Caltrans RFO for TSMO Program Plan

Overview

Historically, state departments of transportation (DOT), including Caltrans, have primarily focused efforts and resources on construction and maintenance activities resulting in limited emphasis and resources placed on daily operational needs. Recognizing this deficiency, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) highlighted the need for state DOTs to strategize, implement, and evaluate the integration of transportation systems management and operations (TSMO) into the agency through Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) legislation. As technology and demands on our infrastructure change and the funding and resources become more strained, the need to ensure California is positioned to meet those challenges increases while balancing the need to increase the efficiency of the existing system through operational improvements. An integrated program focused on TSMO offers the opportunity to optimize performance of the existing infrastructure through the implementation of multimodal, intermodal, and often cross-jurisdictional systems, services, and projects. In simple terms, TSMO focuses on actively managing the multimodal transportation network to deliver the positive safety and mobility outcomes critical to the mission, vision, and goals of Caltrans and our transportation partners. Building on our recent experiences with the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) assessment and Regional Operations Forum (ROF) efforts, a strategic plan framework will be established that includes key programming and investment strategies, project development actions, organizational arrangements, workforce capability needs, collaborative relationships, and overall capabilities to develop and apply TSMO strategies statewide. Caltrans will evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within the context of other agency plans while taking into consideration the relationships and interactions with stakeholders. The strategy for integration and implementation of TSMO will be accomplished by identifying national best practices with applicability to California, the identification of critical activities, opportunities, and barriers to successful TSMO integration and implementation, and the creation of a strategic action plan that establishes goals and interim steps Caltrans should undertake to develop and deploy a statewide TSMO Program over a five year period.