TSMO Program Recognition
While it is generally understood that operations solutions are extremely cost-effective with very high benefit/cost ratios, recognition for these approaches is sometimes lacking compared to large, capacity-adding projects. TSMO must be recognized as a core part of the mission of a transportation organization. The following TSMO projects represent a sampling of strategies that have been recognized on a local, state, or national level.
National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) 2021 TSMO Award, Overall Winner and Best TSMO Project: The Best TSMO Project Award recognizes an actual, implemented project of operational approaches or strategies with consideration of safety, congestion, and/or travel time reliability improvements. The overall winner is then chosen from the four category winners: Best TSMO Project; Agency Improvement; Work Zones Using TSMO; and Project Selection and Prioritization. PennDOT was privileged to receive both awards for their TSMO Performance Program and Traffic Operations Analytics Tool.
The NOCoE is a partnership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA) with support from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
ITSPA 2021 Project of the Year Award: The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) was awarded 2021 Project of the Year for its Tuscarora Tunnel Traffic Management System. The system was installed to manage traffic during tunnel lane closures related to rehabilitation and emergencies. It consists of a combination of an Automated Lane Closure System (ALCS), Dynamic Message Signs (DMS), Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras, traffic signalization, lane use control signs, and delineator posts.
ITSPA 2020 Project of the Year Award: PennDOT was awarded 2020 Project of the Year for its Remote Traffic Management Centers project. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, PennDOT undertook a massive logistical effort to transition all TMC operations to remote home-based operations.
Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) 2021 Transportation Achievement Award - TSMO: This international awards program honors outstanding achievements in transportation in the fields of Complete Streets, TSMO, safety, and planning. The Florida Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) received the 2021 TSMO Award for its SunTrax Facility for the research, development, and testing of tolling and other emerging technologies in a safe and controlled environment.
511 PAConnect: 511 PAConnect is a trapped-traveler emergency communications tool that allows incident response teams to communicate via automated phone or text message directly with motorists who are trapped in a roadway backup. The system has won numerous awards including the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) 2017 Transportation Achievement Award for Operations, the International Bridge, Turnpike, and Tunnel Association's (IBTTA) 2017 Toll Excellence Award for Technology, the Intelligent Transportation Society of New Jersey's (ITSNJ) 2017 Outstanding ITS Project Award, the Mid-Atlantic Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (MASITE) 2017 Project of the Year Award, and the Intelligent Transportation Society of Pennsylvania's (ITSPA) 2017 Project of the Year Award.