Overview
IN THIS CASE STUDY YOU WILL LEARN:
- How the District Four TSMO program organized and created real-time solutions to enhance work zone management efforts and improve safety and mobility during the emergency closure of the Roosevelt Bridge
- How the TSMO team utilized all available resources to inform the public including Dynamic Message Signs, Highway Advisory Radio and Florida 511 and social media
- How the District Four TSMO Arterial Management team collaborated with local agencies to deploy signal timing changes for the corridor, monitored the project using Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTVs) and analyzed turning movement counts in the detour
Background
A 23 year-old bridge overpass, located in Florida’s District Four, began to show signs of structural issues when a bridge support ruptured, causing portions of concrete to fall from the undercrossing onto Dixie Highway. With public safety as District Four’s foremost priority, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) closed the bridges to all traffic and began a coordinated effort to detour motorists and repair the faulty infrastructure. Known as the Roosevelt Bridge, the 1-mile long overpass, contains two separate bridges, three lanes each, spanning the St. Lucie River and connects several neighboring areas into the city of Downtown Stuart. With millions of residents affected, the District Four TSMO program organized and created real-time solutions to enhance work zone management efforts and improve safety and mobility.
TSMO Planning, Strategies and Deployment
Upon announcing the closure, the District Four TSMO program’s staff reacted immediately and began coordination with managers of nearby interstates to facilitate long-term detours for motorists. The team utilized all available resources to inform the public including Dynamic Message Signs, Highway Advisory Radio and Florida 511 and social media. To create a unified approach between several agencies, the District Four TSMO program’s staff integrated
divergent monitoring systems and enhanced them. This real-time collaborative approach to managing traffic in a large geographical area, was in part successfully by using existing TSMO infrastructure, which featured a robust Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) including fiber communication, Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) traffic signal control and an intersection video observation system. Utilizing the ITS system, the District Four TSMO program’s staff was able to monitor the traffic patterns along Dixie Highway and the surrounding detour routes affected by the closure of Roosevelt Bridge.
Once communication procedures were established, the District Four TSMO Arterial Management team collaborated with local agencies to deploy signal timing changes for the corridor. The intersection was monitored continuously using Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTVs) and turning movement counts in the location were collected for analysis of travel patterns. Based on the data collected, an updated signal re- phasing plan was generated and implemented real- time. For further traffic analysis and performance, vehicular volumes were also analyzed on a weekly basis, providing the District Four TSMO program a critical perspective of the ongoing demand throughout the system. All the while, the District Four TSMO program provided the construction department ample time to expedite road and bridge repairs, without adversely impacting traffic through-put.
Communications Planning and Execution
The communication process was extensive and included several external agencies. The District Four TSMO program coordinated with Martin County, Town of Sewall’s Point, City of St. Lucie to facilitate the integrated divergent monitoring systems. This decision helped in communicating an event response plan between multiple agencies about the problems and solutions arising from the bridge closures. District Four TSMO program’s staff also extensively coordinated with managers of nearby interstates, I-95 and Florida’s Turnpike, to facilitate long-term detours for motorists. Internally within FDOT, the District Four TSMO program coordinated with construction, public information, and traffic operation departments to assist in roadway repair support and motorist education.
Outcome, Benefit and Learnings
With any crisis there are lesson learned. The Roosevelt Bridge closure revealed to the District Four TSMO program the importance of strong relationships with local agencies. Most importantly, it reinforced an understanding of the importance of existing integrated systems and the additional ITS equipment required to supplement traffic systems during major events. This redundancy, coordinated by the District Four TSMO program, mitigated the subsequent ripple effects of road closures.
According to Daniel Smith, TSMO Arterial Program Manager, “The ability of the TSMO program and our partner agencies to immediately form a working group to manage the bridge closure’s traffic impact was the key to our success. Our team continues to work closely in real- time to create and execute a traffic management plan. Each agency shared resources, installed new devices and managed the traffic impacts with great success as shown by the TSMO program’s real time traffic monitoring abilities. This was truly a shining example of a new multi-jurisdictional team forming, creating, and then executing an emergency traffic management plan.”