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Concept of Operations for the US-75 Integrated Corridor in Dallas, Texas

April 30, 2008
Award# DTFH-61-06-H-00040

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3. System Overview and Operational Description

3.1. CORRIDOR BOUNDARIES AND NETWORKS

The following descriptions of the US-75 ICM Corridor Boundaries were initially defined through the proposal process of the ICM project. Through stakeholder concurrence gained as part of developing this Con Ops, the Corridor Boundaries have been confirmed and remain unchanged from the proposal. This concurrence took into account current and forecasted travel patterns; the travel market or markets that are served by the Corridor; operational characteristics and typical scenarios/events (as part of Chapter 4) within the Corridor; availability of cross-network connections and spare capacity; as well as other conditions and deficiencies expressed by Stakeholders within the Corridor. In addition to a description of the Corridor Boundaries, travel Networks that compose the Corridor are also described in this Section. The Networks include: arterial streets, freeways, managed HOV lanes, tollways, bus and rail transit, vanpool, and pedestrian/bicycle facilities.

3.1.1. Corridor Description and Boundaries

This Concept of Operation is defined for the Dallas US-75 Corridor (aka the North Central Expressway Corridor). The US-75 Corridor is a major north-south radial corridor connecting downtown Dallas with many of the suburbs and cities north of Dallas. It contains a primary freeway, continuous frontage roads, a light-rail line, transit bus service, park-and-ride lots, major regional arterial streets, toll roads, bike trails, and significant intelligent transportation system (ITS) infrastructure. Within the next two years, a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane will be added to the US-75 freeway, and associated expansion of ITS infrastructure for the freeway and arterials streets is programmed for deployment.

For the Con Ops, the US-75 Corridor boundaries have been defined at two levels. The immediate Primary Corridor Boundary encompasses the primary US-75 freeway corridor, the light-rail line corridor, and all arterial streets within approximately two miles of the freeway. The "Primary Corridor Boundary" (referred to as such herein) is portrayed in Figure 3.1-1 below. In addition, a full "travelshed" influence area boundary has been defined that includes additional alternate modes and routes that may be affected by a major incident or event. The travelshed area is generally bound by Downtown Dallas to the south, the Dallas North Tollway to the west, SH21 to the north, and a combination of arterials streets and the DART Blue Line to the east. This travelshed influence area (referred to herein as "Influence Area") is also shown below in Figure 3.1-1.

The US-75 Corridor contains Dallas' first major freeway – completed around 1950. This section of freeway was totally reconstructed with cantilevered frontage roads over the depressed freeway section and re-opened in 1999 with a minimum of eight general-purpose lanes. The freeway mainlanes carry over 250,000 vehicles-a-day, with another 20,000-30,000 on the frontage roads. Concurrent-flow, high-occupancy vehicle lanes are scheduled to open during 2007 in the northern portion of US-75.

The Corridor also contains the first light-rail line constructed in Dallas, part of the 20-mile DART starter system, opened in 1996. The Red Line light rail service now expands into cities of Richardson and Plano and passes adjacent to the cities of Highland Park and University Park. This facility operates partially at-grade and partially grade-separated through deep-bored tunnels under US-75. The Blue Line light rail service operates in the US-75 Corridor near downtown Dallas and extends along the eastern edge of the Corridor Influence Area boundary. There is also a downtown Dallas connection from the Red and Blue Lines to the regional commuter rail line that extends to downtown Fort Worth.

The Corridor serves commuting trips into downtown Dallas via the freeway, bus routes, light-rail line, and arterial streets. There is also a significant number of reverse commuters traveling to commercial and retail developments in cities and neighborhoods north of Dallas. The Corridor serves significant regional traffic during off-peak periods. The freeway is a continuation of Interstate 45; and thus, it also carries interregional Interstate freeway traffic into and out of Oklahoma. Additionally, the Corridor serves as a major evacuation route and experienced significant volume increases during the Hurricane Rita evacuation in 2005 There are significant employment destinations within the corridor (e.g., Texas Instruments), and major shopping centers (NorthPark Mall).

This figure shows the primary corridor and its travelshed influence area.
Figure 3.1-1 Primary Corridor for the US-75 ICM (Source: NCTCOG website dfwmaps.com)Figure 3.1 1 long description

There are three major freeway interchanges in the Corridor. To the south, US-75 has an interchange with the downtown freeway network, including connections with Interstate 45 and Interstate 35E. At the approximate midpoint of the Corridor, there is a newly constructed interchange with Interstate 635. In the northern section, there is an interchange with the President George Bush Turnpike (PGBT), and US-75 and SH 121 will become a major interchange.

3.1.2. Corridor Networks

This section describes the Networks contained within the US-75 ICM Corridor. A Network is defined for the purposes of this Con Ops as a system of transportation infrastructure that is independent of agency or jurisdictional boundary. A description of each Network is provided in more detail below. Table 3.1 1 below provides an overall summary of the transportation infrastructure assets in the seven Networks within the US-75 ICM Corridor.

Table 3.1-1 Existing Asset Statistics for Network Facilities in US-75 Corridor
Transportation Facility (with Corresponding Agency[ies]) Summary Total
Access Controlled Freeways with Frontage Roads (TxDOT) 272 lane-miles
Freeway Management Center (TxDOT) 1 center
High Occupancy Vehicle Facilities (DART/TxDOT) 31 lane-miles
Light Rail Transit System (DART) 2 lines – 20 stations
Bus Transit System (DART) 30 bus routes
City Computer Controlled Traffic Signal Systems 3 systems
Dallas 500 signals
Plano 196 signals
Richardson 120 signals
Arterials Streets (Richardson, Dallas, Plano, University Park, Highland Park) 167 center-line miles
Park and Ride Lots (DART) 9
Tollways (NTTA) 105 lane-miles

3.1.3. Freeway Network - US-75 North Central Expressway & Dallas High-Five Interchange

The section of US-75 North Central Expressway contained within the Corridor Boundary is approximately 28 miles in length. The freeway is divided into 3 major sections. The southern section, generally an eight-lane freeway, spans 10 miles from downtown Dallas to I-635. This section was recently reconstructed and opened in 1999. The middle section, also an eight-lane freeway, spans from I-635 to the PGBT, a distance of seven miles. The northern section of the US-75 Corridor goes from north of PGBT to the end of the HOV lane, a distance of eight miles. In this section the freeway transitions to a six-lane freeway. There are continuous frontage roads that parallel the freeway.

In addition to the freeway general purpose lanes, a major new interchange was added at I-635. Locally referred to as the "High-Five", the interchange consists of five-levels: a level for US-75 mainlanes, a level for I-635 mainlanes, a level for one set of direct connect ramps, a level for another set of direct connect ramps, and a fifth level for a full at-grade interchange of the continuous frontage roads. The full interchange of the frontage road facilitates expanded traffic management capabilities - if an incident affects one of the direct connect ramps, the freeway-to-freeway traffic can be routed through the signalized frontage road interchange. There is significant capacity to reroute traffic because the frontage road intersections essentially operate as two phase signalized intersections of two one-way streets.

3.1.4. Freeway Network - US-75 HOV Lane

The US-75 HOV lane construction was completed in December 2007. The HOV lane is a single concurrent flow lane in each direction separated from the general purpose traffic by a painted buffer area with pylons to provide physical separation. The HOV lane is 15 miles in length (these are new miles being added to the existing 31-mile system) and extends from the northern end of the Corridor (Exchange Parkway and US-75) to the I-635 interchange.

There are three access points in each direction to the HOV lane within the Corridor. The northern end has a slip ramp from the inside lanes of the freeway. Near the I-635 interchange there are "wishbone" type ramps for traffic to enter and exit the facility.

3.1.5. Transit Network - Light Rail

The primary light-rail line within the US-75 Corridor is the Red Line which runs north-south, as shown in Figure 3.1-2 below. The portion of the Red Line within the Corridor Boundaries runs from the Downtown Dallas station (Convention Center Station) to the northern-most station (Parker Road Station) in the City of Plano. Between these two endpoints, there are a total of 17 rail stations.

In addition, the Blue Line runs in the US-75 Corridor Influence Area from Downtown Dallas to the Mockingbird Lane Station (approximately three miles). From the Mockingbird Lane Station, the Blue Line runs into the City of Garland. The Blue Line is the eastern-most boundary of the larger Corridor Influence Area and could serve as an alternate rail route into downtown if there were problems with the Red Line.

