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Form FM-SE-01-C Express Lanes Concept of Operations Template.

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Concept of Operations

SR 826/Palmetto Expressway Express Lanes from US 1 to SR 836

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

District Six

1000 NW 111th Avenue

Miami, Florida 33172

Version: 3.0 (Draft)

Approval date: TBD

Concept of Operations for SR 826/Palmetto Expressway Express Lanes from US 1 to SR 836


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DOCUMENT CONTROL PANEL

File Name: Concept of Operations for SR 826/Palmetto Expressway Express Lanes from US 1 to SR 836

File Location: Version Number: 3.0

Name Date

Created By: V2.0 Michael Davis, RS&H August 2019

Reviewed By:

C. Dardes, FDOT–D6 September 2019

G. Letts, FDOT-D6 September 2019

C. Bausher, FTE September 2019

J. Beverly, FTE September 2019

G. Griffith, FTE September 2019

Modified By:

Michael Davis, RS&H October 2019

Approved By:



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Table of Contents

1. Overview ......................................................................................... 1 1.1 Identification ........................................................................................ 2 1.2 System Overview ................................................................................. 4

1.2.1 Purpose of the System .......................................................... 4

1.2.2 High-Level System Overview .............................................. 4

1.2.3 System Ownership and Operations ....................................... 7

2. Referenced Documentation .......................................................... 8

3. Existing System and Current Situation ........................................ 9 3.1 Background, Objectives, and Scope ................................................. 9 3.2 Operational Constraints ...................................................................... 9

3.2.1 Capacity Limitations ............................................................. 9

3.2.2 Regional Considerations ....................................................... 9

3.2.3 Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSM&O) ............................................................................12

3.2.4 Resources ............................................................................14 3.3 Description of the Existing System and Current Situation ............ 14

3.3.1 Existing TSM&O/ITS Infrastructure ..................................16

3.3.2 TMC Software ....................................................................17

3.3.3 Express Lanes .....................................................................17

3.3.4 Toll Systems .......................................................................17

3.3.5 Incident Management ..........................................................18

3.3.6 Enforcement Activities .......................................................20

3.3.7 Customer Service Activities ...............................................20

3.3.8 Traveler Information and Data Sharing ..............................20

3.3.9 Multi-Modal Aspects ..........................................................21

3.3.10 Ramp Signaling ...................................................................21 3.4 Stakeholders ...................................................................................... 21 3.5 Support Environment ........................................................................ 23

4. Change Justification .................................................................... 24 4.1 Justification for Changes.................................................................. 24 4.2 Description of the Desired Changes ................................................ 24 4.3 Change Priorities ............................................................................... 25 4.4 Changes Considered but Not Included -- N/A ................................. 25 4.5 Assumptions and Constraints .......................................................... 25



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4.6 System Validation .............................................................................. 26

5. Concepts for the Proposed System ........................................... 27 5.1 Operational Policies and Constraints .............................................. 27

5.1.1 Operational Policies / Business Rules ................................29

5.1.2 Possible Constraints ............................................................30 5.2 Description of the Proposed System ............................................... 30

5.2.1 Dynamic Message Sign Systems ........................................36

5.2.1.1 Motorists Information................................................................... 36

5.2.1.2 Toll Operations ............................................................................ 37 5.2.2 Vehicle Detection System ...................................................37

5.2.3 CCTV Camera System .......................................................38

5.2.4 Tolling Gantries ..................................................................38

5.2.5 Other Traffic Management Systems ...................................38

5.2.5.1 Ramp Signal Systems .................................................................... 38

5.2.5.2 Transitway Connector System ...................................................... 40 5.3 Incident Management Concepts ....................................................... 42

5.3.1 Emergency Access ..............................................................43

5.3.2 Staging and Investigation Areas .........................................43

5.3.3 Incident Response Resources .............................................45

5.3.4 Emergency Stopping Sites ..................................................45 5.4 Enforcement ....................................................................................... 45 5.5 Toll Signing Scheme ......................................................................... 46

5.5.1 Trip Building .......................................................................46

5.5.2 Toll Assessment Calculations .............................................47 5.6 User Profiles and Support Environment ......................................... 51

5.6.1 FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC ..................................51

5.6.2 FDOT District Six Maintenance .........................................51

5.6.3 MDX Maintenance ..............................................................52

5.6.4 FTE .....................................................................................52

5.6.5 FHP .....................................................................................52

5.6.6 Local Fire Rescue ................................................................52

5.6.7 DTPW .................................................................................52

5.6.8 Miami‐Dade County Traffic Signs and Signals Division ...53

6. Operational Scenarios ................................................................. 73 6.1 Typical Operations ............................................................................ 73 6.2 Crash in the General Use Lanes ....................................................... 74



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6.3 Crash in the Express Lanes .............................................................. 75 6.4 Passenger Vehicle in the Transitway Connector ............................ 76

7. Summary of Benefits/Impacts ..................................................... 77 7.1 Summary of Benefits ......................................................................... 77 7.2 Monitoring and Analysis Activities .................................................. 77

8. Notes ............................................................................................. 79

9. Appendices .................................................................................. 79

10. Glossary ....................................................................................... 79



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List of Tables

Table 1: All ConOps or Related Subsidiary Documents for the SR 826 Express Lanes South Project ....................................................................................................................4

Table 2: Summary of Existing Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities .................................22 Table 3: Responsibility Matrix (SR 826 Express Lanes from US 1 to SR 836) ......................54

List of Figures

Figure 1: Project Location Map ...................................................................................................3 Figure 2: High Level Proposed System Overview ......................................................................6 Figure 3: District Six SIS Facilities ............................................................................................11 Figure 4: Current State of South Florida Express Lanes ........................................................13 Figure 5: High Level Existing System Overview ......................................................................15 Figure 6: Express Lanes Ingress/Egress ....................................................................................28 Figure 7: SR 826 One Express Lane Each Direction (Delineator Separated) from US 1 to

SR 874 .............................................................................................................................32 Figure 8: SR 826 Two Express Lanes Each Direction (Delineator Separated) from SR 874

to SR 836 .........................................................................................................................32 Figure 9: SR 826 Express Lanes Diagram – Project Corridor ................................................33 Figure 10: SR 826 Express Lanes System Overview ................................................................35 Figure 11: Arterial DMS Concept ..............................................................................................37 Figure 12: Ramp Signal System Components ...........................................................................39 Figure 13: Transitway Connection at US 1 ...............................................................................41 Figure 14: Transitway Connection Along SR 826 ....................................................................41 Figure 15: Staging and Investigation Areas ..............................................................................44 Figure 16: Express Lanes Diagram – SR 826/I-75 Regional ....................................................49 Figure 17: Southeast Regional Express Lanes Master Plan ....................................................50



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List of Acronyms and Abbreviations 23 CFR 940 ........................................ Federal rule for ITS planning and architecture development ADMS ............................................................................................ Arterial Dynamic Message Sign ConOps ......................................................................................................... Concept of Operations COO ...........................................................................................................Continuity of Operations CAV ........................................................................................Connected and Autonomous Vehicle CCTV ....................................................................................................... Closed-Circuit Television DMS .............................................................................................................Dynamic Message Sign DSRC ............................................................................... Dedicated Short Range Communications DSS ........................................................................................................... Decision Support System EOP ..................................................................................................... Emergency Operations Plans ETC .......................................................................................................... Electronic Toll Collection EL ........................................................................................................................... Express Lanes(s) FDOT .................................................................................... Florida Department of Transportation FHP .............................................................................................................. Florida Highway Patrol FTE .................................................................................................... Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise HDMS .......................................................................................... Highway Dynamic Message Sign HOV .......................................................................................................... High Occupancy Vehicle HOT ................................................................................................................ High Occupancy Toll HSR ............................................................................................................. Hard Shoulder Running ICM ............................................................................................... Integrated Corridor Management ITS.............................................................................................. Intelligent Transportation Systems IVR .................................................................................................... Interactive Voice Recognition LSDMS .................................................................................... Lane Status Dynamic Message Sign MOE .......................................................................................................... Measure of Effectiveness MOU .............................................................................................. Memorandum of Understanding MVDS ................................................................................. Microwave Vehicle Detection Stations NTCIP ..................................................... National Transportation Communications / ITS Protocol O&M ....................................................................................................Operations and Maintenance OTM ............................................................................................................ Operator Task Manager PSEMP .................................................................. Project Systems Engineering Management Plan RCTO ................................................................... Regional Concept for Transportation Operations



