2014

Western States Rural Transportation Technology Implementers Forum
June 17th-19th, Yreka, California

2014 Image Gallery is available here

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Tuesday, June 17, 2014
4:00 pm to 7:00 pm Registration
5:00 pm to 6:30 pm Reception (no-host)
6:30 pm to 9:00 pm Dinner Reception

Wednesday, June 18, 2014
7:00 am to 8:00 am Breakfast
8:00 am to 8:10 am Welcome and Introductions
8:10 am to 12:10 pm Technical Presentations
12:10 pm to 1:10 pm Lunch
1:10 pm to 5:00 pm Technical Presentations
5:00 pm to 5:15 pm Comments, Discussion, Evaluations
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Dinner and Networking Session

Thursday, June 19, 2014
7:00 am to 8:00 am Breakfast
8:00 am to 8:05 am Welcome and Introductions
8:05 am to 11:30 am Technical Presentations
11:30 am to 12:00 pm Concluding Remarks, Evaluations

PRESENTATIONS AND DEMONSTRATIONS*

The Field Element Communications End Game: From POTS to Licensed Microwave
Jeremiah Pearce, P.E.
Caltrans District 2

Field element connectivity and reliability has long been an issue when communicating with critical remote roadside field elements within Caltrans District 2’s rural environment. The demand for higher bandwidth connections to the roadside continues to grow as technology trends continue to offer more data at faster speeds. Consequently, TMC operators and the public expect more information more frequently from roadside field elements. Additionally, there is a general lack of high-bandwidth, low-cost services for most of the district. To address this challenge, Caltrans District 2 has developed a private point-to-point microwave system capable of serving high-bandwidth connections to remote roadside sites. At past Forums, Caltrans District 2 has presented different aspects of their system. This year, ITS Engineer Jeremiah Pearce brought everything together by presenting the development and evolution of the overall microwave system. He discussed strategy, design, implementation, construction, and maintenance issues of Caltrans District 2’s point-to-point microwave system, the licensed 11 GHz microwave backbone project, and the current 4.9 GHz licensed mountain-top-to-roadside radio upgrade project.

WSDOT LED Adaptive Roadway Lighting and Illumination Reform
Keith Calais
Washington State Department of Transportation

Each year millions of dollars are spent on illumination system repairs, preventative maintenance and utility costs. In addition, for many agencies the ongoing preservation funding needed to perform life cycle replacement of these systems far surpasses current and projected funding. With thousands of miles of state, county and city owned roadways and intersections with and without illumination, a more strategic approach is needed to when, where and why to provide roadway illumination. Consequently, Washington State DOT (WSDOT) is reviewing and reforming their illumination guidelines in an effort to reduce illumination without significant negative impacts to safety and mobility. WSDOT Signal and Illumination Engineer Keith Calais explained WSDOT’s need for illumination reform and the agency’s efforts to reduce associated electricity consumption and maintenance costs. The agency installed an adaptive LED lighting system pilot project with dimming and on/off operation by time of day at the US 101 interchange with Black Lake Boulevard in Olympia. Mr. Calais described the installation, testing and evaluation of the system, and shared results of the pilot project. He also discussed a number of practical lessons learned and how they are benefiting other projects as well.

Control of DMS, CCTV, HAR, and 511
Phil Braun
Idaho Transportation Department

Phil Braun, an IT Systems Analyst and iNET Systems Administrator for the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), discussed ITD’s statewide integration project for DMS, CCTV, HAR, and 511. He explained some of the background behind the project, the past and current management environment, the contracting process, and effects on design, procurement, deployment, and operations. Phil discussed the technical challenges encountered by ITD and the various Districts and reported on integration efforts for CCTV, DMS, HAR and 511. A number of lessons learned were shared with the group along with future plans and opportunities for ITS applications along Idaho’s roads.

Commercial Wholesale Web Portal 2: Providing Caltrans’ Traveler Information Data to Third Party Developers
Sean Campbell
Caltrans, Division of Research, Innovation, and System Information (DRISI)
Traveler Information – The Preamble
Mike Jenkinson
Caltrans, Traffic Operations

In order to provide more timely, accurate and reliable traveler information to ISPs while allowing equitable access and consistent business and use practices, Caltrans developed the Commercial Wholesale Web Portal (CWWP) in 2004. The CWWP2 addresses the limitations of the original portal, simplifies and standardizes data output and retrieval, provides accurate geospatial information, and retrieves the District status data as close to the source as possible. Mike Jenkinson from Caltrans Traffic Operations opened the CWWP2 presentation with a history of traveler information in California. Sean Campbell, Caltrans DRISI, went into detail on how the CWWP2 was designed, what it took to build and the various tools used, and how the system works. Sean discussed who is using and applying the CWWP2 data, lessons learned during development and deployment, and next steps for the system.

Model 2070 Controller and ATC: Present and Future
Herasmo Iniguez
Caltrans, Headquarters

Herasmo Iniguez, Branch Chief for the Traffic Control Systems Branch at Caltrans, reviewed Caltrans’ current deployment of the Model 2070 Controller, along with its history in California and lessons learned over the course of its deployment. The presentation discussed the Advanced Transportation Controller (ATC) and Caltrans’ involvement with the national ITE standards development. Herasmo explained the objectives and development of Caltrans’ Transportation Electrical Equipment Specifications (TEES) 2009 regarding the 2070 Controller and the ATC. Over the last couple years, Caltrans has been working with the Department of Homeland Security to tighten security on the Model 2070 Controller. Herasmo discussed the TEES requirements for cyber security and the impact they will have on end users.

Organized Chain-Up: Save the Space – Bringing Order to Chaos
James Todd Daley
Washington State Department of Transportation

I-90 crossing Snoqualmie Pass is a critical high volume freight corridor serving Seattle and the greater Puget Sound area. It receives an average annual snowfall of 457 inches creating conditions which obscure pavement markings and require chains approximately 70 times per year. 7000 trucks cross the pass daily and during peak hours over 300 trucks all trying to chain-up causes congestion, chaos, and un-safe conditions. After a worldwide search to see what others are doing to address similar situations, WSDOT’s South Central Region developed a first of its kind system to increase safety, reduce delays, and allow for snow removal during chain-up conditions. James Todd Daley, the Assistant Regional Traffic Engineer for the South Central Region, described the conditions that existed prior to the organized chain up system’s implementation and reviewed the different design proposals that were considered. He then went into detail on the design, construction, and operation of the current system. He shared results of the first season of use and described the future operation and continued enhancement of the system.