This figure shows the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail network map.
Figure 3.1-2 DART Light Rail Network (Source: DART)Figure 3.1 2 long description

3.1.6. Transit Network - Bus

The bus transit Network within the US-75 Corridor Boundary consists of various types of services. There is local bus service serving specific areas characterized by frequent stops. In addition, express routes and cross-town routes that serve longer distance trips. Express routes have less frequent stops and generally run on the primary arterials within the Corridor.

There is also a light-rail station feeder bus service. These bus lines transport passengers traveling between light-rail stations. In total, there are 30 express routes and an additional 12 special routes in the US-75 Corridor.

3.1.7. Arterial Network

The arterial street system consists of several major north-south arterial streets. These primary streets are typically spaced at one-mile intervals and serve as primary travel routes and potentially serve as alternate routes for traffic diverted from freeways and toll roads. The key north-south arterials in the US-75 Corridor are shown in the table below.

Table 3.1-2 Major North-South Arterials in US-75 Corridor
Arterials East of ICM Arterials West of ICM
  • Jupiter Road
  • Plano Road
  • Abrams Avenue / Gaston Road
  • Skillman Avenue / Live Oak Avenue
  • Alma Road
  • Custer Road
  • Coit Road
  • Greenville Avenue
  • Hillcrest Road
  • Preston Road

There are also several key east-west arterials. While many of these carry significant traffic, these arterials are critical for moving traffic between the north-south routes, especially for diversion purposes. The key east-west arterials are:

In general, the arterials are on a grid pattern and US-75 is aligned in a north-northwest direction.

3.1.8. Toll Road Network

The NTTA operates both the President George Bush Turnpike (PGBT) and the Dallas North Tollway (DNT). The PGBT is an east-west toll road that intersects the Corridor in the northern section. The PGBT provides access to several of the north-south arterials to the west as well as the DNT. The DNT is the other major north-south controlled access facility. The north-south arterials and the DNT have the ability to serve as alternate routes to destinations in the US-75 Corridor.

The DNT has three mainline plazas with both high-speed electronic toll collection-only (ETC) lanes, and toll booth lanes that accept either electronic or cash payment. There are also ten ramp access locations that accept both electronic and cash payment.

3.1.9. Bicycle and Pedestrian Network

Bicycle and pedestrian paths, part of a regionally planned system, are also present in the Corridor. There are 62 miles of off-street, multi-use pedestrian and bicycle facilities and 82 miles of on-street bicycle routes. There are two primary bicycle / pedestrian facilities in the US-75 Corridor: the Katy Trail and the Hillcrest to White Rock Lake trail.

The Katy Trail runs from the West End and the American Airlines Center in the south, through the heart of urban Dallas past Knox Street, up to SMU and Mockingbird DART Station in the north. When complete, the Katy Trail will serve bikers, runners, walkers, and in-line skaters. It will feature a 3.5-mile, 12-foot wide concrete path for wheels and a 3.1-mile, 8-foot wide state-of-the-art, soft-surface track for runners and walkers.

The trail extending from Hillcrest to White Rock Lake is approximately 10 miles in length and crosses the Corridor close to the beginning of the Katy Trail facility.

3.2. CORRIDOR STAKEHOLDERS

There are portions of five municipalities, two counties, a tollway authority, a metropolitan planning organization, and a transit authority operating as public agency Stakeholders within the US-75 ICM Corridor A description of each stakeholder is included in more detail below. It is noted that the municipalities listed are in the service area of the transit authority and all are contained within the area of responsibility for the Dallas District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

3.2.1. City of Dallas

Dallas is the largest city in the urban area with a population of 1,210,390 – making it the 9th largest city in the United States, 3rd largest in Texas, covering 384 square miles. The City of Dallas municipal agency employs over 12,000 workers, with over 5,400 dedicated to public safety (police and fire). The Dallas Independent School District is comprised of 180 public elementary and middle schools and 37 public high schools. In addition, the metro area has 17 two-year and technical/trade colleges, 4 public four-year colleges and universities, and 17 private colleges and universities. Dallas is one of the top convention cities in the country, with 3,700,000 conference attendees per year. The City of Dallas also has two airports.

Map. The figure shows a map with the 1,300 traffic signals operated and maintained by the City of Dallas. A yellow shaded area indicates the traffic signals that are located within the US-75 Corridor.
Figure 3.2-1 City of Dallas - Signals within the Corridor (Source: City of Dallas)

The City operates and maintains 1,300 traffic signals, shown in Figure 3.2-1, (most of which are in coordinated arterial signal systems); and 37 arterial Dynamic Message Signs (DMS), and 3 roadside cameras. There are 62 miles of bike & jogging trails and 500 miles of street bicycle routes. The Dallas Police Department provides incident management on all facilities within the City of Dallas except the HOV lanes and tollways.

3.2.2. Town of Highland Park

The Town of Highland Park has a population of 8,800 with 13 isolated traffic signals. Although freeway or tollway facilities do not pass through the town, both types of facilities abut the town limits.

3.2.3. City of Plano

Plano is the second largest city in the urban area with a population of 249,000. The Plano Police Department provides incident management on all facilities within its city limits except the tollways. The city operates a remote-access automated traffic signal system with over 196 intersections under control.

3.2.4. City of Richardson

Richardson has a population of 97,800. The Richardson Police Department provides incident management on all facilities within its city limits except the tollways. The city operates a remote-access automated traffic signal system with over 120 intersections under control, and a count station network of 105 locations.

Map. The figure shows a map of the City of Richardson with the location of its 105 count stations.
Figure 3.2-2 City of Richardson - Locations of Count Stations (Source: City of Richardson)

3.2.5. City of University Park

The City of University Park has a population of 23,300 with 33 traffic signals under coordination by three field masters. US-75 runs on the east side of University Park with a majority of the city to the west and a few city blocks to the east. The Dallas North Tollway runs along the western edge of the city.

3.2.6. Collin County

The northern portion of the Corridor is located in Collin County, which has a population of 492,700. The County does not have freeway management, signal management, or other operational responsibilities in the Corridor.

3.2.7. Dallas County

The southern portion of the Corridor is located in Dallas County, which has a population of 2.2 million. The Dallas County Sheriff operates courtesy patrols on the freeways and tollways in the region including coverage within the US-75 Corridor. The County does not operate freeway management systems, traffic signal systems, or transit systems. The Dallas County Sheriff-based courtesy patrol staff coordinates activities with the regional transportation infrastructure agencies.

3.2.8. Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority (DART)

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) – a regional transit agency authorized pursuant to Chapter 452 of the Texas Transportation Code – was created by voters and funded with a one-cent local sales tax in 1983. The service area consists of 13 member cities: Addison, Carrollton, Cockrell Hill, Dallas, Farmers Branch, Garland, Glenn Heights, Highland Park, Irving, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett and University Park. DART is governed by a 15-member board appointed by member-city councils based on population. Eight members are appointed by the City of Dallas and seven are appointed by the remaining cities. Board members serve two-year terms with no limits. Board officers are elected from the board membership and serve one-year terms.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) provides bus and light rail transit service throughout the Corridor. Currently, DART serves Dallas and 12 surrounding cities with approximately 130 bus routes, 45 miles of light rail transit (DART Rail), 31 freeway miles of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, and paratransit service for the mobility impaired. DART and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority ("the T") jointly operate 35 miles of commuter rail transit (the Trinity Railway Express or TRE), linking downtown Dallas and Fort Worth with stops in the mid-cities and DFW International Airport. Through 2014, the DART Rail System is slated to more than double in size to 93 miles. Extensions now in development include the 17.5-mile Northwest Corridor serving downtown Dallas, American Airlines Center, the Dallas Medical/Market Center, Love Field Airport, and the cities of Farmers Branch and Carrollton.

The 45-mile DART Rail System provides fast, convenient service to work, shopping and entertainment destinations in Dallas, Plano and Richardson. Free parking is available at most rail stations, and all are served by bus routes timed to make transfers easy. Popular shopping, dining, and entertainment destinations near DART Rail stations within the US-75 Corridor include NorthPark Center and the Upper Greenville Avenue area (Park Lane Station), West Village (subterranean Cityplace Station), Mockingbird Station (Mockingbird Station), the Dallas Museum of Art (St. Paul Station), the historic West End District (West End Station), American Airlines Center (Victory Station), the Dallas Convention Center (Convention Center Station), the Renaissance Hotel and Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts (Galatyn Park Station in Richardson); Downtown Plano, the ArtCentre of Plano, and the Courtyard Theater (Downtown Plano Station).