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RITSA ..................................................................................................... Regional ITS Architecture RSS .................................................................................................................. Ramp Signal System SELS .......................................................................................... Statewide Express Lanes Software SEMP ................................................................................. Systems Engineering Management Plan SIS ........................................................................................................ Strategic Intermodal System TADMS.................................................................................. Toll Amount Dynamic Message Sign TMC ......................................................................................... Transportation Management Center TSM&O ....................................................... Transportation Systems Management and Operations VDS.......................................................................................................... Vehicle Detection System V2I .............................................................................................................Vehicle-to-Infrastructure WAN ................................................................................................................. Wide Area Network



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1. Overview

The Express Lanes ConOps is based on IEEE Guide for Information Technology – System Definition – Concept of Operations (ConOps) Document (IEEE Std 1362-1998) dated March 19, 1998. The content of the ConOps follows the guidance identified in the Express Lanes Handbook as is discussed in further detail throughout this Express Lanes ConOps. For express lanes, there are three levels of ConOps: regional, corridor, and project. This particular version is a project level ConOps. The project level ConOps is developed late in the PD&E process or during preliminary design and is specific to the project that will be designed and constructed. The express lanes project ConOps is a planning level document describing the operations, incident management, maintenance, stakeholder roles and responsibilities, connectivity, and integration of pricing and toll collection activities for the express lanes facility and associated systems. It is based on Florida’s Statewide Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP), which explains roles and responsibilities for implementation and management of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) projects. Stakeholders include operators (i.e., Transportation Management Centers), emergency responders, law enforcement, maintenance providers, local governments, transit agencies, customers, and others as deemed necessary by the Department for successful O&M of the subject express lanes project. The ConOps determines the geographical and physical extent, user needs, sequence of activities performed, and the development, operations, and maintenance of the express lanes system. The express lanes project ConOps is a living document “delivered” before progressing to the system requirements and design phases and as such is updated as the various components of the project are implemented, tested and deployed. It is typical for additional changes to the user needs and project concept to occur in subsequent project phases however changes made later in the project need to be managed carefully as they result in greater cost. The ConOps reflects the latest scope of the express lanes system and is aligned with the system requirements, design and implementation to ensure successful system testing, system validation, operations and maintenance. The audience for the document includes all the stakeholders involved with the various components of the project, including implementers, operators and maintainers, as well as law enforcement and first-responders. The audience can be a variety of people or users with various levels of technical knowledge. The document is written using layman’s English to define technical terms. This project level express lanes ConOps follows this template. The first section of the express lanes ConOps document provides three elements: system identification; an overview of the document; and, a high-level overview of the proposed system.

http://floridaexpresslanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/FDOT-Express-Lanes-Handbook.pdf#page=47

http://www.floridaits.com/01ITSGC/doc-SEMP/050315_D1-10_V2.pdf



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1.1 Identification

This ConOps document describes the operational requirements for the SR 826 (Palmetto Expressway) from US 1 (SR 5) to SR 836 (Dolphin Expressway) Express Lanes Project (FPID 432639-1-22-02) and includes any operational aspects associated with the approaches to the express lanes along SR 874 & SR 836. The project limits are from US 1 to SR 836 (see Figure 1: Project Location Map) and would include various aspects that would extend beyond those limits, such as signing and transition striping. The project length is approximately seven miles and is contained completely within FDOT District Six. The SR 826 (Palmetto Expressway) from US 1 (SR 5) to SR 836 (Dolphin Expressway) Express Lanes Project includes various geometric improvements along the mainline and interchanges to address the future vehicular growth, improve highway safety, address future noise levels, enhance hurricane and other emergency evacuations, and improve system connectivity between US 1 and SR 836, including a direct link between SR 874 and SR 836. One of the key geometric improvements is the addition of express lanes along the median of the General Use Lanes from just north of SW 88th Street connecting to the project to the north near SR 836. For the purposes of this document, the project description used throughout this document will be SR 826/Palmetto Expressway Express Lanes (southern segment); shortened to SR 826 Express Lanes South. The ConOps serves to document the consensus built among the partnering agencies and is written for the project development team. As a critical component to the systems engineering process, the ConOps provides a framework for the future development of functional/design requirements.



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Figure 1: Project Location Map



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Each express lanes project contains multiple components with existing subsidiary documents or in some cases existing ConOps for statewide platforms such as tolling systems, toll collection, and pricing software. All related ConOps documents are described in a hierarchical manner, identifying the position of this document relative to other ConOps or related subsidiary documents as shown in the table below.

Table 1: All ConOps or Related Subsidiary Documents for the SR 826 Express Lanes South Project

Document ID

Title of ConOps or Related Document

Summary of Contents

N/A Southeast Florida Express Lanes Regional Concept for

Transportation Operations, May 2014

Overview and guidance for the implementation of express lanes in the southeast region using the functional

categories of; Planning and Policy; Physical, Design Features; Operations; Communications; Financial; and

Legal

TBD Concept of Operations for SR 826/Palmetto Expressway from

US 1 to SR 836

This document, which contains the project level Concept of Operations information including system inclusions for express lanes and Transitway access to/from US 1.

TBD Project Systems Engineering Management Plan (PSEMP) for

SR 826/Palmetto Expressway from US 1 to SR 836

Guidance plan for ITS systems engineering and implementation for this project.

1.2 System Overview

1.2.1 Purpose of the System

The SR 826 Express Lanes South project will introduce approximately seven miles of express lanes along SR 826 and is intended to provide improvements along the corridor in the areas of safety, capacity, operations, regional connectivity, access, and evacuation. The express lanes will have a direct connection with the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Work’s (DTPW) US 1 South Dade Transitway Corridor. The project will also include direct connector movements to/from SR 836 and SR 874 through the express lanes.

1.2.2 High-Level System Overview

In addition to the physical geometric improvements, the SR 826 Express Lanes South will also include the following additional system components:

• Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) System



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• Vehicle Detection System (VDS) • Closed‐Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras System • Ramp Signal System (RSS) • Statewide Express Lanes Software (SELS) • Electronic Toll Collection System (ETC) • Accommodations for Emerging Technologies including Connected and Autonomous

Vehicles (CAV) • Travel Time Detection System (TTDS)



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Figure 2: High Level Proposed System Overview



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1.2.3 System Ownership and Operations

The operation of the SR 826 Express Lanes South will be done through the FDOT District Six SunGuide® Transportation Management Center (TMC). The TMC will use the statewide SunGuide® Software to monitor and control the ITS field devices. The toll operations functionality will be controlled through Statewide Express Lanes Software (SELS) that will interface with the SunGuide® Software and the Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) back office software. The SELS will be used to operate the express lanes. FDOT District Six will utilize their contracts/resources for:

• TMC Operations o Express Lanes Operations o Ramp Signaling Operations

• Incident Management • ITS Maintenance • Roadway Maintenance • Public Information

In addition, Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and local police/fire rescue agencies will provide emergency response. The FHP will be responsible for all enforcement. The toll gantry equipment and toll collections will be the responsibility of FTE. More detailed information can be found in Section 3.4, which includes the Summary of Existing Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities table defining agency existing roles and responsibilities, independent of the new express lanes project. Also, Section 5.6, which includes the Responsibility Matrix that identifies the project-specific roles.



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2. Referenced Documentation

The following documentation is referenced as part of the SR 826 Express Lanes South Concept of Operations:

• Florida’s Statewide System Engineering Management Plan, Appendix R – Concept of Operations Template, June 14, 2018.

• SR 826/Palmetto Expressway Project Development and Environment Study, FPID No. 432639-1-22-02, ETDM No. 14308

• 95 Express Lanes Phase 2 Concept of Operations for I-95 from Golden Glades Interchange to Broward Boulevard, April 18, 2015

• I-75/SR 826 Express Lanes Concept of Operations for I-75 from I-595 to Palmetto Expressway/SR 826 and Palmetto Expressway/SR 826 from US 41/SW 8th Street to NW 154th Street, April 2013, updated February 2016.

• SR 826/Palmetto Expressway Concept of Operations from SR 93/I-75 to the Golden Glades Interchange, June 2016.

