Project Focused on Improving Efficiency and Safety of Pennsylvania Roadways
PennDOT was recently recognized as the 2021 National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) TSMO Awards Overall Winner.
PennDOT was selected Overall Winner from among 30 entries and four finalists, each of whom had already been selected as a category winner in the annual awards. The award celebrates the expanding discipline of transportation systems management and operations (TSMO), which aims to get the most out of the existing transportation system by managing and operating networks in an efficient manner that emphasizes safety and mobility and provides a clear benefit to the traveling public.
"I am so proud of the department and the national recognition that we've received," said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. "This award showcases the dedication and passion of our Operations team to continually seek to improve our business with data-driven strategies."
TSMO is a set of integrated strategies to optimize the performance of operations on existing infrastructure through implementation of multimodal, cross-jurisdictional systems, services, and projects designed to preserve capacity and improve security, safety, and reliability of a transportation system. Simply put, TSMO is focused on improving how roadways operate within the restraints of PennDOT's existing roadway infrastructure.
PennDOT's overall winning program titled "TSMO Performance Program and Traffic Operations Analytics (TOA) Tool" brings together internal and external information allowing data-driven outcomes for improved safety on our roadways, congestion planning, and optimizing resources for core business. The Performance Program created the first ever, data-backed "congestion pie chart," which allows planning partners and PennDOT to better understand the cause of congestion on certain roadways, thus allowing more tailored solutions to meet the needs of motorists across the state. This program has already led to safer solutions for work zones, an application for automated queue protection messaging, and the continual improvement of how PennDOT communicates on changeable message signs along the side of the road, leading to a reduction in secondary crashes.
PennDOT won the Best TSMO Project and Project Selection and Prioritization categories before becoming the program's Overall Winner.
Visit our website for more information on PennDOT's TSMO Efforts.