DART operates all HOV facilities within the Dallas Region, including a Motorist Assistance Patrol on HOV facilities. Buses, motorcycles, vanpools and carpools with two or more occupants are eligible to use DART's 31-mile network off HOV lanes. DART operates HOV lanes on East R. L. Thornton Freeway (I-30) between Downtown Dallas and Jim Miller Road; Stemmons Freeway (I-35E) between LBJ Freeway (I-635) and Round Grove Road; LBJ Freeway between North Central Expressway and Stemmons Freeway; and I-35E/US 67 south of Downtown Dallas. Dynamic Message Signs, lane control signals, changeable message signs, and cameras associated with the HOV lane facilities are operated from the ITS Satellite Control Center at a DART/TxDOT facility. DART's Transit System Plan calls for 116 miles of managed HOV lanes. HOV lanes are jointly planned and designed by DART and the Texas Department of Transportation. DART is responsible for facility management, operation, and enforcement.

Map. The figure shows a map of the Dallas area highlighting the location of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) high occupancy vehicle (HOV) network in the US-75 Corridor. The following highways shown on the map have HOV lanes: US-75, northern portion of IH-635, IH-30, IH-35E, and IH-80.
Figure 3.2-3 DART HOV Network in the US-75 Corridor (Source: DART)

3.2.9. North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG)

Regional transportation planning in North Central Texas is conducted by this federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), comprised of the NCTCOG Transportation Department, NCTCOG Executive Board, Regional Transportation Council (RTC), and several technical committees. The MPO works with state and local governments, the private sector, and the region's citizens to plan coordinated transportation systems designed to move goods and people affordably, efficiently, and safely. Areas served include the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Denton-Lewisville, and McKinney urbanized areas and surroundings. Major products produced by the MPO include a long-range Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), a shorter-term Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), a Congestion Management Process (CMP), and a Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP).

In addition to the major products outlined above, NCTCOG will be operating the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) data archive for the North Texas region.

3.2.10. North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA)

North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) operates two toll roads within the Corridor: the Dallas North Tollway (running north and south) and the President George Bush Turnpike (running east and west). Incident management along these tollways is provided by Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers along with a courtesy patrol provided by the Dallas County Sheriff.

The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA), a political subdivision of the State of Texas under Chapter 366 of the Transportation Code, is empowered to acquire, construct, maintain, repair, and operate turnpike projects in the North Texas region; to raise capital for construction projects through the issuance of Turnpike Revenue Bonds; and to collect tolls to operate, maintain and pay debt service on those projects. The NTTA is governed by a seven-member board of directors representing each of the four counties: Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant.

The NTTA's origins were with the Texas Turnpike Authority (TTA), which was established as a state agency in 1953. TTA's first project was the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike, started in 1955 and completed in 1957. In 1977, when all outstanding bonds were retired, the road was transferred to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) as a toll-free highway, 17 years ahead of schedule. TxDOT designated the former DFW Turnpike Interstate 30. TTA began its second project, the Dallas North Tollway, in 1966 and opened the first segment to motorists in 1968. In 1977, TTA initiated construction on the Mountain Creek Lake Bridge in Grand Prairie. The two-mile bridge was opened to traffic in 1979. Throughout the years, TTA also initiated projects in other areas of Texas.

NTTA was created in 1997 with 213 employees, to finance, construct and oversee turnpike projects in North Texas. At that time, TTA's assets and liabilities in North Texas were transferred to NTTA. Today, the NTTA operates almost 51 miles of toll roads in North Texas and has over 700 employees.

3.2.11. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Dallas District

The Dallas District of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is responsible for the Design, Construction, Maintenance, and Operations of the US and State Highway System in seven counties in north Texas: Dallas, Denton Collin, Rockwall, Kaufman, Ellis and Navarro. The population within the Dallas District is estimated, as of Jan. 1, 2006, at 4,003,350.

The District has 1,090 employees within the District Offices in Dallas County, and Area Offices in each County plus five in Dallas County. The Area Offices are responsible for the highways within its jurisdiction, while the District Offices support the Area Office efforts. The District has 3,637 centerline miles of highway, including 10,427 lane miles. There are over 3.1 million registered vehicles in the District and it is estimated there are over 64 million vehicles miles traveled on TxDOT-operated roads daily.

The District Offices have five primary sections. These sections are Administration, Transportation Planning and Development, Construction, and Maintenance and Transportation Operations. Two of the offices under the Transportation Operations section are the Freeway Management office and the Traffic Engineering office. The Freeway Management Office is responsible for managing incidents in the District and operating the DalTrans system, which is the District's intelligent transportation system providing freeway surveillance and motorist information systems. The management center is located in the center of the Corridor. The Traffic Engineering Office is responsible for traffic engineering studies, signing and speed zones, and investigates and responds to transportation-related complaints or concerns from the public, other transportation agencies, municipalities, and elected officials.

The US-75 Corridor from downtown Dallas passes through two counties (Dallas and Collin Counties) and four TxDOT Area Offices (of which three are located in Dallas County). Those offices being the Central Dallas Area Office, the Northwest Dallas Area Office, the Northeast/Rockwall Area Office, and the Collin County Area Office. These four offices have 318 employees.

3.2.12. Transportation Management Associations

Transportation Management Associations (TMAs), also know as Transportation Management Organizations or TMO's, are private and public-private organizations that implement congestion mitigation strategies and work together on local transportation issues. Many are incorporated, non-profit organizations; they tend to be membership organizations, made up of employers, developers, building owners, and local government representatives. Most TMA's are located in the areas of dense employment and focus on Travel Demand Management (TDM) programs for public and private employers.

In recent years, TMA's have played increased roles in new areas, including CMP development, ITS initiatives, and in development of residential and tourism travel markets. Usually, the principle role of a TMA is to involve the business community in transportation planning and to provide a forum for the private sector to impact strategy development and implementation. The following non-exhaustive list demonstrates the variety of transportation activities in which TMA's have been involved:

One example of an active TMA is the Downtown Dallas association. They have been active with traffic management, parking, and wayfinding. Within the US-75 Corridor, a TMA in the Richardson / North Central Expressway has been identified and funded in the Transportation Improvement Program.

3.3. OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS OF THE CORRIDOR AND INCLUDED NETWORKS

This section focuses on the operational characteristics of the US-75 ICM Corridor and the associated Networks. Corridor attributes highlighted include major traffic generators, corridor demand and usage, and the types and frequency of events that impact network and corridor operations. The volume to capacity ratios shown in the tables below come from the North Central Texas Council of Government's Mobility 2025 report. The V/C ratio is the travel demand from the regional model divided by the capacity of the corresponding link in the model. The NCTCOG's travel demand model will allow demand to exceed capacity in the traffic assignment. Thus, a V/C above 1.0 is not uncommon.

For the roadways listed in the tables below, the regional travel demand model divides these roadways into several links. The V/C ratio for each of these links was calculated. The tables below provide the "high" v/c ratio, the "low" v/c ratio, and the "median" v/c ratio. Since some of the roadway lengths can exceed 10 miles, the "high", "low", and "median" were provided to give the reader a sense of the range and prevailing volume to capacity ratio for the roadway.

3.3.1. Network Conditions

Arterial Street Network

There are 14 east-west arterials and 10 north-south primary arterials in the Corridor, comprising approximately 67 and 91 lane-miles, respectively. There are approximately 800 signalized intersections with virtually all of them being traffic responsive and coordinated in individual cities. The MPO (North Central Council of Governments) has recently evaluated the Level of Service (LOS) in the area and determined that most intersections, and therefore arterial segments, are oversaturated and operate at LOS E during peak periods in the peak direction, and often in the off-peak direction. During off-peak hours, intersections are generally in the LOS C range. Year 2007 projected volume-capacity ratios based on the NCTCOG 2025 Mobility Plan are shown in Table 3.3 1 and Table 3.3 2 below.

Table 3.3-1 Volume-Capacity Ratios for Major East-West Arterials
MAJOR ARTERIALS EAST/WEST
empty cell empty cell Volume/Capacity Ratio
empty cell Dist. Low High Median
McDermott Rd. 5.5 0.82 2.91 1.15
Spring Creek Pkwy. 4.3 0.71 2.26 1.37
Park Blvd. 5.3 0.37 1.28 0.78
Plano Pkwy. 5.1 0.73 1.72 1.14
Campbell Rd. 4.3 0.24 1.26 1.23
Arapaho Rd. 5.1 0.73 2.18 1.39
Belt Line Rd. 6.0 1.45 2.45 1.56
Spring Valley Rd. 5.2 0.49 1.91 0.75
Forest Lane 6.0 1.21 2.56 1.73
Royal Lane 4.8 0.63 2.17 1.14
Walnut Hill Ln. 4.5 0.74 1.97 1.56
Northwest Hwy. 3.5 0.94 2.72 2.00
Lovers Ln. 3.5 0.23 2.67 1.90
Mockingbird Ave. 3.6 1.66 3.22 2.11
TOTAL 66.6 Miles empty cell empty cell empty cell

Source: Calculations Based on NCTCOG 2007 traffic assignments in 2025 Mobility Plan. Corridor Roadway mileages scaled from maps and are approximate.