• Southeast Florida Express Lanes Regional Concept for Transportation Operations, May 2014

• http://sunguide.info/index.php • www.smartsunguide.com

http://sunguide.info/index.php

http://www.smartsunguide.com/



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3. Existing System and Current Situation

3.1 Background, Objectives, and Scope

SR 826 is an eight to ten lane limited access facility that extends south‐north from US 1 to NW 154th Street then curves to the east and becomes a six lane limited access facility that runs east‐west from NW 67th Avenue to I‐95 at the Golden Glades Interchange. The project limits along SR 826 extend from US 1 to SR 836 (Dolphin Expressway), approximately seven miles. The FDOT TSM&O Program uses technology to manage the project corridor more efficiently, and provide motorists with safer, more reliable roadways. These technologies are deployed along the project corridor and are operated from the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC. The TMC will use the statewide SunGuide® Software to monitor and control the field devices. The FTE provides the Electronic Toll Collection System for all express lanes. This includes the gantry toll equipment, toll tag readers, toll tags (SunPass), and all the back office support for account management. The express lanes will be new to this section of the corridor and will connect to existing express lanes facilities to the north.

3.2 Operational Constraints

3.2.1 Capacity Limitations

SR 826 Express Lanes South traverses four of the six transportation planning areas (Central, Northwest, South, and West) as identified within the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan. The greatest population and employment growth between the years 2010 and 2040 within Miami-Dade County is expected to occur within the South transportation planning area. Population within this area is projected to increase by 49.6% while employment is projected to increase by 64.5%. The other three transportation planning areas are also anticipated to grow modestly between this same period as well. Population within Central is projected to increase by 27.9% and employment by 32.5%. Population within Northwest is projected to increase by 20% and employment by 41.9%. Population within West is projected to increase by 12.5% and employment by 42.5%. The projected growth in the area will result in a significant increase in travel demand and further deteriorate the conditions of the already congested SR 826 corridor.

3.2.2 Regional Considerations

SR 826 connects southern Miami-Dade County to northern Miami-Dade County and serves as a feeder route to the County's busiest east-west transportation corridor, SR 836. The SR 826 corridor provides system-level connections to I-75, Florida's Turnpike, SR 874, SR 924, and I-95. SR 826,



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which is a designated Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) corridor, provides connections to several other SIS corridors and hubs (see Figure 3). I-95 and Florida's Turnpike are designated as SIS corridors and the GGI Park-n-Ride facility located within the GGI area is a SIS intermodal facility that provides connections to South Florida Regional Transportation Authority commuter trains; Miami-Dade DTPW express and local buses, Broward County Transit express and local buses, Greyhound intercity buses and carpool commuters. In addition, SR 826 facilitates connections to the Miami International Airport and the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, both designated SIS commercial service airport hubs, via I-95. Consequently, the proposed capacity and mobility improvements along the SR 826 Express Lanes South are critical in order to improve access to these major transportation facilities, as well as enhance mobility within the South Florida Region. The SR 826 Express Lanes South would provide system linkage between the SR 826/Palmetto Expressway North-South Express Lane System and US 1, including direct connectors to SR 874 and SR 836, resulting in the need for close coordination for the operations, incident management, and maintenance among FDOT District Six, FHP, and Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX). In addition, the SR 826 Express Lanes South will have a direct connection with the DTPW US 1 South Dade Transitway Corridor and will require operational and incident management coordination with DTPW and FHP to support the Transitway connector and express lanes. This includes the access and use of field devices that can enhance the operational performance of the express lanes, General Use Lanes and Transitway connection within the project limits and adjacent facility.



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Figure 3: District Six SIS Facilities



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3.2.3 Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSM&O)

The SunGuide® Software has limited capability to share control of ITS field devices and shared control is currently not used among the Districts TMCs. The Districts rely heavily on the verbal communication procedures established through the Southeast Florida Regional TMC Operations Committee (SEFRTOC), which currently works well for existing operations. The FDOT has developed a Regional Concept for Transportation Operations (RCTO) for express lanes across Southeast Florida. The proposed regional network of express lanes includes all the major highways in Miami‐Dade and Broward Counties. As the FDOT moves forward with the deployment of a Regional Express Lanes Network (see Figure 4), coordination of each facility/project will be required to ensure a regional consistency for the public.



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Figure 4: Current State of South Florida Express Lanes



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3.2.4 Resources

The District has adequate resources available within the project limits for the existing conditions. FDOT District Six has optimized the use of their existing resources, and any additional devices, systems, and operations/maintenance responsibilities will require additional funding to ensure the existing performance of the ITS program is maintained as the system is expanded to support express lanes along SR 826.

3.3 Description of the Existing System and Current Situation

The FDOT has implemented a mature ITS Program along the project corridor that is operated from the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC. The TMC operates 24 hours per day / 7 days a week and uses the Statewide SunGuide® Software to monitor and control the field devices. The TMC participates in the SEFRTOC to coordinate operations at interchanges with roadways operated by other regional TMCs (FDOT D4, MDX, FTE, and Palm Beach County). Through the SEFTROC, procedures exist for incident coordination, information dissemination and sharing data/video. The District’s TMC acts as the command and control center for ITS Programs. The TSM&O Program elements pertinent to the SR 826 Express Lanes South Project includes field devices, software, incident management, traveler information, express lanes, and ramp signaling.



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Figure 5: High Level Existing System Overview



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3.3.1 Existing TSM&O/ITS Infrastructure

The District has the following ITS Field devices along the Project Limits. They are monitored and controlled through the SunGuide® Software. They include:

• Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) ‐ CCTV are used for monitoring the roadways to support incident detection, verification and incident clearance verification. The District also uses dedicated CCTV to verify messages on the DMS, ADMS, LSDMS and TADMS. The CCTV cameras provide full coverage and support full pan, tilt, and zoom capability. The video is shared among the TMCs through a regional fiber communication network. The video is shared with the public through the Florida Advanced Traveler Information System (FLATIS) or the 511 website. For FDOT District Six, the video is made available to local agencies through the Miami‐Dade County Communications network, or through a direct link to the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC. Media and the District 6 Emergency Operations Center (EOC) also have access to all the regional video through the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC. Video is also shared with the public and local agencies through real time video streams on the District’s TMC website (SunGuide.info) and TrafficLand.

• Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) – Highway DMS are used to disseminate event information (incidents, lane closures, weather, etc.), safety messages, travel time messages, and special alerts to motorists along the SR 826 corridor. All DMS have CCTV to verify the DMS messages. Seven DMS (including ADMS, LSDMS, and TADMS) locations along the project corridor include:

• ADMS Northbound before SW 110th Street • DMS Northbound before the SR 878/Snapper Creek Expressway • DMS Northbound before SW 24th Street • LSDMS Northbound after US 41/SW 8th Street • TADMS Northbound before SR 968/W Flagler Street • LSDMS Northbound after SR 968/W Flagler Street • TADMS Northbound before SR 836/Dolphin Expressway

• Microwave Vehicle Detection Stations (MVDS) are used to monitor traffic operations and collect real‐ time traffic flow data including volume, speed, and occupancy. The data is shared across TMCs to calculate and present travel time information on the DMS. The data is also to support the traffic management functions such as detecting incidents and archiving traffic data for transportation planning purposes. MVDS data is also used by the tolling algorithm to help establish the toll rates needed to provide better travel time reliability within the express lanes. MVDSs are spaced at approximately 1/3 mile intervals along the project corridor.

• There is existing fiber optic communication backbone along the project limits and lateral runs to the field devices. The network also provides a connection to the FTE communications network



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• There is an express lane toll site at the SR 836/Dolphin Expwy crossing that connects to FTE for tolling. The toll site currently tolls both Northbound and Southbound traffic in the Express Lanes along SR 826.

3.3.2 TMC Software

The TMC utilizes the SunGuide® Software. SunGuide® Software is FDOT’s Statewide TMC software application for the control of ITS roadway devices, traffic and incident management, data collection, traveler information dissemination, as well as information exchange across a variety of transportation agencies. The FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC has additional software applications to support their specific operations and maintenance. The TMC has GPS devices on the Road Ranger vehicles that send GPS data to SunGuide® Software to display and report on Road Ranger positioning. The TMC also has the Operator Task Manager (OTM) application that supports all aspects of the TMC operations; data collection, performance reporting, information dissemination, express lanes operations, ramp signaling operations, Rapid Incident Scene Clearance (RISC) operations, Road Ranger Break log, shifts change, communication logs, and ITS maintenance. OTM interfaces with the SunGuide® Software through a data bus communication that allows OTM to collect data from SunGuide® Software and send commands to SunGuide® Software. The TMC has specific contractual operational performance measures that are tracked using the Operator Quality Control Database (OPQC). The OTM and OPQC software applications are owned by the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC and the SELS are part of the TMC as a module of OTM.

