Making Lives Better

ATG | DCCM’s Modelers & Developers Help TxDOT Manage the Future of Transportation in Texas

ATG | DCCM is proud to be the original architect and developer of four iterations of TxDOT’s innovative Statewide Analysis Model (SAM) for transportation systems across the State of Texas.

The SAM provides decisions-makers the ability to understand future travel demand and how transportation projects serve Texas’ needs. This multimodal model provides forecasts for highway passenger travel, freight transport, air traffic to and from Texas airports, intercity and high-speed passenger rail ridership, as well as freight rail tonnage and train forecasts.

In addition, the SAM provides TxDOT with on-demand forecasting and has been used to prioritize passenger rail corridors, produce performance measure for TxDOT’s statewide plan, contribute to ridership projections for the Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study (TOPRS), provide inputs for TxDOT’s Freight Mobility Plan, and provide traffic forecasts for project and corridor studies.

ATG | DCCM continues to support TxDOT with updates to keep the model current with best practices, to take advantage of emerging technology, and to respond to new regulatory or analytical requirements. The ATG | DCCM design incorporates both advanced and common-sense features intended to support analyses that lead to better planning for transportation solutions.

The SAM Version 4.0 (SAM-V4)  is the fourth generation of this state-of-the-practice model. The SAM-V4 update uses standard TransCAD 8 interface (similar to TxDOT’s MPO model interface), separate weekend modeling capability, increased geographic detail (all frontage roads in the state associated with IH facilities), the ability to forecast modal changes (air, rail, auto) for passenger trips that begin or end outside of Texas, the ability to run scenarios for any year between model base year and horizon year, and updated freight models based upon current observed data. Key enhancements to the passenger models include application of destination choice models representing all Texas related long distance passenger trips at a national level.

Statewide Technical Assistance for Transit (STAT) ATG | DCCM’s Ongoing Partnership with LADOTD

Since 2002, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) has looked to ATG | DCCM specialists to help transit providers across the state to deliver quality service efficiently and safely in compliance with changing Federal regulations and standards.

Under the statewide consultant contract, ATG | DCCM assists the LADOTD Public Transportation Section, the SSO Program Manager and each rural transportation provider to identify and meet the safety and security, service coordination, cost efficiency, and communication needs.

Federal guidelines for asset management and safety program reporting are challenging. ATG | DCCM’s technical assistance team assisted Louisiana transit providers with implementing and adhering to voluntary safety standards since 2006, putting them well ahead of the Federal mandates. ATG | DCCM solutions help build capacity, promote service efficiency, and facilitate coordination among Louisiana stakeholders and customers to deliver the best transportation system possible.

Working as a virtual extension of LADOTD’s staff, the ATG | DCCM team’s successes for this project include:

• Planning and delivering workshops on marketing, bus safety and security, cost allocation, coordination of services, and other topics of crucial importance to rural public transportation providers across the state.
• Drafting statewide Bus Safety and Security Bus Standards.
• Publishing a quarterly newsletter informing transit providers of updates and providing guidance on topical issues.
• Conducting FTA fixed-guideway safety and security audits reviewing compliance documents, performing training workshops, and other compliance services.
• Updating the Statewide Human Services Transportation Coordination Plan including development of a regional coordination template and assistance in the development of eight regional HSTC plans.
• Providing transit planning assistance and technical expertise for rural communities developing transit services.
• Planning and implementing various statewide initiatives such as the Transportation Services Coordination Summit, the statewide Annual Transit Conference, and facilitating a legislatively mandated working group.
• Developing various statewide plans to meet federal compliance issues such as the Intercity Bus Plan and the FEMA Louisiana Supplemental Emergency Public Transportation Plan to fund transportation services to displaced citizens following hurricanes.
• Development of the Statewide Transit Tracking and Reporting System (STTARS) to facilitate ridership tracking and reporting by rural and E&D providers. The STTARS system manages online applications, vehicle dispatch, ridership tracking, grant management, vehicle maintenance records, and service invoicing.

Getting Houstonians In and Out of Downtown

ATG | DCCM traffic experts are a part of the team helping TxDOT deliver a more efficient flow of traffic into and out of downtown Houston along Interstate 45.

