Enhancement and Outreach for the Active Management Screening Tool

Active traffic management—widely deployed for decades in Europe but in its infancy in the United States—maximizes the effectiveness and efficiency of the facility, and increases throughput and safety through integrated systems with new technology, including the automation of dynamic deployment to optimize performance quickly. In a previous UTCM project (TRID Online Accession #01364063) the principal investigator completed a beta version of an Active Management Screening Tool (AMST) for use by agencies in their congestion management process. The purpose of the AMST is to help agencies better assess the potential of active management strategies for their region. It is structured to provide beneficial information and guidance related to active management strategies in all areas and levels of transportation planning. Active management strategies included in the tool are: high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes; express toll lanes; non-tolled express lanes; exclusive/dedicated truck lanes; exclusive transitways; temporary shoulder use; speed harmonization; queue warning; dynamic rerouting and traveler information; ramp metering; dynamic merge control; and automated enforcement. This project enhanced the AMST with recent and emerging research and domestic experiences to make it a more robust product. The project also enhanced the website developed in the previous UTCM project to incorporate recent development and changes in the newly formed Active Transportation and Demand Management program within the Federal Highway Administration. Furthermore, by reaching out to practitioners across the country regarding the availability of the AMST, this project can have a positive impact on transportation networks by providing a tool to assess appropriate active management strategies for a region.