Table 3.3-2 Volume-Capacity Ratios for Major North-South Arterials
MAJOR ARTERIALS NORTH/SOUTH
empty cell empty cell Volume/Capacity Ratio
empty cell Dist. Low High Median
Jupiter Rd. 6.6 0.92 2.63 1.34
Plano Rd. 10.8 1.08 1.95 1.67
Abrams/Gaston 9.7 0.50 1.69 0.91
Live Oak Ave./Skillman 10.3 0.26 1.97 0.62
Ross Ave./Greenville 14.8 0.32 2.54 1.19
Alma Rd. 9.7 0.26 2.12 1.18
Custer Pkwy. 7.0 0.68 1.55 1.33
Coit Rd. 4.8 1.69 3.10 2.18
Greenville Ave. 8.1 1.13 1.77 1.19
Preston 8.9 0.81 2.25 1.69
TOTAL 90.6 Miles empty cell empty cell empty cell

Source: Calculations Based on NCTCOG 2007 traffic assignments in 2025 Mobility Plan. Corridor Roadway mileages scaled from maps and are approximate.

For current operational V/C ratio, the following data was compiled for some select roadways:

Table 3.3-3 Volume-to-Capacity Ratios for Selected Links
Facility Direction Location (nearest cross street) Data Collection Date Time of Day Number of Lanes per Direction Vehicle Volume1 Assumed Lane Capacity (vphpl) V/C Ratio2
US 75 Southbound Collins July 11, 2007 7-8 am 4 7,086 2,200 0.81
US 75 Northbound Collins July 11, 2007 5-6 pm 4 7,173 2,200 0.82
US 75 Southbound Park Lane July 11, 2007 7-8 am 4 7,164 2,200 0.81
US 75 Northbound Park Lane July 11, 2007 5-6 pm 4 5,556 2,200 0.63
US 75 Southbound Knox Ave July 11, 2007 7-8 am 4 4,023 2,200 0.46
US 75 Southbound Knox Ave July 11, 2007 5-6 pm 4 7,242 2,200 0.82
Plano Rd Southbound Campbell Rd Dec 1, 2004 8-9 am 3 1,488 800 0.62
Plano Rd Northbound Campbell Rd Dec 1, 2004 5-6 pm 3 1,822 800 0.76
Coit Rd Northbound Campbell Rd Nov 9, 2004 5-6 pm 3 2,140 800 0.89
Coit Rd Southbound Campbell Rd Nov 9, 2004 7-8 am 3 2,236 800 0.93

Notes:
1 US 75 Volumes collected by ITS System on US 75 and archived in DalTrans archive; arterial volumes from City of Richardson manual traffic count program
2 v/c ratio = volume / (lane capacity * number of lanes)

Freeway Network

There are approximately 272 lane-miles of access-managed freeways in the US-75 ICM Corridor. For non-incident operational conditions (i.e., recurrent congestion), peak direction LOS varies from section-to-section but is generally in the D to E range. Off-peak direction LOS generally is in the range of C to D. For major incident conditions (i.e., non-recurrent congestion), LOS in both peak and off-peak conditions rapidly deteriorate to LOS F. Year 2007 projected volume-to-capacity ratios based on the NCTCOG 2025 Mobility Plan are shown in Table 3.3 4.

Table 3.3-4 Volume-Capacity Ratio for Freeways
FREEWAYS
empty cell empty cell Volume/Capacity Ratio
empty cell Dist. Low High Median
US-75 SB 28.5 0.93 2.07 1.16
US-75 NB 28.5 0.76 1.27 1.06
US-75 SB FRTG 28.5 0.21 1.96 0.67
US-75 NB FRTG 28.5 0.26 1.54 0.56
LBJ Frwy. EB 5.5 1.02 1.35 1.14
LBJ Frwy. WB 5.5 1.04 1.37 1.14
LBJ Frwy. EB FRTG 5.5 0.24 1.84 0.93
LBJ Frwy. WB FRTG 5.5 0.29 1.48 1.10
TOTAL 136.0 Miles empty cell empty cell
HOV Network

High-occupancy vehicles are defined by the Regional Transportation Council of the NCTCOG as two-or-more occupants in a vehicle (2+ HOV). Completed in December 2007, the US-75 HOV lane connects the existing HOV lane on I-635. Both the US-75 and I-635 HOV lanes are concurrent-flow lanes built in the median of the freeway. The two facilities are connected by a reversible HOV direct connect ramp built into the High-Five Interchange. The travel flow directionality of the HOV connection matches the congestion and commuting pattern in the Corridor. The US-75 HOV lane opened to traffic operating at near capacity conditions.

Tollway Network

There are approximately 106 lane-miles of tollways in the US-75 ICM Corridor. For non-incident operational conditions (i.e., recurrent congestion), peak direction LOS varies from section-to-section but is generally in the C to E range. Off-peak direction LOS is generally in the range of C to D. For major incident conditions (i.e., non-recurring congestion), LOS in both peak and off-peak conditions rapidly deteriorates to LOS F. Tollway Network Volume-Capacity Rations are provided in Table 3.3 5.

Table 3.3-5 Volume-Capacity Ratios for Tollways
TOLLWAYS
empty cell empty cell Volume/Capacity Ratio
empty cell Dist. Low High Median
DNT NB 9.0 0.72 1.00 0.88
DNT SB 9.0 0.70 1.00 0.87
PGBT WB 4.2 0.53 0.97 0.74
PGBT EB 4.2 0.52 0.95 0.67
PGBT WB FRTG 4.2 0.52 0.95 0.75
PGBT EB FRTG 4.2 0.35 1.04 0.55
TOTAL 34.6 Miles empty cell empty cell
Bus Transit Network

The DART bus network consists of 30 regular routes in the Corridor with approximately 21,000 of 46,300 available seats occupied per day (45% use of capacity). Transfer points within the bus transit network are approximately 63-percent occupied.

Rail Transit Network

There are two light rail lines (Red Line and Blue Line) operating in the Corridor. The Red Line is the primary rail Corridor near US-75. The Blue Line light rail service branches off to the northwest within the Corridor Influence Area. There are approximately 19 center-line miles of light-rail track (two-way) within the Primary Corridor Boundary.

Light-rail lines within the Downtown Dallas area operate at-grade. There are a total of 15 at-grade surface street intersection crossings. Implementation of transit priority in the City of Dallas downtown signal system, within the Corridor Boundary, is planned. From downtown to the Mockingbird Station, the rail lines operate in tunnels under the US-75 mainlanes and frontage roads. North of the Mockingbird Station, the rail line operates mostly at-grade with positive grade crossing control at each of the arterial crossings.

The rail lines operate on approximately five-minute headways in the peak periods. There are 23,500 of 47,300 available seats occupied per day (50% occupied).

Vanpool Service

Thirty-one (31) vanpools operate in the Corridor carrying 682 trips per day. Expansion of vanpool service within the Corridor is currently under consideration, possibly providing an additional 12 vans carrying 264 trips per day.

Park-and-Ride Lots

DART operates a total of eight park-and-ride lots in the US-75 Corridor that serve the transit bus and light-rail facilities.

This figure shows a map of the Dallas area highlighting the location of the eight Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) park and ride lots operating within the integrated corridor management (ICM).
Figure 3.3-1 DART Park and Ride Lots (Source: DART)Figure 3.3 1 long description
Pedestrian/Bicycle Network

An extensive pedestrian and bike route system is in the regional planning document. At present there are approximately 62 miles of off-street bike, pedestrian, or combined pathways and 82 miles of on-street bicycle routes.

3.3.2. Traffic Generators and Events

The following is a partial list of events that generally occur annually and impact the US-75 Corridor. These events typically have custom traffic control and special transit service.

The following is a list of venues that hold frequent events that impact the US-75 Corridor. While typically smaller in size, these events occur more frequently and can still have significant traffic impacts to the Corridor.

A representative list of these is as follows:

In addition, there have been two significant events in the past few years that also opened the possibility of significant strain in operational conditions of this Corridor. The first was the evacuation for Hurricane Rita that hit the eastern coast of Texas. Interstate 45 was one of the hurricane evacuation routes that feed into the US-75 Corridor. This event brought thousands of additional trips to the US-75 Corridor. The second event was the Immigration March held in Downtown Dallas. On Sunday April 9, 2006 close to 500,000 protestors assembled in Downtown Dallas. Special traffic control was needed along the southern end of the US-75 Corridor and DART recorded its highest day of ridership during the event.

