Summary State DOT Practices for Developing and Implementing TSMO Plans (2021)

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81   Dear State DOT Planning Lead/Operations Engineer, You are invited to take part in an online survey for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 20-05/Topic 51-15, State DOT Practices for Developing and Implementing TSMO Plans. The purpose of this survey is to gather information on statewide transportation systems management and operations (TSMO) practices, planning processes, and methods from state departments of transportation (DOTs). TSMO is the use of multimodal transportation strategies that maximize the efficiency, safety, and utility of existing and planned transportation infrastructure. These strategies include, but may not be limited to: • Traffic incident management; • Traffic signal coordination; • Traveler information; • Freeway management; • Integrated corridor management; • Transit signal priority (TSP); • Advanced public transit technologies; • Freight management; • Work zone management; • Special event management; and • Road weather management. TSMO statewide plans provide guidance on how TSMO will be conducted throughout the state. This research will develop a report guidebook to help stakeholders understand the current state of practice to develop and implement regional and statewide TSMO plans. Regional TSMO plans concentrate on TSMO strategies specific to the applicable regional boundary, be it metropolitan area boundary or otherwise, and may involve coordination with multiple state DOTs and their statewide TSMO plans. Statewide TSMO plans coordinate across active and planned regional and statewide TSMO strategies. This study will also identify gaps in TSMO plan practices, gaps in knowledge, and research needs. We are interested in the experience of agencies in applying methods for TSMO plan development, implementation, and monitoring within state DOT planning and programming processes, whether statewide or at a district or regional level. This survey is being sent to each state department of transportation. If you are not the appropriate person at your organization to complete this questionnaire, please forward it to the correct person. A P P E N D I X A Survey Questionnaire

82 Summary State DOT Practices for Developing and Implementing TSMO Plans Please complete and submit this survey as soon as possible. We estimate that it should take no more than 30 minutes to complete. If you have any questions or problems with operation or access to the questionnaire, please contact our principal investigator, Dr. Beverly Kuhn, at (979) 317-2823 or b-kuhn@tti.tamu.edu. Thank you for your time and expertise in completing this important questionnaire. Acronyms The following acronyms are used in conjunction with this questionnaire: CMM – capability maturity model DOT – department of transportation ITS – intelligent transportation systems MPO – metropolitan planning organization TSMO – transportation systems management and operations Contact Information • Name: • Agency: • Position/Title: • Telephone: • Email: 1. Select the state you represent. (State drop down menu) Organizational Attributes of your Agency as Related to TSMO Plan Developments 2. On a scale of 1–5 indicate how true the following statements are of your agency’s current culture related to TSMO (1 being agree the least, 5 being agree the most): – We have defined a clear and formalized leadership for our TSMO planning efforts. – We have the processes needed to effectively prioritize TSMO projects. – We partner with external (either to our department or to our agency) stakeholders to effectively plan for and prioritize TSMO projects. – We have the organizational capabilities and funding needed to effectively plan for and prioritize TSMO projects. – We have the necessary information and data to effectively plan and prioritize TSMO projects. – We partner with external (to our agency) stakeholders to provide the necessary informa- tion and data to effectively plan and prioritize TSMO projects. – We have the necessary control within the agency to test, evaluate, and implement new investments in TSMO systems, strategies, and processes. 3. Does your agency currently have a TSMO plan? – Yes – No 4. How would you characterize your current TSMO plan? – Statewide TSMO plan – Regional TSMO plan – Both

Survey Questionnaire 83   5. Is your state TSMO plan currently integrated with another plan? – Yes (if so, which plan?) – No – I do not know 6. Is your regional TSMO plan currently integrated with another plan? – Yes (if so, which plan?) – No – I do not know 7. How would you characterize the region covered by your TSMO plan? (Select all that apply. Answer options: Led by State DOT, Led by MPO, Not Applicable, Don’t Know) – State DOT region/district – Metropolitan planning organization – Large urban area – Multi-state – Other __________________________________ 8. Does your agency currently have the following? – A TSMO strategic plan (i.e., the business case for TSMO, vision and program mission, goals, and performance objectives) – An implementation plan (i.e., documenting active or planned TSMO projects, services, supporting legislation/municipal ordinances, and implementation policies). – Both – Neither – I do not know 9. When was the most recent version of your current TSMO plan(s) developed? (Select all that apply) – Less than 6 months ago – Between 6 months and 1 year ago – Between 1 and 2 years ago – Between 2 and 3 years ago – Between 3 and 4 years ago – Over 5 years ago – I do not know 10. Which of the following motivations, goals, and/or factors influenced the development of your current TSMO plan? (Select all that apply) – Meeting performance-based planning and programming requirements – Improving system reliability – Reducing recovery times from major disruptions – Improving safety – Elevating transportation operations and/or TSMO within the state DOT – Establishing dedicated TSMO funding – Advancing agency level of capability across one or more dimensions within the TSMO capability maturity model (CMM) framework – Created in response to a specific incident or disruption – Other _____________________________________ – I do not know 11. Does your agency currently have plans for developing a TSMO plan? – Yes – No