The North Houston Highway Improvement Program (NHHIP) addresses major freeway improvements in Harris County, Texas. This $6 billion project includes over 20 miles of freeway reconstruction and realignment on Interstate 45 North to deliver a more efficient flow of traffic into and out of downtown Houston and in the future.

Planned improvements on this project not only address highway congestion but also improve multimodal transportation including bicycle and pedestrian features, along with opportunities for development to connect to downtown. The goal of the I-45 NHHIP is to provide a safer highway with additional capacity for projected traffic demand by incorporating transit opportunities, travel demand strategies, and flexible operations.

ATG | DCCM is building the traffic models, forecasting traffic demand, analyzing and predicting crashes, and evaluating operational alternatives to ensure that the final recommended alternative meets the goal of the project and the needs of the area. At the conclusion, ATG | DCCM will provide Interstate Access Justification Report (IAJR), as required by the Federal Highway Administration for access changes to Interstate highways.

ATG | DCCM Finding Better Ways to Help TxDOT San Antonio Identify and Prioritize Bottlenecks

ATG | DCCM led the effort to identify bottlenecks throughout the TxDOT’s San Antonio District. Using a combination of publicly available data, traffic and cellular travel time information, ATG | DCCM identified and prioritized project locations that will improve mobility for residents throughout the metropolitan area.

The San Antonio District of TxDOT needed an accurate and appropriately prioritized list of traffic congestion hotspots known as bottlenecks. TxDOT selected ATG | DCCM to assist them to develop the basis for selecting and prioritizing the most congested bottlenecks.

ATG | DCCM identified and analyzed numerous data sets, reports, and other resources to deliver a more accurate, in-depth congestion location report supported by pertinent data. ATG | DCCM provided an innovative analytical process that allowed TxDOT San Antonio District to effectively and efficiently prioritize congested roadways throughout Bexar County.

ATG | DCCM Traffic Specialists Help North Texas Motorists Through Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

ATG | DCCM helped TxDOT’s Fort Worth District find better ways to communicate and accurately alert motorists of changing traffic conditions in their service area.

To provide motorists with reliable, cost-effective service with actionable information about changing traffic conditions and travel times, TxDOT’s Fort Worth District looked to ATG | DCCM for solutions. ATG | DCCM ITS specialists developed an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Master Plan focused on improving the District’s overall safety and mobility.

ATG | DCCM performed comprehensive existing conditions evaluations that identified congestion points and locations with high crash frequency. ATG | DCCM applied this information to strategically implement closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, dynamic message signs (DMS), and vehicle sensors to enhance TxDOT’s ability to provide more accurate and useful information to motorists.

Advance planning was also performed to address limited connectivity to the rural areas of the District through improved use of fiber optic cable and wireless communication prioritization. ATG | DCCM’s ITS Master Plan study delivered an ITS roadmap that allows TxDOT to efficiently become aware and reliably disseminate better information with more reliable travel times for motorists.

Staying Ahead of San Antonio’s Rapidly Changing Traffic Demands

ATG | DCCM led the effort to deliver a more efficient flow of traffic at the US 281/Basse Road and US 218/Jones Maltsberger Road interchanges for TxDOT’s San Antonio District.

ATG | DCCM led the development of schematic alternatives and environmental documents produced to improve access to US 281 in the City of San Antonio. The schematic development evaluated multiple alternatives including conventional and alternative design options.

ATG | DCCM coordinated with TxDOT and project stakeholders to understand traffic conditions in the area, as well as constraints and roadway characteristics. Traffic models were used to identify traffic issues at the intersections, with an additional nine intersections along Basse Rd and Jones Maltsberger Rd through Alamo Heights being included in the analytics. ATG | DCCM also performed a crash analysis using three years of available data from the TxDOT CRIS system.

Once the existing deficiencies and safety issues were identified, ATG | DCCM held an Alternatives Workshop to brainstorm solutions to improve access and operations. Each proposed solution was evaluated by weighing environmental, right-of-way (ROW), operational, drainage, cost, and constructability constraints/impacts.

Improvements were ranked based on implementable, low-cost improvements to high cost, long-term solutions. Solutions were presented to TxDOT and the City of San Antonio to identify the preferred alternative that will move forward into the schematic and environmental clearance processes. The video to the left illustrates the recommended alternative.