Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Public Works

TO:	Chuck Soules, Public Works Director
FROM:	Shoeb Uddin, City Engineer
CC:	David L. Corliss, James Risner, David Woosley, James Wisdom
Date:	February 18, 2009
RE:	6^th Street ITS Project, City Project No. PW0823 ITS Set-Aside Project Agreement with KDOT March 3, 2009 Consent Agenda Item

Introduction

Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) is a new kind of public infrastructure resulting from the intermingling between the physical movement (of people and goods) around a transportation network and the dissemination of information regarding and related to those movements. According to experts, “ITS offers the most promising vision for transportation since the creation of the Interstate Highway System”.

The main focus of Intelligent Transportation system (ITS) is to improve safety and efficiency of the transportation system. The fundamental philosophy of ITS is that the infrastructure and the vehicles that operate on it perform as a system. Technologies in the areas of computers, communications and sensors link together the previously independent vehicle and infrastructure components of surface transportation. Through that linkage, substantial congestion reduction, safety improvements and productivity gains will accrue.

Background / History

ITS programs in Western Europe and Japan date back to the mid-1980s. In US, while there were growing interests about ITS among US academia and transportation officials during the 80’s, ITS programs in the US received the first major impetus with the passage of the Inter-modal Surface Transportation Act (ISTEA) of 1991, with $660 million allocated for research and development for the fiscal years 1992-1997. The transportation Equity Act of the 21^st Century (TEA-21) (signed into law in 1998) continued the commitment in research, development and deployment of ITS programs through fiscal year 2003. In 2005, the Congress enacted the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which also continued funding of ITS research through fiscal year 2009.

One of the practical implications of the TEA -21 and SAFETEA-LU is that each MPO or region is required by law to develop and maintain a regional ITS architecture in order to receive federal funding for ITS projects. In 2008, Lawrence-Douglas county MPO reached a milestone by developing the “Regional ITS Architecture and Deployment Plan” for Lawrence-Douglas county region.

At the state level, Kansas Department of Transportation created an ITS Set-Aside Funding Program in 1999 with a vision to ensure safer, more secure and efficient movement of people and goods across Kansas through the use of advanced technologies and management strategies. Since then, City staff has been submitting applications for the ITS Set-Aside funding every year, with the first successful outcome in 2006 when the City of Lawrence received an award of $250,000.00 for the fiscal year 2009; this award along with contributions from city funds will finance the first ever ITS project in Lawrence.

Project Details

The primary objective of this project is to install fiber optic communication lines to develop closed loop traffic signal system along certain main thoroughfares in the city including 6^th Street (from Massachusetts to Iowa) and Iowa Street (from 6^th to 23^rd) (see attached map). The project will also include installation of central signal control system (consisting of hardware, software, video screens, building modifications and related Intelligent Transportation Devices) in the Traffic Engineering Building at 445 Mississippi Street.

The primary objective of the closed-loop traffic signal system is to monitor and optimize traffic flow and thereby, would reduce congestion. More specifically, the benefits of this project will include immediate notification of traffic signal malfunctions, ability to implement unlimited timing plans from the office including emergency timing plan due to inclement weather or special timing plan for KU game days etc.

The fiber optic communication system will also assist and improve the emergency response by Police and Fire by sharing and disseminating information more quickly and in real time (refer to Exhibit A below for details of ITS benefits).

This project is the logical next step in the right direction following the completion of the Regional ITS Architecture and Deployment Plan for Lawrence-Douglas County.

Project Status / Funding

The total estimated cost for this project is $500,000.00 and will be financed through a 50/50 contribution by KDOT and the city. Therefore, city’s matching share for this project is $250,000.00.

On July 22, 2008, the City Commission approved Resolution 6778 ordering the improvements for the 6^th Street ITS project and authorizing the issuance of General Obligation Bonds for the maximum principal amount of $250,000.00.

Engineering Design and construction plans will be completed this spring with construction to begin in the summer of 2009.

City Staff is currently working with KDOT to work out the details so a third party may be allowed to provide fiber optic installation services as in-kind contribution in exchange for the use of a portion of the fiber optic strands. If this provision can be worked out with KDOT it could allow the city to expand the current limits /scopes of the fiber optic installation.

It is noteworthy that this project will fulfill about 20% of the total ITS infrastructure need in the City of Lawrence. Based on our estimates, approximately 3 million dollars will be needed to complete the city’s ITS network.

Action Requested

Authorize Mayor to sign the ITS Set-Aside Project Agreement with KDOT for the 6^th Street ITS project.

Attachments: Map

ITS Set-Aside Project Agreement

EXHIBIT - A

Benefits of ITS

We cannot begin to foresee all that will occur. It is certainly the most exciting development in transportation in many years. The enabling technology of ITS, the transportation / information infrastructure, can and will have profound effects on accessibility and mobility, traffic congestion, public safety, economic growth, improved quality of life, improved information for planning and inter-modal transport. Following are some specific benefits of fiber optic based coordinated and closed loop traffic signal system.

- Immediate and automatic notification of traffic signal malfunctions to the Central Signal Control. As a result, citizen complaints about traffic signal malfunctions are likely to go down significantly. This will also contribute significant savings in staff time and staff will be able to respond to numerous other pressing issues and citizen complaints more quickly and efficiently.

- Unlimited Timing Plan – a coordinated system can accommodate unlimited number of signal timing plans; such plans can be changed back and forth from the central signal control in the Traffic Engineering building. Emergency timing plan for mass evacuation, snow removal or inclement weather condition and special timing plan for KU Games can be implemented automatically as well from the central Signal Control.

- Intersection Monitoring: The proposed closed loop system will enable the traffic engineering staff to monitor unusual queues and conditions and respond promptly from the Central Signal Control. The 360 degree camera at the intersection will provide real time video of all approaches. This video information can be shared with police and fire, when necessary. In the future, this video can be made accessible to the general public as well through the city’s website. Some cities in Kansas, notably Overland Park, already have the real time video of all their intersections available to the general public. Other cities in the KC metro area (such as Lenexa, Olathe and others) have also deployed ITS technologies at different levels of sophistication. KC Scout is a nationally recognized ITS based Traffic Operation Center that is responsible for traffic flow around the freeways in the KC metro area and is a joint venture between the two departments of transportation in Kansas and Missouri.

- When this system is in place, the city will accrue savings by eliminating some of the leasing services from AT&T for data and voice lines.

- This project is the first step towards building a communication loop or ring among all city facilities. Once the loop or ring is completed, efficiency of electronic communications and data sharing processes will experience dramatic improvements.

- This system, when in place, will enable the City of Lawrence to connect to other networks in the region, such as, Douglas County, Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Turnpike Authority, University of Kansas, Johnson County and numerous other organizations or entities.