Another event that will affect the US-75 Corridor during the timeframe from 2007 to 2012 is the reconstruction of I-635 (LBJ Freeway) between US-75 and I-35E. This freeway is currently an eight-lane freeway with a concurrent-flow HOV lane on the inside of the freeway in each direction. The final configuration will be eight general purpose lanes and six managed lanes. The geometric design approved in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is for the managed lanes to be tunneled under the general purpose lanes. At the peak of reconstruction, the cross-section may need to be reduced to only three lanes in each direction (the configuration of those three lanes as general purpose or HOV are still under analysis). The result will require significant diversion from the I-635 Corridor. While east-west routes will need to carry a bulk of the diverted traffic, recent regional modeling also shows significant increases in traffic on major north-south routes (such as US-75 and the parallel arterials in the Corridor). Having operational systems in place to assist the operating agencies in measuring impacts and implementing alternate operating strategies will be critical to mobility in the region.

3.4. EXISTING NETWORK-BASED TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT/ ITS ASSETS

This section provides a general inventory of existing Network and Corridor management and operation, along with ITS-based assets. Included is a description of each Network asset along with various travel management tactics in place within each Network, as well as travel management for the Corridor as a whole. Also included is a description of ITS assets within the Corridor.

3.4.1. Network Assets and Management Tactics

The following are descriptions of assets and travel management tactics within each separate Network within the Corridor.

Arterial Street Network

The Cities of Dallas, Richardson, and Plano operate centrally-managed computerized signal control systems.

Freeway Management Network

TxDOT monitors most freeways within the Corridor via CCTV, private ISP providers, field units (enforcement and courtesy patrols), and other available sources along all but 14 highway miles in the Corridor. The remaining 14-mile section (US-75 from I-635 to the northern Corridor limit) will be instrumented within the next two years.

HOV Management Network

DART operates concurrent flow HOV lanes on I-635 in both directions. Two or more occupants are required for HOV use. DART maintains HOV management staff in the TxDOT Freeway Management Center with access to the CCTV system.

Tollway Management Network

NTTA operates two tollways within the Corridor, including eight CCTV cameras and two DMS. An additional eight cameras and one DMS are planned. Toll plazas are equipped with electronic toll sensors (Tolltag®) and over 80 percent of all transactions are from toll tags.

Transit Network

DART operates three light rail and 30 local bus transit routes in the Corridor. As noted above, DART also operates the HOV lanes.

3.4.2. Corridor Management Tactics

The following are descriptions of travel management tactics within the US-75 Corridor as a whole – applying operational management across two or more Networks.

Coordinated DMS Operation

The City of Dallas Transportation Department operates five DMS on arterial streets in the Corridor. Five more are planned in the next two years. Operation is coordinated with DMS operated by TxDOT on freeways by providing city street drivers with freeway condition information to assist them in route selection.

Sharing of CCTV Images among Public Agencies

The Cities of Richardson and Dallas have real-time access to images from TxDOT freeway cameras. This assists the cities in managing the arterial signal system by viewing freeway field operations in real-time. Additionally, TxDOT is able to monitor city cameras, some of which are located along freeways where TxDOT does not have camera coverage.

Regional Center-to-Center (C2C) Functionality

Representatives from regional agencies (cities, DART, TxDOT, NTTA, and others) have met periodically over the past few years to develop needs and policies for defining data types and information sharing among agencies. TxDOT has contracted with Southwest Research Institute to develop C2C software for automated sharing of data and information among the operating agencies. The software is essentially complete and the plug-ins for individual agencies will be complete within the next two years.

Cross-Jurisdictional Traffic Signal Coordination

For a number of years, the cities in the Corridor have cooperated in coordination of traffic signals along corridors that cross city boundaries. In the mid 1980s, the practice was formalized when a county program funded development of signal timing plans in subsystems, which, in many cases, crossed city limits. Cities implemented these plans and evaluations showed significant operational improvement. Although conditions have changed over the years and signal timing plans have been updated, the cities still attempt to coordinate with each other wherever possible.

Dallas / Fort Worth Real-Time Traffic Map

In 2006, the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) worked with the TxDOT Dallas District to develop a new real-time web site for the Dallas/Fort Worth region. The software driving the DFW Traffic web site collects data from contributing control centers through a center-to-center interface.

Information provided on the website includes: incident information and location, lane closures, DMS messages, camera images, and speeds. This information is provided via icons overlaid on a dynamic map. The base map, which is provided by Google Incorporated, can be panned and zoomed, and can be viewed with satellite imagery (http://www.rita.dot.gov/cgi-bin/ExitPage/good_bye.cgi?url=http://daltrans.org/). The new web traffic map not only provides information to the traveling public, but also serves as a multi-agency/network management tool as individual agencies can access the site for real-time traffic conditions on the freeway system.

DalTrans Transportation Management Center

The existing Transportation Management Center (TMC) responsible for freeway and HOV lane system operations is currently located along the US-75 Corridor, just south of the High-Five Interchange. The DalTrans TMC, opened in December 2007, is currently occupied by both TxDOT and DART for freeway and HOV lane operation, respectively. This new TMC is a 50,000 square foot facility. The TMC has expanded its operational responsibilities to include transportation management across additional travel networks. The additional building space allows the TxDOT Dallas District to house its entire traffic engineering and transportation management staff under one roof. Along with TxDOT, staff from DART, Dallas County Sheriff, and the Texas Transportation Institute occupy the building.

City Transportation Management Centers

The cities of Dallas, Richardson, and Plano all have Transportation Management Centers (TMCs) that operate the transportation network in their jurisdictional areas. The centers focus on arterial street management and emergency response. The city TMCs work with other city services such as maintenance, police, and emergency response. The City of Richardson provides video to a wrecker contractor that can self dispatch to incidents in the area.

3.4.3. ITS Assets

The following is a description of ITS Assets being used for travel management within the Corridor. In addition to the multiple computer aided dispatching (CAD) systems used by the main local emergency service providers, there are six primary transportation management systems in the US-75 ICM Corridor. They are operated by TxDOT, DART, NTTA, City of Dallas, City of Plano, and City of Richardson. All systems are used on a day-to-day basis and are considered to be very reliable.

TxDOT Freeway Management System

The TxDOT freeway management center (DalTrans) is located in the southern section of the US-75 Corridor (just south of I-635). In addition to the US-75 Corridor, the TMC manages other freeways in the Dallas urban area. All equipment is monitored and controlled from the TMC via the DalTrans central software. Within the Corridor, DalTrans ITS infrastructure includes:

The TMC is staffed 16 hours-per-weekday. Basic maintenance (filter change, DMS bulb change, lubrication, lenses cleaning) is performed on a scheduled basis. Other system maintenance is primarily part or component change out as needed. More severe problems are handled by on-call contractors.

Map. The figure shows a map of the Dallas metropolitan area and the location of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) intelligent transportation system (ITS) asset locations. The highways covered by ITS are: IH-635, IH-30, US-80, US-175, IH-45, US-75, IH-35, SR-183, Loop 12, and SR-114.
Figure 3.4-1 TxDOT ITS Asset Locations (Source: Google Maps)

3.4.4. DART ITS Assets

DART operates a bus, HOV, and light-rail transit operations center at the DART Service & Inspection Facility located in the southern part of the Corridor. DART ITS assets within the US-75 ICM Corridor include:

In the next year, the DART center-to-center (C2C) communication network will be completed. This network will aid DART in exchanging information among all existing centers within the region. Anticipated information exchange includes data on: collisions, special events, weather, bus delay, train arrival, and detours for a route as a result of the delays.

DART operates and manages the HOV lanes within the corridor, this includes both US-75, shown in the figure below, and I-635 East. At the southern edge of the corridor travelshed is the I-30 HOV Lane and the I-35E HOV going south out of downtown.

The figure shows a map of the US-75 high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane, highlighting the location of its intelligent transportation system (ITS) assets.
Figure 3.4-2 US-75 HOV - ITS Assets (Source: Google Maps)Figure 3.4 2 long description

DART employs 26 Automatic Passenger Counter (APC) equipped vehicles, which are not utilized along any specific routes. APC data is offloaded at the vehicle garages via 802.11 wireless connections. The ridership data is processed by a central server, and then loaded into the Trapeze PLAN software module for end-user access to the information. Additionally, DART is currently running a maintenance program to connect all bus fareboxes to the existing GPS receivers onboard. Vehicle location information would then be available in the farebox data set, which is currently offloaded at the garages via manual probes. This system configuration will then allow passenger boarding data throughout the network to be tracked. The APC system is approximately 94% accurate. Component failure, incorrect anticipated stop sequences, and inherent sensor exceptions account for the bulk of the missed or bad information.

