Recommendation Concerning the Discussion of a Memorandum of Agreement Relating to the Development, Operation, and Maintenance of a Regional Advanced Traffic Management System and Regional Transportation Management Center - Joy Jones, P.E., Engineering Department Director
That the Board discuss approving and authorizing the Chairman to sign the Memorandum of Agreement for the Unified Development, Operation, and Maintenance and Stakeholder Allocation of a Regional Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) and a Regional Transportation Management Center (TMC).
[Funding Source: If the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) is willing to entertain the MOA, they will also need to determine a funding source for Escambia County's proportionate share, estimated to be $491,506.85 annually] |
A Regional Advanced Traffic Management System (RATMS) consists of advanced communication technologies integrated into transportation infrastructures such as traffic control systems, monitoring/detection subsystems, and motorist information designed to maximize the use of existing transportation systems. The RATMS includes the computerized signal systems and certain Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) components including communications and networking, traffic signals, dynamic message signs, closed-circuit television video monitoring, incident detection, data collection and monitoring system, traffic operations center, regional center-to-center communications, and a public information portal.
The benefits of this RATMS include improved safety, air quality mitigation, congestion mitigation, emergency response, regional growth adaptability, improved evacuations abilities, system security, transportation agency operations, and reduced operations and maintenance costs by providing capabilities to remotely troubleshoot hardware and traffic operations before sending a technician to a traffic signal.
The FL-AL Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) has designated the Escambia/Santa Rosa Regional ATMS Project as its first priority in the FL-AL TPO's Project Priority list.
On September 8, 2010, through Resolution FL-AL 10-37, the Florida-Alabama TPO approved the Regional Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Plan, which includes the Florida-Alabama TPO, Okaloosa-Walton TPO, and Bay County TPO regions. An ITS Technical Working Group was created to oversee the ITS implementation efforts in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties. The Escambia-Santa Rosa ITS Working Group, representatives from Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, the City of Milton, the City of Gulf Breeze, the City of Pensacola, Emerald Coast Regional Council (ECRC) formally known as West Florida Regional Council, and Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), meets monthly, working together to ensure the ITS system is comprehensive and includes a funding plan for the implementation and operation of a regional Advance Traffic Management System (ATMS), a regional Traffic Management Center (TMC), and related infrastructure.
In 2015, funded by FDOT and TPO box funds, Escambia County entered into a continuing professional services contract with an engineering consultant to provide general traffic engineering operation and management services including signal retiming, transportation engineering, planning, and other support services for Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties. In general, the consultant serves as an extension of staff for traffic engineering related services for the region.
On September 12, 2018, the TPO approved Resolution FL-AL 18-31, which states that the TPO agrees to be the lead agency in the development of a Regional Traffic Management Center (RTMC) and Regional ATMS build out for the on-system roadways within the TPO area, and that the TPO agrees to obligate 90% of the Federal Urbanized funds in Fiscal Year 2023-2024 towards the development of the RTMC and on-system Regional ATMS improvements. The Resolution also stated that the TPO intends to obligate an additional 90% of allocated Federal Urbanized funds in Fiscal Year 2024-2025 towards the development of the TMC and on-system ATMS improvements and that it intends to utilize additional signal maintenance funding and TPO Federal Urbanized funds for operations and maintenance of the built, on-system Regional ATMS for subsequent years thereafter. The resolution affirms that the TPO will continue to work with local governments to encourage the development and tie-in of local off-system ATMS improvements and expansion of the system. The TPO took this action in order to send a unified voice of support for this regional project.
In an effort to be the lead agency and to include all of the TPO area, on April 11, 2019, the TPO published a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a new professional services contract to exist between the FL-AL TPO and a firm to provide general traffic engineering operation and management services for the entire Florida-Alabama TPO area, and redirect the box funds through the TPO to support the contract. A selection committee was also established to review and rank all proposals.
This MOA is the next step in this process, allowing TPO to work with the local stakeholders with regards to their contribution. ECRC staff and the TPO met with the directors of the District 3 FDOT who are looking for the stakeholders in the region to show their willingness to contribute their proportionate share to the budget for operation of this RATMS via the RTMC.
Escambia County's proportionate share is estimated to be $491,506.85 annually. |