3.3.3 Express Lanes

The express lanes are dedicated lanes with a variable priced toll that adjusts to congestion levels inside the express lanes to provide more reliable travel options for motorists and transit services. The FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC has been providing express lanes operations since 2008 and has established operating procedures, incident management procedures and software to support dynamic pricing. The TMC will perform all toll setting operations for the SR 826 Express Lanes South.

3.3.4 Toll Systems

The existing toll systems used for express lanes within the state are provided by FTE. The system utilizes toll gantries to house the toll equipment needed to accurately identify a vehicle using the facility, and apply the appropriate toll based upon data provided by the MVDS and interpreted by the Statewide Express Lane Software (SELS). Tolling for express lanes requires the vehicle to have a transponder that is interoperable with FTE’s SunPass. Tolls are dynamically set based upon



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the congestion levels along the facility. Users of the express lanes are provided pricing rates for a trip that encompasses up to three accessible destinations. Upon reaching the end of that trip segment, the user is provided additional information on pricing to stay in the express lanes giving them the option of leaving the lanes if they did not want to pay the new dynamically priced rates. Existing toll facilities are monitored by FTE's SunWatch & SLAM teams.

3.3.5 Incident Management

Existing Incident Management efforts along the project corridor include five key program elements; Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Team, Road Rangers, Rapid Incident Scene Clearance (RISC), Incident Response Vehicle (IRV) Operations, and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Hireback Program. These resources work closely with FDOT Maintenance/Asset management Contractors for extended incidents.

• TIM Team ‐ The FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC has an established TIM Team. The TIM Team consists of FDOT, FTE, FHP, tow companies, local police, local fire rescue, consultants, and asset management companies. Through the TIM Team, the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC has established an excellent working relationship with the incident responders. The TIM Team has helped to establish quick clearance policies and provide a forum to discuss issues, which results in continuous improvement to incident response within the region.

• Road Rangers ‐ Road Rangers are the FDOT’s Service Patrol Program, which is managed by the District’s TMC. They provide the following services:

o Provide short‐term maintenance‐of‐traffic (MOT) services during incidents o Assist in Incident Management and response o Clear disabled vehicles from travel lanes o Clear debris from travel lanes o Change flat tires o Jump‐start vehicles and make minor repairs o Supply emergency gasoline, diesel, water o Provide stranded motorists two free local calls o Monitor abandoned vehicles and notify FHP

The Road Rangers vehicles include tow trucks, pick‐up trucks, flatbed tow trucks (Miami‐Dade County only) and Class “C” Heavy-Duty wreckers. The Road Ranger vehicles (pick-up trucks and tow trucks) constantly patrol the project corridor and other vehicles (flatbed tow trucks and heavy duty wreckers) are strategically located for quick response/clearance. The trucks patrol specific beats as follows:

• SR 826 Monday through Friday (5:00AM to 9:00PM)

o One Pick‐Up Truck from NW 58th Street to US 1. o One Flatbed Tow Truck staged on SR 826 at the SR 836 left shoulder



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o One Tow Truck from SW 8 Street to NW 154 Street (provided by the 826 Express Lanes South project)

o One Flatbed Tow Truck staged at I-75 on NW 154 Street covers from I-75 from NW 170 Street to SW 8 Street (provided by the 826 Express Lanes South project)

o One Tow Truck from NW 58 Street to US 1 o Two Tow Trucks from NW 154 Street to SW 8 Street (826 Express Lanes

coverage) • SR 826 Monday through Friday (9:00PM to 5:00AM) and Weekends/Holidays.

o One Pick‐Up Truck from NW 58th Street to US 1. o One Flatbed Tow Truck staged on SR 826 at the SR 836 left shoulder o One Tow Truck from SW 8 Street to NW 154 Street (provided by the 826

Express Lanes South project) o One Flatbed Tow Truck staged at I-75 on NW 154 Street covers from I-75 from

NW 170 Street to SW 8 Street (provided by the 826 Express Lanes South project)

o Two Tow Trucks from NW 154 Street to SW 8 Street (826 Express Lanes coverage)

o One Tow Truck from NW 58 Street to US 1 (only from 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM on weekends/holidays)

• RISC – The Rapid Incident Scene Clearance Program offers financial incentives to pre‐qualified towing companies to respond to and clear large scale incidents such as large truck crashes, rollovers and cargo spills within a specified period of time. The RISC contractor has 60 minutes to arrive on scene with the required equipment. Once given a "notice to proceed" by the FHP Trooper on scene, the RISC contractor has 90 minutes to "open all travel lanes" to traffic. FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC coordinates with FHP to activate RISC. In Miami‐Dade County, FHP, the TMC, or the IRV operator has the ability to activate RISC.

• IRV – The IRV assists in the mitigation of delays caused by severe traffic incidents and to increase the safety of emergency responders. The IRV operators are specially trained staff that serve as an Incident Commander responsible for coordination and communication between incident responders, the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC and FDOT Maintenance. In addition, the IRV vehicle is outfitted with traffic management equipment such as cones, signs, spill absorbent, roadway repair supplies and flares to be used for the MOT) to ensure the safety of everyone on scene. IRV services are currently provided along 95 Express and will be provided along the SR 826 Express Lanes South project corridor when express lane operations commence. The IRV operates 16 hours per day / 5 days a week, from 5:30 AM to 9:30 PM.



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• FHP Hireback Program – This program provides dedicated FHP officers to the Express Lanes corridors in order to help ensure that incidents are cleared quickly and safely, and that all aspects of the facility are being correctly operated regarding moving operations.

3.3.6 Enforcement Activities

The Florida Highway Patrol Troop E currently oversees all enforcement along the project corridor. Since there are currently no express lanes along this section of SR 826, there is no toll violation enforcement in place.

3.3.7 Customer Service Activities

Since there are no current express lanes along this section of SR 826, there is currently no customer service coordination with FTE. All other customer inquiries are handled under normal District processes.

3.3.8 Traveler Information and Data Sharing

In addition to the DMS, the FDOT provides additional traveler information through a Statewide 511 System known as FLATIS. FLATIS provides traveler information via a website (www.FL511.com) and an Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) system by dialing 511. The FLATIS is populated from information provided by the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC via the SunGuide® Software. FLATIS provides users up‐to‐the minute reports on traffic events, regional travel times, construction events, links to other agencies and more. Snapshot images of CCTVs are also provided via the FLATIS website. Following advances in technology that increased the number of motorists that own smartphones, FDOT entered into an agreement to exchange data with Google, the provider of a cellular phone application (Waze) that aids motorists with navigation through the roadways. Waze is a community-based traffic and navigation system that allows users to input information through a smartphone app and collaborate in updating maps online. In the first phase of this collaboration, FDOT allowed Waze to access FDOT’S third party data feed so that information on roadway incidents that the TMCs are managing may be disseminated to Waze users through the app. Also, as part of this phase, Waze shares information on incidents that have been reported by the app users with FDOT by providing FDOT with Waze’s incident data feed. The Waze incident data feed is processed by the Center-to-Center (C2C) interface of the SunGuide® software through a C2C plug-in that downloads incident alert data from Waze and feeds it to the TMCs through a C2C Event Status data feed. The TMC operators are alerted of the Waze events through a read only icon that is displayed in the SunGuide® Software’s Operator Map. Phase 2 of this Waze and FDOT Data Sharing Agreement facilitates the processing of Waze information using an Incident



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Detection Subsystem (IDS) and reduces the burden on the operators by automating many of the processes that were handled manually. Waze incidents will be processed similarly to other incident data feeds that are currently used by FDOT TMCs.

3.3.9 Multi-Modal Aspects

There are no multi-modal aspects associated with the current corridor, other than the connection of SR 826 to the South Dade Transitway along US 1. DTPW will be implementing improvements to the transitway as part of the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Plan, which is scheduled to be completed in 2022. These improvements will include Bus Rapid Transit and will allow Express Bus services along US 1 to better meet schedules by use of a direct connection to/from the proposed express lanes along SR 826.

3.3.10 Ramp Signaling

Ramp signaling is a traffic management strategy that installs ramp signals at highway on‐ramps to regulate the flow of traffic onto the highway mainline. When activated, a ramp signal head alternates between green and red to establish a steady flow of vehicles onto the highway, which allows them to smoothly merge onto the mainline traffic. This reduces the delay caused by a platoon of vehicles competing for available gaps as they merge onto the highway. Ramp signals are currently controlled through the SunGuide® Software from the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC and have proven to reduce recurring and non‐ recurring congestion in the General Use Lanes. The TMC has established operating procedures for the I-95 general use lanes ramp signal system (RSS) that can be applied to other projects, including this one. The existing I-95 RSS in FDOT District Six are operated during AM and PM Peak hours and as needed during other time periods. During the peak periods the RSS are turned on in groups and the process is initiated when one-minute average detector speeds lower than 45 mph are observed in the express lanes for five consecutive minutes. Generally, the times of operation of the I-95 RSS are times of heavy congestion in the general use lanes as well as the express lanes.

