projects can be found on the TMC Pooled Fund Study website at http://tmcpfs.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/.

Completed Projects/Products:

• TMC Operator Requirements and Position Descriptions Technical Document
• TMC Operator Position Description Creation Tool ( http://tmcops.gtri.gatech.edu/tool_home.php)
• Changeable Message Sign Operation and Messaging Handbook
• Guidelines for Transportation Management Systems Maintenance Concept and Plans
• Configuration Management for Transportation Management Systems Handbook
• Managing Travel for Planned Special Events Handbook
• Coordinated Freeway and Arterial Operations Handbook
• Impacts of Using Dynamic Features to Display Messages on Changeable Message Signs
• Handbook for Developing a TMC Operations Manual
• TMC Staffing and Scheduling for Day-to-Day Operations Handbook and Tool
• TMC Clearinghouse
• Developing and Using Concept of Operations for Transportation Management Systems
• TMC Business Planning and Plans Handbook
• Transportation Management Systems Performance Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Handbook
• Regional, Statewide and Multi-state TMC Concept of Operations and Requirements
• Recovery and Mitigation for TMCs

Current Projects:

Procuring, Managing, and Evaluating the Performance of Contracted TMC Services:  The focus of this project is a scan of current TMC owners to determine outsourcing activities and the methodologies being utilized.  A technical document will be developed to provide guidance and recommended practice to TMC owners and managers to determine their outsourcing needs, activities and the methodologies being utilized to operate and maintain the transportation management systems.

Milestones & Products:

• Draft technical document - October 2008.
• Final technical document, project fact sheet, tri-fold brochure, and technical presentation - January 2009.

Driver Use of Real-Time En-Route Travel Time Information: This study will assess impacts of en-route real-time travel time or delay information on drivers, define the most effective way to provide en-route real-time travel time information, and develop preliminary guidance to practitioners for delivering en-route travel time information.

Milestones & Products:

• Draft project report - November 2008.
• Final project report and white paper - January 2009.

Future Projects:

The following nine projects are expected to initiate in 2008-2009 based on funding availability:

• TMC Human Factors Design Guidelines: Requirements Analysis
• Roles of TMCs in Emergency Operations
• Methodologies to Measure and Quantify TMC Benefits, Phase 1
• Integration of TMCs and Law Enforcement: Needs Assessment
• Developing Travel Time Information
• TMC Clearinghouse Support Services
• TMC White Paper Series
• Developing TMC Operator Training Program Guidelines
• TMC Data Capture for Performance and Mobility Measures

Program Administration:

As part of its contribution to the TMC Pooled Fund Study, the FHWA provides the staff and resources that are necessary to successfully support various projects and activities.  As a result, the funds that are provided by the members go entirely to the projects that are selected and products that are produced or services provided.  FHWA resources are then used for providing leadership, direction, technical expertise, and project management to the various activities that are pursued or projects initiated.  Contract solicitations, when necessary, will be issued through normal FHWA procurement procedures.

Governance and Charter:

A charter, ratified by the members, governs the following aspects of the TMC Pooled Fund Study: membership; project selection; project management, coordination, and solicitation; policies and procedures; fiscal management; and overall TMC Pooled Fund Study management. The complete TMC Pooled Fund Study charter is available at http://tmcpfs.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/.

FHWA Contacts:

For additional information on the TMC Pooled Fund Study contact Raj Ghaman at (202) 493-3270, raj.ghaman@fhwa.dot.gov; or Tom Granda at (202) 493-3365, thomas.granda@fhwa.dot.gov. To request documents or material that are not available on the TMC Pooled Fund Study website, contact Ming-Shiun Lee at (612) 373-6335, ming_shiun_lee@urscorp.com.

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