84 Summary State DOT Practices for Developing and Implementing TSMO Plans 12. Why not? 13. What is the anticipated timeline for the finalization of NEW regional and/or statewide TSMO plans for your organization? (Select all that apply) – Development time frame – < 1 month – < 6 months – < 1 year – < 2 years – < 3 years – < 5 years – Cyclical – Other ______________________ Components of TSMO Planning 14. In the following matrix, please indicate the role of the specific stakeholders with respect to the development and implementation of your agency’s regional and/or statewide TSMO plan. (Select all that apply. Answer options: Lead or Contributor) – Stakeholder ◾ State DOT departments/divisions ◾ Program, planning and project development ◾ Traffic operations ◾ Maintenance ◾ Safety ◾ Administration ◾ Freight ◾ Design ◾ Construction ◾ Other ______________________ – Partner Agencies ◾ MPO ◾ Council of government ◾ Consultant ◾ Municipal/City ◾ County ◾ Rural planning organization ◾ Regional transportation management center ◾ Department of public safety ◾ University ◾ Other partner agencies ______________________ 15. What degree of control do you provide to districts and/or regions in your state when developing and implementing TSMO plans? – Total control – Majority of control – Some level of control – No control – Don’t know 16. In the following matrix, please indicate the other statewide and/or regional plans and processes that directly connect to your statewide and/or regional TSMO plans. (Select all that apply. Answer options: Statewide, Regional, Not Applicable, Don’t Know)

Survey Questionnaire 85   – Special planning studies – Regional operations plan – Congestion management plan – Transportation asset management plan – Statewide freight plan – Project selection processes – Performance-based planning and programming processes – Transportation improvement program – Statewide transportation improvement program – Long-range transportation plan – Other ____________________________ Funding 17. Assuming that your TSMO plan has a defined budget, please identify all funding source contributions. (Select all that apply. Answer options: Yes, No, Don’t Know) – General state funds – Federal-aid funds with local/state match – In-kind contributions from participating agencies – State planning and research (SPR) funds – Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds – Participating regional planning membership fees – Freight plan funds – Rail plan funds – Strategic Highway Safety Plan Funds – Other ________________________ Data 18. In the matrix below, please select all applicable data sets used in the development of your agency’s TSMO plan. (Select all that apply. Answer options: Statewide, Regional) – Asset condition data – Speed data – Volume data – Crash data – Signal timing data – Incident management data – Travel time reliability data – TMC performance data (traveler information coverage area and dynamic message sign incident update response times and accuracy measures, contractor performance targets, etc.) – Other _______________________________ Project Selection 19. Does your agency have a designated amount of money or line item to fund TSMO projects on an annual basis? – Yes – No 20. What is the total amount of money dedicated to fund TSMO Projects? 21. Which of the following criteria does your agency use when selecting TSMO projects for funding? (Select all that apply) – Leveraging major capacity projects to deploy TSMO strategy enablers (ITS, Highway safety service patrol investments, Traffic/Transportation management center updates).