Systems are monitored daily by the operators, who fill out maintenance tickets if the system(s) malfunctions. DART plans to replace its existing radio system within the next three years, including replacement of GPS/AVL system components. DART is also currently working to implement mobile data terminals in the vehicles utilized by all Field Supervisory Staff and the DART Police force. The mobile data terminals will have the capability of monitoring vehicle location information for the bus fleet initially, and will be able to monitor rail vehicles with the completion of the GPS based system on rail vehicles in the next two years.

DART plans to expand the communications network within the DART system to interconnect all DART centers creating a single virtual center where information can be shared between DART centers. This effort is planned to use National, Regional, and DART ITS standards and architectures, where applicable, as a guide.

The DART interconnect effort will support the implementation and connectivity of ITS field devices at key locations for a variety of modes. This will also support the dissemination of traveler information pre-trip, on-site, and en-route. Specific applications recommended as part of this project include:

The figure shows a map of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) network as well as the area of influence (travelshed area) that integrated corridor management (ICM) has over the DART system.
Figure 3.4-3 DART System Map (Source: DART)Figure 3.4 3 long description

A Transit Signal Priority (TSP) project allows traffic signal systems to grant (or deny) priority to light rail vehicles within Dallas Central Business District (CBD), as shown in the figure below. In addition, TSP is also installed at the intersection of US-75 and University, and TI Boulevard and Restlan. The system's goal is to aid a transit vehicle to get back on schedule from preceding delays by reducing and eliminating wait times at signalized intersections. This effort will give DART the opportunity to expand its existing LRT system without adding a second LRT mall. The TSP project will include:

The figure shows a map of the Blue and Red rail lines in the Dallas downtown area operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART).
Figure 3.4-4 Transit Signal Priority in Downtown Dallas (Red Line Indicates LRT – Both the Red and Blue Lines) (Source: NCTCOG website dfwmaps.com)Figure 3.4 4 long description

3.4.5. North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) ITS Assets

NTTA operates a total of approximately 50 miles of toll roads in the four-county region consisting of Dallas, Tarrant, Denton, and Colin counties. Of that system, approximately seven miles of north-south tollway and four miles of east-west tollway are in the US-75 Corridor. The NTTA also has a traffic operations center located near the intersection of the PGBT and Coit Road. The NTTA traffic operations center monitors both traffic and tolling systems. Approximately 82 percent of all transactions are by electronic toll collection within the Corridor.

NTTA ITS operations within the Corridor include:

No significant additions in the Corridor are planned for the next two years.

The figure shows a map of the President George Bush Turnpike (PGBT) and the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) operated by the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA).
Figure 3.4-5 NTTA ITS Asset Location (Source: NTTA)Figure 3.4 5 long description

3.4.6. City of Dallas ITS Assets

The City of Dallas operates centrally managed traffic control system with 90% of the signals in coordinated systems. System adjustments and monitoring for failures are accomplished from the TMC located in City Hall at the southern end of the Corridor. Dallas technical capabilities within the Corridor include:

Map. The figure shows a map with the 1,300 traffic signals operated and maintained by the City of Dallas. A box to the right provides a close-up map showing the signalized intersections in the Dallas downtown area.
Figure 3.4-6 City of Dallas - Traffic Signal Locations (Source: City of Dallas)

Approximately 37 new DMS signs and 50 CCTV cameras are planned to be added to the City of Dallas arterial network over the next two years, as shown in the figure below. The City will continue to be an information sharing partner through the area C2C as it is implemented.

The figure shows a map with the location of the dynamic message signs (DMSs) and close circuit video (CCTV).
Figure 3.4-7 City of Dallas DMS and CCTV Locations (Source: City of Dallas)Figure 3.4 7 long description

3.4.7. City of Plano ITS Assets

The City of Plano operates a centrally managed traffic control system of 196 signals with all of the signals in coordinated systems. System adjustments and monitoring for failures are accomplished from the TMC located in City Hall at the northern end of the Corridor. Corridor Plano technical capabilities within the Corridor include:

Preventative maintenance is performed twice a year or as needed.

The figure shows a map of the City of Plano with the location of its 196 traffic signals.
Figure 3.4-8 City of Plano Traffic Signal Locations (Source: City of Plano)Figure 3.4 8 long description

3.4.8. City of Richardson ITS Assets

The City of Richardson operates a centrally managed traffic control system with 92% of the signals in coordinated systems. System adjustments and monitoring for failures are accomplished from the TMC located in City Hall in the middle of the Corridor. Richardson's technical capabilities within the Corridor include:

The figure shows a map of the City of Richardson depicting the current camera coverage on specific streets as well as the location of its 22 arterial street cameras.
Figure 3.4-9 City of Richardson CCTV Locations (Source: City of Richardson)Figure 3.4 9 long description

3.5. PROPOSED NEAR-TERM NETWORK IMPROVEMENTS

As part of the North Central Council of Governments ITS Partnership Program, several improvement projects have been funded that will have direct impact on the US-75 ICM. Categories for these projects include:

  1. Projects that fill in gaps within existing Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) deployments by completing critical systems
  2. Projects that enhance interagency cooperation
  3. Projects that increase the reliability of the existing transportation system
  4. Projects that promote multimodal usage

These categories also fit within the goals and objectives of the US-75 ICM project. Table 3.5 1 below lists near-term projects within the region that are anticipated to have impact on the US-75 ICM. We have agreed to continue to work cooperatively to improve the operations of the corridor, the spirit of ICM will continue in the corridor regardless of the funding available through the US DOT ICM Program.

Table 3.5-1 Proposed/Programmed Near-Term Projects Impacting the US-75 ICM
Project Name - Agency Initial Scope Year Complete
Regional Center-to-Center Software - Regional Partners ITS software plug-in will assist in sharing automatic traffic information data through Center-to-Center protocol using the regional communication network. It will mainly have two components: data-pulling component, and data-pushing component. 2008
Transit Station Public Announcement and Visual Message Boards Public Announcement and Visual Message Boards will be added to the four Central Business District stations that are located along the Transitway Mall, in the southern section of the Corridor. 2009
Arterial DMS Interface to Freeway Messages - City of Dallas Develop interface software to receive data from TxDOT and NTTA TMCs and automatically generate message downloads to arterial DMS. Sign messages currently activated by manual input of TMC operators. The automated system will allow traveler information 24/7. Dallas TMC is not staffed week nights or weekends. -- Automated Display of Incident Messages -- Default Display of Freeway Travel Times 2008
Regional Data & Video Sharing - Regional Partners This project will develop a regional data and video communication system to aid in the flow of regional ITS information to partners in the DFW region. This project will include a detailed design of data and video communication system, including individual agency connections and hardware needs for the regional network. The project cost estimate below will also include some funds to begin network deployment. 2008
DART ITS System Integration - DART DART System Interconnection, known as DART Network, is the integration of systems between LRT - TRE - HOV - Paratransit-Bus. 2008

3.6. CURRENT NETWORK - BASED INSTITUTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

The institutional fabric within the Dallas US-75 ICM Corridor is multi-agency, multi-functional, and multi-modal. Moreover, the authority for transportation-related decision-making is dispersed among several different agencies, including TxDOT, NTTA, DART, NCTCOG, Counties, Cities, and Transportation Management Authorities (TMAs). Additionally, agencies of the US Government (e.g., FHWA, FTA, and DHS) and their rules and regulation also impact the operations within the Corridor. The management and operations of the various Networks (and the supporting ITS-based systems) have tended to be "stovepiped," leaving the need for better optimizing communications between the transportation networks and their operators, with the exception of coordination during major events and incidents.

3.6.1. Institutional Cooperation

3.6.2. Institutional Agreements

The foundation agreement that started regional ITS cooperation in the Dallas/Fort Worth area is the Regional Comprehensive Intelligent Transportation Systems Agreement. A copy of the signed agreement is included in Figure 3.6 1 below. In addition to this agreement, there are institutional agreements related to freeway management software sharing, shared facility use for collocated central command, communication sharing, C2C software sharing, and media relations. Each of these agreements are highlighted below and detailed as to their purpose, term, and effectiveness.