3.4 Stakeholders

The SR 826 corridor provides a main thoroughfare for motorists, transit, and commercial traffic. In addition to the motoring public, there are a number of stakeholder agencies that play a critical role in the operations along the project corridor. See Table 2: Summary of Existing Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities



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Table 2: Summary of Existing Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities

Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities

District Six Operations

• Monitor corridor for congestion and incidents • Operation of express lane facilities • Operate and maintain traffic management system components • Receive regular system status reports • Provide corridor Service Patrol • Develop and refine ramp metering operational strategies

Central Office

• Statewide guidelines on traffic and incident management • Statewide 511 program • Statewide data sharing • Statewide regulations on traffic operations • Statewide Express Lanes Software (SELS) and SunGuide change

management

Florida Highway Patrol Troop E

• Partner in developing operational procedures • Enforcement of traffic laws • Incident scene management if Fire/Rescue services are not present • Enforcement of regulatory displays at ramp meter signals • Enforcement of Bus Only Lane violations

Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise

• Operation, maintenance and marketing of Florida SunPass services • Development and maintenance of SELS • Specification, development, and maintenance of tolling hardware including

antennas, readers, communications and other infrastructure • Customer support including call center and account management.

Miami Dade Expressway Authority • Coordination on traffic management along SR 874 and SR 836

Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue

• Management of incident scenes in partnership with FHP • Provide emergency care and rescue services at incident sites • Provide fire containment and initial HAZMAT response and containment • Provide emergency medical care • Transport injured from incident scene to hospital

Local and County Transportation Agencies

• Manage regional traffic control efforts and assist in coordinating traffic across boundaries along alternate routes

• Coordinate with other regional agencies during emergencies and evacuation for emergency traffic control in the event of freeway / expressway closure

• Coordinate transit signal priority services utilizing bus location data on parallel corridor routes



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Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities

Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works

• Provide bus and rail transit services in corridor including Express Bus • Provide and maintain park-and- ride facilities adjoining corridor

supporting Express Bus • Provides service alerts and advisories • Provides next train arrival times • Provides next bus arrival times

Federal Highway Administration • Provide funding support for key projects • Provide technical and procedural oversight for ITS and other program

compliance on projects with Federal funding and/or on Interstate system

Metropolitan Planning Organization

• Develop Constrained Long Range Transportation Plan, Transportation Improvement Plan and/or Regional Transportation Priorities Plan (typical)

• Champion the enhancement of transportation systems management and operations for all agencies in region

3.5 Support Environment

The existing ITS systems are maintained by contractors managed from the TMC. The ITS Maintenance Contracts include preventative and emergency repair services. The ITS Maintenance Contractor has performance measures for responding to and resolving failures depending on the nature of the failure (e.g., critical versus non‐critical). These services are tracked via software operated out of the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC. FDOT District Six has a contractor that provides roadway maintenance/asset maintenance for SR 826. The roadway and asset maintenance contractors are contracted to maintain the system according to a level of service established within the FDOT’s Maintenance Rating Program as specified within their respective scope of services. These same services will be provided by this same contractor along the SR 874 and SR 836 direct connector ramps, to ensure movements to/from the SR 826 Express Lanes South are maintained. The FTE has maintenance contracts with vendors to provide toll collection equipment maintenance on all FTE owned and managed toll facilities, including the toll buildings and toll equipment that will be deployed on SR 826.



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4. Change Justification

4.1 Justification for Changes

This SR 826 Express Lanes South is the end segment of a larger express lanes project for the SR 826 corridor. The northern segment, which extends from SR 836 to I-75, is already operating. Based upon recommendations provided from the SR 826/Palmetto Expressway Express Lanes from US 1 to SR 836 PD&E Study (FPID: 432639-1-22-02), express lanes will be added from just north of SW 88th Street to the SR 836 Interchange. Once all segments are completed, users will have access to an express lanes network that connects SR 826 traffic from US 1 to I-75 and I-95, providing the continuity envisioned in the Southeast Florida Express Lanes Network.

4.2 Description of the Desired Changes

When complete, this regional system will greatly improve capacity, safety, connectivity and peak-hour travel times. Diverting some of the future traffic volumes from the general use lanes to the express lanes, will help increase gaps along the general use lanes providing more space for vehicles entering SR 826. The express lanes will also help reduce tailgating and improve traffic flow while separating long distance trips from local trips. Separating these trips will reduce weaving and sideswipe crashes. In addition, the express lanes will provide a direct connection between SR 874 and SR 836 and a direct connection with the DTPW US 1 South Dade Transitway Corridor. These physical changes to the corridor will have a significant impact on the existing operations along SR 874, SR 836, and SR 826. The impacts will result in the need for:

• Additional TMC Staff – The express lanes will increase the existing workload at the TMC. The additional workload will occur in the following areas:

o Day‐to‐Day express lanes Operations including signing and toll messaging; o Day‐to‐Day Ramp Signaling Operations; o Additional performance reporting requirements; o Technical/Engineering analysis to monitor/update various dynamic algorithm

parameters and procedures; o IT/Software support; o Public Outreach/Customer Service Support.

• Additional ITS Maintenance – The ITS equipment along the SR 826 Express Lanes South Project corridor will increase, resulting in a need for additional resources.

• Additional Incident Management Resources – One key objective is to provide a more reliable trip within the express lanes. This requires additional incident management resources to respond and clear incidents quicker than what is currently provided within the project corridor, as well as address the additional maintenance of traffic resources needed during express lane closures.



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• Additional Procedures – Since the 826 Express Lanes to the north will be in operation at the time this project is complete, these express lanes will require updated coordination procedures among various stakeholders (TMCs, Emergency Responders, Maintenance, etc.) along the corridor.

• The Transitway Connection will require additional incident management efforts to ensure disabled buses are quickly removed from the facility in order to maintain reliable transit schedules once in the lanes.

• The Transitway Connection will also require additional enforcement efforts due to the complexity of the system where the express lanes end in the Southbound direction, and where the Transitway Connection begins. This will help ensure that regular vehicles are not taking advantage of this connection and will help to ensure safer movements from proper vehicles using the lanes.

4.3 Change Priorities

The SR 826 Express Lanes South Project improvements will be completed as a design-build project and will include all seven miles, including direct connections to SR 836 and SR 874, and the Transitway Connection to/from US 1. The project will connect to the Express Lanes project to the north with an expected Design-Build contract award in the Spring of 2022. This connection will ensure an Express Lanes Network is completed in whole without segmentation being broken, since this project has limited ingress and egress along the corridor. Because there will be impacts to destinations shown on advanced pricing DMS along I-75 Southbound (near NW 154th Street and Miami Gardens Drive) and SR 826 Southbound/Westbound (near NW 154th Street and NW 67th Avenue), close coordination would be needed to ensure construction was completed, existing destinations were covered, while the facility was opened to traffic.

4.4 Changes Considered but Not Included -- N/A

Note to reviewers: This section could include any aspects of the Transitway Connector Lanes that we do not go with.

4.5 Assumptions and Constraints

The proposed changes include the following assumptions: • Additional resources for TMC Operations, Incident Response, FHP, Engineering/Technical

Support, Public Information, and ITS Maintenance will be budgeted to achieve and maintain the project’s goals.

• A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) should be developed between FDOT District Six, FTE, and MDX for Toll Facilities and supporting infrastructure on SR 836 and SR 874.



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• The use of License Plate Readers or Transponder Technology to identify, and/or enforce Transitway connector movements and violations. This aspect may be based upon a separate ConOps that could be developed specifically for the Transitway Connector.

• Performance requirements for the operating, responding, and maintaining agencies will be developed, monitored, and enforced to ensure the desired level of service.

• Mutual aid agreements among responding agencies will be reviewed and modified as needed to address changes introduced by the SR 826 Express Lanes South.

• The current Regional ITS Architecture specifically identifies 95 Express and the latest segment of SR 826/I-75 that began operations this year. The Regional ITS Architecture should be expanded to include the SR 826 Express Lanes South.

