Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter.
Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
OCR for page 17
C H A P T E R 1
Introduction
Focus on Reliability and redundancy, where interruptions of service can have major
Nonrecurring Congestion consequences. To date, state DOTs have also been the principal
actor in statewide and regional SO&M activities. Neverthe-
There are two types of highway congestion, each with its own less, other transportation agencies have an increasing level of
characteristic causes: recurring congestion (RC) and non- involvement--including larger local governments with sig-
recurring congestion (NRC). RC happens with regular and nificant regional arterial ownership, as well as metropolitan
predictable occurrences related to capacity shortfalls such as planning organizations (MPOs) and public safety entities that
regular peak delays. NRC is caused by unpredictable events play key roles, often in partnerships with state DOTs. Therefore,
such as accidents and bad weather conditions or occasional the term "transportation agency" has been used throughout,
occurrences such as special events. except when referring specifically to state DOT experience.
The delay, disruption, and accident impacts caused The key target audience of the guidance is senior manage-
by NRC--and the resultant lack of service reliability--are ment, including senior managers, program managers, and
increasingly understood as the major service concern to trav- unit-level managers, in both central and regional offices of
elers and shippers who place a high value on reliability and state DOTs.
predictability. This project targets the efforts of transporta-
tion and partner agencies to manage NRC and minimize its
effects on travel. The scope of work for this project targets five Organization of the Report
conventional SO&M strategy applications related to NRC: Eight chapters follow this introductory chapter. Chapter 2
crash- and breakdown-related incident management, road provides the framework for this research, states the basic
weather management (snow and ice), construction work zone hypothesis, and details the methodology followed. Chapter 3,
traffic management, special events planning/management, Theory on Process-Related Organizations and Change Man-
and active traffic management. agement, reviews the relevant contributions made in the fields
While the focus of this project is on NRC, the institutional of organizational development and change management.
issues addressed for NRC substantially incorporate those that Chapter 4 describes the interview and survey process used to
deal with recurring congestion (RC), such as signalization, develop the hypothesis. Chapters 56 present the findings from
ramp metering, and lane management. Therefore, within the the survey that indicate the processes that require institutional
context of this report, the term "congestion management" refers support and that identify the key institutional features sup-
to the organized efforts to reduce both types of congestion. portive of effective processes and programs. Chapter 7, The
Institutional Capability Maturity Model as the Structure for
Guidance, presents the structure for a stepwise approach for
Target Audience and Utilization
institutional maturity improvement. Chapter 8 identifies
The research for this report focused on state DOTs. State alternative scenarios of overall institutional change. Finally,
DOTs own almost all the interstates (and other freeways Chapter 9 describes alternative models in lieu of incremental
and expressways) and 70% of the principal arterials. These change. In addition, the appendices provide detailed guidance
are the high-volume, interregional facilities with limited on strategies and tactics.
17