Scanned letter. The figure shows a one-page Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Council of Government Regional Transportation Council, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, North Texas Tollway Authority, Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition, Texas Department of Transportation (Dallas and Fort Worth Districts), and Fort Worth Transportation Authority.
Figure 3.6-1 Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Comprehensive Intelligent Transportation Systems AgreementFigure 3.6 1 long description
Memorandum of Understanding: Regional Comprehensive Intelligent Transportation Systems
Purpose of the agreement

The purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is to ensure that ITS programs among the agencies are mutually complimentary so as to be effective in cost and service provided. The MOU also pledges to work cooperatively with local municipalities to coordinate and cooperate in planning, implementation, and operation of ITS systems. The MOU was executed in 2001 and signers were:

The current DFW Regional ITS Executive Committee is currently made up of the following individuals:

Although individual cities did not sign the MOU, the NCTCOG Regional Transportation Council, made up of elected officials, represents these area cities.

Agreement term

This agreement was executed in the year 2001 and continues to be in effect.

Examples of how the agreement has facilitated operations between or among partner agencies

This agreement facilitated the development of the regional ITS architecture. In addition, the agreement led to the regional development of Center-to-Center (C2C) software, regional data archiving, and the regional cooperative ITS development program.

Applicant analysis of missing institutional integration

Formal written procedures for sharing of traffic, video, and other operational data among agencies are needed to effectively coordinate operations. Four of the participating agencies (TxDOT, Dallas, Richardson and Plano) currently have the communication hardware and network to coordinate operations. Other participating agencies (NTTA, DART) will be connected soon.

Licensing of TxDOT Freeway Management Software to Local Agencies
Purpose of the agreement

The purpose of the Software Licensing Agreements is to allow cities and other agencies to utilize transportation management software developed by TxDOT to access and utilize CCTV, traffic data, and Dynamic Message Signs in the TxDOT system. At present, agreements have been signed between TxDOT and the Cities of Dallas, Plano, and Richardson, as well as Dallas County. Agreements with TxDOT and DART and NTTA are pending

Agreement term

Open subject to 30 notice of termination by either party.

Examples of how the agreement has facilitated operations between or among Partner Agencies

Agencies are able to readily access information and control functions of CCTV cameras and have the ability to control DMS subject to certain criteria.

Applicant analysis of missing institutional integration

Formal operating procedures are needed.

Joint Use Agreement for Transportation Management Building (TxDOT with DART and Dallas County Sheriff)
Purpose of the agreement(s)

TxDOT has completed construction on its an expanded TMC (DalTrans), which also provides space for DART's HOV management and Dallas County Sheriff's operation of the motorist assistance patrols on a portion of area freeways.

Agreement term

Open subject to notification by either party to terminate the relationship.

Examples of how the agreement has facilitated operations between or among partner agencies

Coordinated management efforts will be enhanced by collocation.

Applicant analysis of missing institutional integration

At the present time, other local agencies will not have staff located in DalTrans but high speed communication links between TxDOT and those agencies will enhance coordinated efforts.

Adoption of Regional ITS Communication Approach
Purpose of the agreement

As area agencies implemented various ITS systems, it was apparent that not only was coordination of efforts vital but that there were opportunities for shared infrastructure as well, e.g. fiber links.

Agreement term

No set term.

Examples of how the agreement has facilitated operations between or among partner agencies

The final report, as agreed to by the participating agencies, provides the following guidelines:

Applicant analysis of missing institutional integration

Interoperable software and operating procedures established between agencies to more clearly define/guide needed communications links and protocol.

Commitment to Regional Center-to-Center Software
Purpose of the agreement

The purpose of this agreement is to ensure, to the extent possible, that local operating agencies have a mechanism for coordination and information sharing with regard to ITS systems.

Agreement term

No set term.

Examples of how the agreement has facilitated operations between or among partner agencies

DART underwrote the expense of convening and processing results of a series of meetings among local agencies for the purpose of documenting information needs and willingness to share ITS traffic data. Numerous meetings were held along with workshops to assist operating agencies in defining their needs. As a result of that regional effort, TxDOT entered into a contract with a system integration contractor to develop regional C2C software. The regional partners have been briefed and had the opportunity to provide input to the developer.

Applicant analysis of missing institutional integration

Regional partners are committed to the use of center-to-center software. Local agencies will need "plug-ins" for their particular system. TxDOT has programmed funds for this activity and is currently in process of development and deployment to local agencies.

License Agreement between TxDOT and Local Television Stations for Use of Freeway Images
Purpose of the agreement

The purpose of this agreement is to define requirements and rules for use of TxDOT camera images by broadcast media.

Agreement term

The terms vary.

Examples of how the agreement has facilitated operations between or among partner agencies

Does not directly affect other partner agencies.

Applicant analysis of missing institutional integration

The agreement does not affect other partner agencies.

3.6.3. Stakeholder Institutional Challenges

Other specific institutional-related obstacles that will effect operation of the Dallas US-75 ICM include:

3.7. REGIONAL ITS ARCHITECTURE REVIEW

The Regional Architecture and ITS Plan for the Dallas-Fort Worth was defined in 1999. The Regional Architecture was updated in 2004 and 2005 and posted to the regional ITS web site (http://www.rita.dot.gov/cgi-bin/ExitPage/good_bye.cgi?url=http://nortex-its.org/Architecture/ArchHome.htm). The Dallas Area ITS Plan is currently being updated. The goals and strategies for the Regional ITS Architecture are very similar to the strategies and integration needed for the US-75 Integrated Corridor Management System.

The 1999 ITS Plan Regional Goals were defined as:

  1. Enhance mobility of people and goods by reducing recurrent traffic congestion
  2. Enhance mobility of people and goods by reducing traffic congestion caused by incidents
  3. Enhance access and operation of high-occupancy modes of travel
  4. Reduce drive-alone and peak period travel
  5. Provide a safe transportation system
  6. Provide increased opportunities for air quality and other environmental improvements

Similarly, the Goals for the US-75 ICM, as discussed in Section 4 below, are similar:

  1. Increase corridor throughput
  2. Improve travel time reliability
  3. Improved incident management
  4. Enable intermodal travel decisions
Market Packages

In addition, many of the strategies that the US-75 Steering Committee discussed are captured in many of the Market Packages described in the Dallas-Fort Worth Regional ITS Architecture. A sequence of projects is one of the required components of the regional ITS architecture. In order to meet this requirement, the Dallas-Fort Worth region has developed a sequence of market packages. Each market package priority was determined based on the regional ITS initiatives outlined in existing ITS documents and through consensus building of the Regional ITS Steering Committee. These initiatives include reducing the impacts of recurring and non-recurring congestions; improvements to the overall safety of the transportation system; enhance access and operation of high occupancy modes of travel; and the dependency of one market package on the deployment of another market package. Table 3.7 1 below summarizes the market package prioritization in the Dallas-Fort Worth region adopted in February 2005.

Table 3.7-1 Summary of Market Package Priorities for the DFW Regional ITS Architecture
Area Market Package Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3
Traffic Management Systems Network Surveillance x empty cell empty cell
Probe Surveillance x empty cell empty cell
Surface Street Control empty cell x empty cell
Freeway Control x empty cell empty cell
HOV Lane Management x empty cell empty cell
Traffic Information Dissemination x empty cell empty cell
Regional Traffic Control empty cell x empty cell
Traffic Incident Management System x empty cell empty cell
Electronic Toll Collection x empty cell empty cell
Emissions Monitoring and Management empty cell empty cell x
Standard Railroad Grade Crossing x empty cell empty cell
Railroad Operations Coordination empty cell x empty cell
Parking Facility Management empty cell x empty cell
Regional Parking Management empty cell empty cell x
Reversible Lane Management empty cell x empty cell
Speed Monitoring x empty cell empty cell
Roadway Closure Management x empty cell empty cell
Emergency Management Emergency Call-Taking and Dispatch empty cell x empty cell
Emergency Routing empty cell empty cell x
Mayday Support empty cell x empty cell
Roadway Service Patrols x empty cell empty cell
Transportation Infrastructure Protection empty cell empty cell x
Wide-Area Alert empty cell x empty cell
Early Warning System empty cell empty cell x
Disaster Response and Recovery empty cell empty cell x
Evacuation and Reentry Management empty cell empty cell x
Disaster Traveler Information empty cell empty cell x
Maintenance and Construction Road Weather Data Collection empty cell x empty cell
Weather Information Processing and Distribution empty cell empty cell x
Winter Maintenance empty cell empty cell x
Roadway Maintenance and Construction x empty cell empty cell
Work Zone Management x empty cell empty cell
Work Zone Safety Monitoring empty cell empty cell x
Maintenance and Construction Activity Coordination x empty cell empty cell
Public Transportation Transit Vehicle Tracking x empty cell empty cell
Transit Fixed-Route Operations empty cell x empty cell
Demand Response Transit Operations empty cell empty cell x
Transit Passenger and Fare Management empty cell x empty cell
Transit Security empty cell empty cell x
Transit Maintenance empty cell empty cell x
Multi-modal Coordination empty cell x empty cell
Transit Traveler Information empty cell empty cell x
Commercial Vehicle Operations HAZMAT Management empty cell x empty cell
Traveler Information Broadcast Traveler Information x empty cell empty cell
Interactive Traveler Information empty cell x empty cell
Archived Data ITS Data Mart empty cell x empty cell
ITS Data Warehouse empty cell empty cell x

Other deployment considerations:

3.8. INDIVIDUAL NETWORK AND CORRIDOR CHALLENGES AND NEEDS

This section summarizes the problems, issues and needs of the individual Networks and the Corridor as a whole. Using the inventory information and other gathered data, coupled with stakeholder discussions, this section addresses operational, technical, and, institutional deficiencies and constraints, As such, it provides insight into the types of problems being faced in the US-75 Corridor.