• The SR 826 Express Lanes South will function as a new highway within an existing highway, which will introduce new travel patterns along the corridor. This may cause driver confusion and/or information overload due to the additional signing requirements. A comprehensive and aggressive public outreach program should be developed to minimize these impacts.

4.6 System Validation

Note to reviewers: This section will be developed during the Design-Build RFP phase. It will be developed using the following guidance from the FDOT ConOps Template: [This section will define system goals, objectives and recommended strategies with performance measures for validation of the system. The goals, objectives and strategies will serve as inputs to the development of the System Validation Plan to be completed following ConOps and system requirements development. A table may be used to relate system goals and objectives to relevant system performance measures.]



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5. Concepts for the Proposed System

5.1 Operational Policies and Constraints

The SR 826 Express Lanes South Project will include express lanes along the median with a number of ingress/egress ramps, and direct connectors, as depicted in Figure 6. Ramp signals are recommended to be deployed at all interchange entrance ramps from SW 88th Street to SW 8th Street. The FDOT District Six has established business rules and operational policies for the 95 Express Phases 1 and 2, which includes ramp signaling operations. In addition, the I‐75/SR 826 Express Lanes Business Rules and Operational Policies have been developed to ensure regional operating consistency. The SR 826 Express Lanes South business rules and operational policies will be established from these existing policies and will address the project specific coordination needs introduced with the connection to the 826 Express Lanes to the north, MDX facilities, US 1 Transitway, and FTE systems. As more opportunities arise for incorporation of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, FDOT District Six will accommodate additional roadside ITS infrastructure to include Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) devices, additional CCTV, additional DMS, cellular communication devices, and other technology as needed. DSRC and cellular devices should be considered at strategic locations such as high-crash locations, approaches to the Transitway connection ramps, approaches to direct connectors with SR 874 and SR 836, and approaches to/from US 1. The design of the ITS System should account for these potential future technology enhancements regarding power and communication.



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Figure 6: Express Lanes Ingress/Egress



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5.1.1 Operational Policies / Business Rules

As express lanes are deployed across the State of Florida, the FDOT has established guidance and policy decisions that will affect the Project operations. The guidance and policy decisions establish the basis from which business rules and procedures are developed. The existing guidance and policy decisions are contained in the following documents:

• Florida Administrative Code 14-100.003 (Toll Rule) was established in 2008 and was amended February 19, 2014. They were implemented on March 1, 2014 for 95 Express Lanes Phase 1. It establishes the minimum toll of $0.50 and a maximum toll rate of $1.50 per mile for 95 Express from I-395 to GGI. There is no maximum toll rate for all other express lanes.

• FDOT Central Office Express Lanes Handbook (August 2015) – This document was developed and is intended to provide a statewide perspective in supporting regional solutions. The actions represent those that need to happen on a statewide basis and are developed to encourage the Consistent, Predictable, Repeatable (CPR) process. The Handbook contains information on planning and implementation for express lanes facilities. It contains the definition for a tolling segment that is different from the original concept. The new definition introduces the use of data toll gantries. The Data toll gantries are defined as toll gantries that are between two consecutive ingresses. This will impact toll revenues and the TMC’s ability to manage demand along the corridor. The Handbook is considered a “living” document and may be modified as express lanes are deployed across Florida.

• 95 Express Lanes Phase 2 Business Rules Technical Memorandum – This document contains the business rules for the 95 Express Phase 2 project, which will be the first operational trip-based express lanes project in Florida. The business rules primarily focus on elements that affect how tolls are charged for various scenarios. For example, what toll amounts are charged when a Toll Amount DMS has a stuck message or failed. The 95 Express Phase 2 business rules Memorandum define the following concepts and their impacts to tolling:

o Operating Modes o Trip Tolls o Toll Adjustments o Special Cases

Closed Operations Detector Malfunction Toll Amount DMS Malfunction Stuck Segment Toll Stuck Maximum Trip Toll Lane Status DMS Malfunction



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Verification CCTV Camera Failures FTE Communication Problems Statewide Express Lanes Software (SELS) Start-Up Operating Mode Changes

The SR 826 Express Lanes South will not have any toll exemptions for high occupancy vehicles, vanpooling, carpooling, motorcycles, or hybrid vehicles, since no existing HOV lanes are present along the corridor.

5.1.2 Possible Constraints

The possible constraints for the proposed system include: • The long flyovers from SR 826 to/from SR 874 and SR 836 could provide operational

constraints if an incident occurs, or if a vehicle becomes disabled. Incident response requirements will need to be evaluated to ensure proper performance requirements are established and met.

• The Transitway connector provides a challenge to ensure misuse of the lanes is avoided. Additional funding for highway patrol enforcement of these lanes may be needed.

• Funding for operations and maintenance will be provided from toll revenues. It is critical to the success of the project that adequate funding levels for the additional resources are allocated to ensure the performance targets are met.

• Organizational structure of MDX, based upon proposed legislation, could impact operations, and any agreements between FDOT and MDX as part of this project.

• Incorporation of additional technologies to accommodate future Connected and Autonomous Vehicle operations, including dedicated CAV lanes.

• Design speeds less than 50 MPH/posted speeds less than 40 MPH, along the long flyovers from SR 826 to/from SR 874 and SR 836, would require FTE to charge a minimum toll to the users based upon FTE’s back office software in conjunction with vehicle speeds.

5.2 Description of the Proposed System

The SR 826 Express Lanes South Project will connect to the express lanes currently in operation from SR 836 north to I-75. The project includes various geometric improvements (see Figures 7 and 8) along the mainline and interchanges to address the future vehicular growth, improve highway safety, address future noise levels, enhance hurricane and other emergency evacuations, enhance transit movements and ridership opportunities, improve system connectivity between US 1 and I-75/I-95, and to accommodate future technology applications associated with connected and autonomous vehicles. One of the key geometric improvements is the addition of express lanes along the median of the General use lanes for the entire project limits. These Express Lanes will be accessible via directional slip ramps or direct connector ramps (see Figure 9), and will be buffer separated with express lane markers using a combination of pavement markings and high-



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performance tubular pylons or delineators, similar to what is being proposed along the rest of SR 826 (see Figures 7 and 8).



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Figure 7: SR 826 One Express Lane Each Direction (Delineator Separated) from US 1 to SR 874

Figure 8: SR 826 Two Express Lanes Each Direction (Delineator Separated) from SR 874 to SR 836

Legend Proposed EL Existing GP Lane Proposed GP Lane

Legend Proposed EL Existing GP Lane Proposed GP Lane



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Figure 9: SR 826 Express Lanes Diagram – Project Corridor



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In addition to the physical geometric improvements, the SR 826 Express Lanes South will also include the following additional ITS/Toll system components:

• Dynamic Message Signs System • Vehicle Detection System • Closed‐Circuit Television Cameras System • Travel Time Detection System • Ramp Signal System • License Plate Reader or Transponder Technology for access to, and enforcement of,

Transitway connector ramps. • Statewide Express Lanes Software (SELS) • Electronic Toll Collection System (Gantries and Back Office) • DSRC and Cellular devices (Future Needs based upon accommodating CAV)

The Electronic Toll Collection System includes both the toll gantries and back office operations. This FTE ETC system is deployed statewide and consists of All-Electronic Tolling (AET) lanes and Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) transponders. The AET will be deployed for all express lanes.

• Toll Sites ‐ The AET toll sites will be equipped with detectors, CCTV, and transponder readers. The data collected from the gantries will be used to assess tolls through the FTE back office operations. Express Lanes are SunPass only. Vehicles without a valid SunPass are violators.

• Back Office Operations – The FTE will use the existing back office operations to process toll collections, account management, and customer service support. The customer service representatives will have access to express lanes operations data to assist with fielding questions from customers regarding the tolls charged. FTE will also use a trip building software application to determine the total toll to charge motorists.

A high‐level graphical overview of the systems is depicted in Figure 10 and key components are described in the following subsections. The FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC utilizes the Statewide Toll Setting Software (SELS), which will also be used for these Express Lanes. The TMC has the TADMS and LSDMS controls through SunGuide® Software. The SELS application interfaces with SunGuide® Software to obtain detector data and event information related to express lanes operations. The SELS will send the final toll amounts by segment and trip to the FTE. The SELS will provide a web service to allow FTE customer service representatives access to toll operation data, incident information, and TADMS/LSDMS messages regarding the Express Lanes operations.



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Figure 10: SR 826 Express Lanes System Overview



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5.2.1 Dynamic Message Sign Systems

The SR 826 Express Lanes South will utilize DMS in two functional areas as described below. All DMS will be color, allowing for the posting of regulatory messages to support enforcement of the Express Lanes during facility closures.