86 Summary State DOT Practices for Developing and Implementing TSMO Plans – Establishing systems-engineering based requirements within regional ITS architectures and ITS/TSMO procurements and deployments. – Establishing comparable project prioritization scoring (e.g., normalizing benefit-cost per project $ spent) between TSMO/ITS projects and major capacity projects. – Integrating regional TSMO project scoring with a statewide list of TSMO project scores. – Developing a process to incorporate TSMO projects identified within regional TSMO plans into statewide TSMO plans and project rankings. – Other ________________________________. Performance Measures 22. In the matrix below, please identify all of your agency’s regional and/or TSMO plan goals/ objectives that have an associated performance measure. (Select all that apply. Answer options: Statewide, Regional) – Improve travel reliability (non-recurring congestion) – Improve system performance (recurring congestion) – Improve safety – Improve asset conditions (inclusive of all classes of assets) – Reduce environmental impacts – Improve project delivery – Improve resilience (improve vulnerable corridors) – Expand ITS/TSMO coverage – Improve regional stakeholder coordination and communication – Capability maturity model (CMM) improvement – Invest in unreliable hotspots/corridors to ensure higher return on investment (ROI) – Leverage new technologies – Include multimodal elements such as transit, and active transportation plans to improve route choice and safety – Improve TSMO funding outlook – Improve coordination of ITS deployments among regional and statewide partners – Other _______________________________ 23. In the matrix below, please identify the associated performance measures by which your agency’s regional and/or statewide TSMO plan(s) or TSMO projects are deemed a success. (Answer options: Statewide, Regional) – Improve travel reliability (non-recurring congestion) – Improve system performance (recurring congestion) – Traffic signal performance measures (i.e., % of traffic signals with remote timing com- munication capabilities) – Travel time reliability measures (i.e., buffer time index, travel time index, planning time index, travel time reliability, etc.) – Incident management measures (i.e., incident clearance times and/or roadway clearance times) – Asset preservation and life-cycle measures (asset up/down time, maintenance schedule measures, etc.) – Travel times – Personnel savings (i.e., use of algorithms to adjust signal timing and counting reductions in signal re-timing personnel hours) – Vehicle delay hours (trucks and personal vehicles) – Annual fatalities and fatality rates – ITS system coverage – Safety service patrol system coverage

Survey Questionnaire 87   – Project design measures (i.e., % of projects that complete a TSMO systems deployment checklist) – Other ________________________________ Implementation 24. Is there a district or regional TSMO plan template and guide provided to districts to facili- tate the integration with a statewide plan, TSMO or otherwise? – Yes – No 25. Would you be willing to provide a copy of that document? – Yes – No 26. Indicate which TSMO plan implementation mechanisms have been used by your agency. (Select all that apply. Answer options: Statewide, Regional) – TSMO program and/or institutional progress metrics that align with regional and/or statewide performance-based planning targets for resiliency, safety and mobility – Capability maturity goal and model progress tracking – Periodic TSMO progress report – Periodic Review of (S)TIP project, budgets, and MPO calls for projects to verify TSMO plan elements included – Implementation guide within TSMO plan – TSMO Tactical plans as action items (i.e., traffic incident management, data integration, multimodal/active transportation) – TSMO project development checklist and scoping language for engineering consultants – TSMO training/webinar material – Conduct TSMO plan outreach (i.e., at project-specific meetings, and district portfolio planning meetings, etc.) – Regional and/or statewide TSMO committee established – Appoint TSMO coordinator – Plan-based budget with resource needs – Allocate staff resources that match TSMO plan ITS deployment/maintenance needs – Other __________________________ Challenges 27. On a scale of 1–5 indicate your opinion on how challenging the following items are to TSMO planning. (1 being least challenging, and 5 being most challenging) – Securing necessary funding for TSMO investments – Acquiring and developing adequate staffing to maintain and service existing ITS and TSMO investments – Obtaining a seat at the decision makers table to champion TSMO solutions and inputs to various state DOT activities – Distinguishing TSMO activities from other state DOT programs and divisions (i.e., asset management, maintenance, and safety programs) – Achieving better cooperation among local agencies for TSMO (i.e., corridor-based signal timing, lighting maintenance across jurisdictional boundaries and incident management) – Divergent operations and maintenance authorities (e.g., different agency installers with authority to retime signals vs. agency operations and maintenance divisions without authority to retime signals) – Difficulty balancing between flexible program and policy design that empowers regions while preventing disjointed operations

88 Summary State DOT Practices for Developing and Implementing TSMO Plans – Disjointed TSMO and ITS investments with proprietary restrictions between TSMO systems preventing data and traveler information sharing – Conflicting procurement procedures between state DOTs and regional stakeholders – Other __________________________ Follow Up 28. As part of the synthesis, the project team will conduct a brief phone interview with up to 5 agencies to collect additional information on case examples. Would you be willing to participate in one of the interviews? – Yes – No 29. Please provide any additional thoughts or comments you would like to share with the research team that would provide insight into your agency’s TSMO plans. (Open ended). Thank you for your time completing this survey.