Within the US-75 Corridor, the challenges in efficient movement of people and goods can be classified in terms of 1) agency coordination, 2) available capacity, and 3) proactive operational and control strategies.

3.8.1. Network Challenges

Agency Coordination: First, the Corridor encompasses multiple modes of transportation and a variety of facilities as highlighted in Section 3.1.2 – Corridor Networks. It also encompasses multiple operating agencies with various responsibilities for providing transportation services. These operating agencies include five cities, two counties, a state department of transportation, a transit authority, a regional tolling authority, a metropolitan planning organization and a large number of local emergency service providers. While the various agencies generally operate in a cooperative manner, there are limited systems and tools for integrated coordinated operation.

One example where data is exchanged is between Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Dallas 911 system, and Metro Traffic (one of the local information service providers). The TxDOT Dallas District ITS central system receives traffic incidents from Dallas related to incidents, events, or other actions is accomplished by email or telephone. There is not, however, a Corridor-wide automated mechanism for improved sharing of data, control strategies, and response plans.

For example, a major incident may occur on a freeway and block travel lanes for an hour or more. Drivers may reroute based on information from Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) or from Information Service Providers (ISPs). There exists an opportunity for a modal shift to transit, a travel schedule shift, or a route shift if there is a mechanism in place for the affected agencies to act. Even with recurrent congestion, there exists an opportunity for modal, schedule, or route shifts with exchange of information among agencies along with communication to travelers. Such exchange of information and an action plan can better balance available capacity either in time or space. In either case - recurrent or non-recurrent congestion - agencies would be able to manage travel in a more coordinated manner with improved exchange of information and a coordinated action plan taking into account available capacity from all modes.

During 2005, the TxDOT freeway management system logged over 8,500 incidents on US-75 and over 5,000 incidents on I-635 within the Corridor boundaries. These incidents ranged in severity from debris in the roadway, to stalled vehicles, to major vehicle crashes with multiple lane closures.

Available Capacity: Second, the Corridor represents a highly-developed, urbanized area. As such, there is limited right-of-way remaining to expand the freeway and arterial streets. Therefore, the vehicle capacity is set, and the ability to handle future demand increases relies on moving more people on the given modes and effectively utilizing the existing capacity in real-time as both demand and capacity fluctuate.

Proactive Operational and Control Strategies: Third, maintaining mobility and safety in the Corridor will require proactive operational and control strategies implemented in an integrated manner among the agencies in the Corridor. Whether it is responding to the high travel demand each day or responding to special and planned events in the Corridor, there is a need to coordinate available capacity to match changes in demand. Furthermore, traveler information must be provided to inform users of travel alternatives to maximize their trips.

While the Corridor Stakeholders are in agreement that the principal mobility challenge in the Corridor is the daily traffic demand, there are a significant number of special events at venues in or near the Corridor that add additional challenges for mobility, safety, and wayfinding.

3.8.2. Network Needs

Many of the operational deficiencies within the US-75 Corridor have already been discussed in Section 3.3 – Operational Conditions of the Corridor and Included Networks, representing a major problem along most of the networks within the Corridor. Specific examples of additional needs relating to separate Network, as well as the Corridor as a whole are discussed below. These needs were established through a dedicated Corridor Stakeholder interviewing process, as well as by general input throughout the process of developing this Con Ops.

Arterial Network Needs

Freeway Network Needs

Transit Network Needs

Incident Management / Field Operation Needs

Multi-Network Needs

Institutional / Coordination Needs

3.9. POTENTIAL FOR ICM IN THE CORRIDOR

Simply put, the Integrated Corridor Management concept seems to be a strong fitting solution for the Dallas US-75 Corridor. The needs and goals, as detailed in Section 3.8 above, related transportation operations within the Corridor, are most likely to be met only with operations within each of the separate transportation networks to be coordinated.

The US-75 Corridor consists of multiple independent networks:

Each of these corridor networks are experiencing congestion to some extent during peak hours. "Integrated Corridor Management" focuses on the operational, institutional, and technical coordination of multiple transportation networks and cross-network connections comprising a corridor. Moreover, ICM can encompass several activities which address the problems and needs identified in the previous section (e.g., integrated policy among stakeholders, communications among network operators and stakeholders, improving the efficiency of cross-network junctions and interfaces, real-time traffic and transit monitoring, real-time information distribution, congestion management, incident management, public awareness programs, and transportation pricing and payment).

The US-75 Steering Committee has identified multiple areas and strategies that would assist in operating the corridor in a more efficient and safe manner and has a positive impact to the overall economy of the region. The first major area deals with information sharing both with the public and among agencies. Currently the region has an ITS Standards based Center-to-Center program with a couple of the agencies integrated. This sharing of information could be used for better informing the public of the operations of the corridor and the availability and impact of different modes. The corridor could provide comparative travel time across modes, so that travelers can make informed decisions about trips they are about to make, this would include the ability to collect and distribute arterial travel time data via various media including through 3rd party ISPs, websites, and subscription services for phones and PDAs.

One of the areas multiple agencies identified that is needed is pre-planned response plans and a decision support tool to assist with the on-going operations of the corridor. This decision support tool would be integrated with the various agencies, and provide response plan requests. The agencies will identify hot spots where recurring incidents and special events occur, and develop responses that are coordinated and agreed upon by the agencies.

One of the deficiencies that needs to be addressed – and a specific attribute of the Regional ITS Architecture – involves the exchange and sharing of real-time data. With real-time data and video among the networks, each network could monitor the conditions of adjacent networks to anticipate when travelers may shift to their network and take appropriate actions. Moreover, real-time condition information would provide the foundation for corridor-wide traveler information. The corridor has solutions for both of these deficiencies – the current center-to-center project is used by some of the agencies within the corridor, but further expansion to all of the corridor agencies is needed. A Regional Data and Video Communication System is currently being designed that would serve as the central distribution point for sharing video among corridor agencies. Currently several cities, DART, and TxDOT share some of their video images.

Another element of ICM that is needed is outreach and marketing to the public and major employers within the corridor. Currently, many travelers utilize the regional website and 3rd Party ISPs (including Media) to find out about current conditions. One of the strategies identified by the stakeholders is outreach to major employers to provide customized traveler information to them; this could then be used as a potential way to allow diversion of travelers to use their overflow parking.

Another potential element of ICM involves enhanced mobility opportunities, including shifts to alternate routes and modes. Currently, any shifts that do occur are based on traveler knowledge and past experience. Using integrated real-time information, the various networks working as a corridor could influence traveler network shifts; especially promoting, when appropriate, shifts to the rail network with its unused capacity. The one problem with influencing a shift to rail is the parking shortage. Parking notification could be used to direct travelers to available parking; or in some situations temporary parking may be instituted to handle the new demand.

Current and new DMS deployed among the networks could be operationally integrated and messages could be used to provide travelers condition information on all corridor networks so that each traveler can take appropriate action if one or more of the corridor's network's performance is compromised. More can be done with corridor trip travel times to influence traveler shifts, or staggering of the start of travel. For special events, the DMS could be used to direct event attendees to specific event corridor transportation services.

Clearly, there is great potential to enhance current and near-term operations by implementing selected ICM and cross-network strategies. All of these enhancements would not be possible from an independent network operational perspective. The potential strategies identified above indicate that further investigation and design concerning integrated corridor management is warranted.

3.10. CORRIDOR VISION

The US-75 ICM Project is a collaborative effort between Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), City of Dallas, Town of Highland Park, North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA), City of Plano, City of Richardson, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the City of University Park and many local emergency service providers. The Team defined the Vision for the Corridor as:

"Operate the US-75 Corridor in a true multimodal, integrated, efficient, and safe fashion where the focus is on the transportation customer."

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Finally, 75 Central runs right thru Allen, Texas, home of the Allen Escadrille.