5.2.1.1 Motorists Information

The TMC Operators will use the DMS to inform motorists with event information that may impact the motorists’ decision to divert in to or out of the Express Lanes. They will also be used for travel times, vehicle alerts, safety messages, construction, and other messages approved by the FDOT in accordance with the District’s TMC standard operating procedures.

• Highway DMS (HDMS) – The HDMS will be placed in general use lanes prior to each ingress location into the Express Lanes and in the Express Lanes prior to each egress location out of the Express Lanes. The HDMS will be controlled by the SunGuide® Software as the HDMS messages will be generated by the SunGuide® Software and associated with specific events created in SunGuide® Software.

• Arterial DMS (ADMS) – Figure 11 provides the concept for ADMS. The ADMS will be placed on arterial approaches to SR 826 for General Use Lane entrance ramps that enter prior to an express lanes ingress locations, but after the HDMS identified for the express lanes entrance locations. This will ensure all motorists can receive event information regarding the express lanes prior to entering. The need for ADMS will be based upon where HDMS exist, where express lanes entrance locations exist, and where on-ramps to SR 826 exist. The ADMS needs for the project should be identified during the development of the procurement documentation. Candidate ADMS locations for the SR 826 Express Lanes South Project include:

o SW 88th Street eastbound and westbound approaches to SR 826 o NW 25th Street eastbound and westbound approaches to SR 826



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Figure 11: Arterial DMS Concept

5.2.1.2 Toll Operations

• Toll Amount DMS (TADMS) – The TADMS are attached to static signs containing the Express Lanes destinations. The static signs containing the TADMS are referred to as Toll Amount Signs. The TADMS display the toll amounts for each destination and are controlled by the SELS. In addition to the toll amounts, they should be able to display “OPEN” and “CLOSED”. They should be designed to provide a high degree of reliability and availability. Each express lanes entrance will have two Toll Amount Signs; one located before and one located after the ½ Mile Express Lanes Entrance sign.

• Lane Status DMS (LSDMS) – The LSDMS are attached to static guide signs for the Express Lanes entrance. They typically display the status of the SR 826 Express Lane’s operational status, such as “OPEN”, “CLOSED”, or “CONGESTED”. The LSDMS will be controlled by the SELS. The “CONGESTED” messages are displayed when express lanes performance drops below the target of an average speed of 45 miles per hour. They should be designed to provide a high degree of reliability and availability. Each express lanes entrance will have three LSDMS attached to the three express lanes entrance ramp guide signs typically at the 1-mile, ½-mile, and at the Express Lanes entrance ramp.

5.2.2 Vehicle Detection System

The VDS will collect real‐time traffic volumes, speeds, and occupancy data. The raw detector data will be processed to reduce erroneous data from the data set before it is fed into the dynamic



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pricing algorithm for calculating tolls. The VDS will be integrated into the TMC SunGuide® Software for collecting and storing the raw data. This data will also be used by the TMC Operators to detect incidents and can be used to post travel times. The VDS in the Express Lanes requires a higher level of accuracy and reliability as they play a critical part of determining tolls to be charged. The accuracy of the detectors should be 95% for speed, volume, and occupancy over any given 15-minute period for both free flowing and congested conditions. When detectors are not providing the required level of accuracy, then they will be removed from the data fed into the dynamic pricing algorithm.

5.2.3 CCTV Camera System

The CCTVs will be integrated into the existing CCTV control software used by the TMC. The TMC Operators will use the CCTV to quickly detect, verify, and monitor incidents in both the Express Lanes and General Use Lanes. The dedicated verification CCTV will also be used by the TMC Operators to confirm the messages/toll amounts posted on DMS. The CCTV should be designed to provide 100% coverage of the Express Lanes and General Use Lanes along SR 826 from US 1 to SR 836 and SR 826 to/from SR 836 and SR 874 along the Express connection ramps, Transitway Connector, emergency access points, staging areas, accident investigation sites, and the ramps with Ramp Signals. The CCTV will be used to monitor and to determine when there is spillback onto the arterials, as well as monitoring the operation of the ramp signal heads.

5.2.4 Tolling Gantries

Toll gantries will be utilized for toll collection and enforcement purposes within each segment of the express lanes. Gantries with AVI equipment (data gantries) will be used in locations where there is more than one entrance to the express lanes to record the time when vehicles enter the express lanes. Using the AVI equipment in this way will ensure that the correct tolls will be assessed for vehicles within the express lanes by reducing the amount of time between when a vehicle sees a specified price and when the vehicle is identified as having entered each segment. The current configuration shows data gantries in the express lanes entrance directions along SR 874 & SR 836. Each data gantry will be designed to support all of the normal equipment used at a toll gantry but will only be equipped with the vehicle identification equipment that is required to identify when a vehicle enters a segment. For operational purposes, gantries will be located as close as possible to the entry location of vehicles entering the express lanes or at the beginning of tolling segments. The proposed gantry locations can be found in Figure 9.

5.2.5 Other Traffic Management Systems

5.2.5.1 Ramp Signal Systems



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RSS will be included for SR 826 Express Lanes South. The RSS will be operated during the peak periods from the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC. The RSS may also be used during other times to support incident management efforts along the SR 826 General Use Lanes. The existing RSS operating procedures will be evaluated and enhanced as needed to serve the SR 826 Express Lanes South project. The RSS components are shown in Figure 12.

Figure 12: Ramp Signal System Components

The RSS can operate from the central system (SunGuide® Software) or locally when communication is lost. Time of Day release rates can be configured in SunGuide® Software or the release rates can be determined from the SunGuide® Software Fuzzy logic, with minimum and maximum release rates. The TMC has established operating procedures for the I-95 RSS that can be applied to this project (e.g., establishing the minimum and maximum rates). It is anticipated that resources above and beyond the day-to-day operations will be needed during the first six months of the project. These resources include field staff to observe operations, additional law enforcement to ensure compliance, and engineers to monitor/establish/evaluate the system operating parameters. The SR 826 corridor has some geometric characteristics that are different from the I-95 corridor. Therefore, an analysis will need to be conducted to identify any potential concerns that should be addressed as the operational procedures are developed.



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The first potential geometric characteristic is the acceleration distance. The acceleration distance plays a key role in the operational procedures because it identifies the mainline speeds that the ramp signals can safely operate. Another geometric concern for operational strategies is queue storage of the ramps. One of the goals of the RSS is to NOT have ramp queues backing onto the arterials and impacting arterial operations. Therefore, if the ramp demand significantly exceeds the capacity of the ramp signal operational strategy, there is a potential for queue spillback onto the arterials. Three general types of ramp signal strategies include:

• One Vehicle per Green Metering (Single-Lane): It permits vehicles to enter the freeway one-by-one, as vehicles approach the signal. One vehicle per green metering has a capacity of 900 vehicles per hour (VPH).

• Multiple Vehicles per Green Metering (Single-Lane): This approach allows two or more vehicles to enter the freeway facility per green cycle. The multiple vehicles per green approach can produce a capacity of 1200 VPH.

• Tandem (Dual-Lane): It permits two vehicles to enter the freeway facility per cycle with dual-lane ramps. The vehicles in each lane are released in a staggered fashion. Tandem metering may be combined with multiple vehicles per green in some locations where demand is extremely heavy. The tandem strategy can produce a capacity of 1700 VPH.

5.2.5.2 Transitway Connector System

The SR 826 Express Lanes South will have a direct connection with the DTPW US 1 Transitway (South Corridor) (see Figure 13). In the Northbound direction, buses will enter the Express Lanes facility just north of SW 98th Street through a proposed intersection connection with the South Dade Transitway (under the Southbound ramp from SR 826). Buses will continue north at-grade along the east side of the SR 826 Southbound lanes. Just south of SW 88th Street the buses will continue north entering/merging with the SR 826 Northbound lanes separated by express lane markers. Buses only will continue north until just north of SW 72nd Street where personal cars will be able to access the Express Lanes facility. In the Southbound direction, personal cars will exit the Express Lanes facility just north of SW 72nd Street. The Express Lane will continue south (buses only) at-grade along the east side of the SR 826 Southbound lanes buffer separated, until reaching the proposed intersection with the Transitway (see Figure 14).



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Figure 13: Transitway Connection at US 1

Figure 14: Transitway Connection Along SR 826

Transitway Connector Lane

Transitway Connector Lane



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It will be imperative to ensure that only buses, or emergency vehicles, access these connectors to ensure safe operations of the facilities. There are various ways this could be accomplished. Depending on the movement direction, the following options have been identified:

• Northbound Access from Transitway o Gated access at US 1 using automated detection or gate triggers from the buses o Enhanced signing identifying Bus Only, or emergency vehicles use. o Colored pavement to distinguish the difference of the connector lane with general

use traffic lanes. • Southbound Access from SR 826 Express Lanes

o Gated access from SR 826 using automated detection or gate triggers from the buses

o Enhanced signing identifying Bus Only, or emergency vehicles use. o Striping to force movement of non-bus traffic out of the dedicated lanes, and that

requires bus traffic to enter the dedicated lanes. o Colored pavement to distinguish the difference of the connector lane with general

use traffic lanes.

Based upon the possible complexities associated with this type of movement, and to ensure that only authorized vehicles are using the connector, a separate ConOps may be needed for the Connector system.

5.3 Incident Management Concepts

Incident management will play a critical role in ensuring the SR 826 Express Lanes South provide a reliable trip option to motorists. A comprehensive Incident Management Plan will be developed prior to opening of the Express Lanes that will identify and document quick clearance policies, staging/accident investigation areas, and additional resources. The Incident Management Plan will utilize the existing procedures established for the I-75/SR 826 Express Lanes project, where applicable. Additional project specific incident management procedures will be needed to address maintenance of traffic for SR 874 and SR 836, and mutual aid agreements for emergency personnel and incident responders. The Incident Management Plan should be developed to achieve the following incident management performance targets:

• Incident Verification (Event Creation to Event Confirmation) < one minute • Incident Response (Road Rangers/ IRV Notification to Road Rangers/ IRV Arrival) <

five minutes • Travel Lane Blocking Duration (First Travel Blockage to All Travel Lanes Open) < twenty

(20) minutes • Facility Closed due to Non‐Recurring Events < three percent of the time

The following incident management concepts were developed for the SR 826 Express Lanes South ConOps. The concepts presented herein to support incident management focus on Emergency



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Access, Staging/Investigation Areas, Incident Response Resources, and Emergency Stopping Sites (ESS).

5.3.1 Emergency Access

Emergency access along SR 826 will be continuous because the Express Lanes will be separated from the General Use Lanes with Express Lane Markers (ELM). Emergency access from SR 874 and SR 836 to SR 826 will be limited due to the long flyovers created by the direct connector ramps. Close coordination with the TMC, FHP, MDX, and other local first responder agencies will be critical for emergency access when responding to incidents along these flyover ramps. Access to these sections will occur either from SR 874 or SR 836, or by traversing the ELM along the at-grade section of SR 826.

5.3.2 Staging and Investigation Areas

The staging areas are strategic locations along the corridor that will allow incident responders quick, safe access to the Express Lanes. They are located at both ends of the SR 826 Express Lanes South Project, as well as at interim locations upstream of heavy demand sections of the corridor. Staging areas can be located at interchange on‐ramps immediately upstream of express lanes entrance ramps, toll gantry building sites, or investigation areas. If located at toll gantry building sites, additional pavement area would need to be provided in order to still allow maintenance access to the toll gantry building while staging occurred. The investigation areas will be used by FHP and other responders to work events once they have been removed from the travel and shoulder lanes of the Express Lanes. The investigation areas can be located at interchange off‐ramps or toll gantry building locations within the Express Lanes. Investigation areas should provide a safe, paved work area to accommodate multiple vehicles and tow trucks (approximately 100 feet by 20 feet). See Figure 15 for more details of these proposed locations. In order to ensure a safe environment, it is critical that the staging and investigation areas are protected and well-lit for the emergency responders that will utilize the area. In addition, dedicated signing to ensure the area is utilized by Authorized Personnel only, will help to maintain that safe environment for all users of the facility. Close coordination with the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC should occur when any staging or investigation area is being used or expected to be used.



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Figure 15: Staging and Investigation Areas



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5.3.3 Incident Response Resources

The FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC will supplement their current District contract for Road Rangers and Incident Response Vehicle to provide additional incident response resources along the SR 826 Express Lanes South Project corridor. While these additional resources will primarily serve the Express Lanes, they will also respond to events in the General Use Lanes along the project corridor. The actual needs and numbers of additional resources will be determined from the incident management plan developed for this corridor.

5.3.4 Emergency Stopping Sites

The addition of ESS along I-95, as part of the 95 Express Phase 1 project, has shown to be an effective strategy for increasing safety throughout the facility. As such, the SR 826 Express Lanes South will also include ESS. These site locations will be further developed; however, it is anticipated that there will be at least one ESS per direction along SR 826.

5.4 Enforcement

The SR 826 Express Lanes South will introduce three new operational characteristics (Express Lanes, Ramp Signaling, and a Transitway Connector) to the project corridor, which will require enforcement to ensure a successful project. Enforcement will play a critical role in maintaining the integrity of the Express Lanes. Automated toll enforcement will be provided at the toll gantries utilizing the existing FTE methods for identifying toll violators as they pass through the toll gantries. All vehicles must display a SunPass® transponder, and FTE’s Violation Enforcement System will electronically monitor traffic. Drivers without transponders will have their license plates photographed and receive an Unpaid Toll Notice (UTN) for failing to pay a toll. In addition, FHP on-site enforcement will be necessary to ensure unauthorized vehicles (3+ axles) are not trying to use the express lanes. Ramp Signals will also need enforcement to ensure the operations are effective. As part of the launch of the Ramp Signaling, the purpose of the enforcement during the initial phase is to show the public that complying with the Ramp Signal operations is important. This would help build the public confidence in the Ramp Signaling System. Motorists who do adhere to the metering process will appreciate the FHP officers stopping violators that do not adhere. Violation rates have traditionally been utilized as Measure of Effectiveness (MOE) of the enforcement programs for a new facility. Based on national experience, if at least 95 percent compliance is achieved, then the enforcement program can be considered successful.



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The Transitway Connector will also need enforcement to ensure that only buses and emergency vehicles are using the connector between US 1 and SR 826. There are options available for this type of enforcement, including automated and physical.

• Utilize transponder technology to allow buses to be identified as such when accessing the connector. All other vehicles would be processed as a violator, electronically.

• Utilize License Plate Reader (LPR) technology to capture all users of the connector. Bus license plates would be entered into the system as allowable vehicles. All others would be flagged as violators, with emergency responders removed from the violations list afterwards. All violators would be processed electronically.

• Utilize either LPR or Transponder Technology to identify a violator and allow FHP to engage the violator after leaving the connector.

An overall enforcement plan will be needed to support the project. This plan will be developed by FDOT and will identify the actual number of personnel needed, and the strategies to support the enforcement efforts.

5.5 Toll Signing Scheme

The SR 826 Express Lanes South corridor spans approximately seven miles (from US 1 to SR 836). Because there are existing express lanes facilities to the north of this corridor, and these are the last segments in the Express Lanes Network along SR 826, there will be crossovers for destination signing between the segments to the North, and this project. The proposed destination signing is depicted in Figure 16 for the SR 826 Express Lanes South and adjoining segments. For reference purposes, the larger Southeast Regional Express Lanes Master Plan is shown in Figure 17. The destination signing concept displays tolls for up to the next three consecutive destinations, using SW 88th Street as the last destination in the Southbound direction, and NW 67th Avenue (along SR 826) and Miami Gardens Drive (along I-75) as last destinations in the Northbound direction. Due to the proximity of egress locations in the Northbound direction near SR 836, NW 25th Street and SR 836 are combined as destinations within a segment and will be priced accordingly. The signing shown in the SR 826 segments to the North, and along I-75, accommodates a third destination in the Southbound direction, however, this third destination will be removed as part of the overall plan in order to balance the movements along the segments.

5.5.1 Trip Building

The Project will be operated using a Trip-Based tolling strategy. FTE will be responsible for the account management functions that will assess tolls, which includes the toll assessment calculations. To assess trip tolls, FTE will follow a Trip Building process that consists of



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determining if a vehicle completed a defined Trip by combining vehicle transactions at a sequential set of segments beginning with the Trip’s First Segment and verifying that the vehicle traveled consecutive segments of a trip within a configurable interval (Segment Travel Time Limit). The segments are combined to define trips, which are displayed at the entrance of the Express Lanes. A toll amount will be calculated for each segment based on the traffic density in that segment. The trip tolls will be a summation of the segment tolls traveled for a specific trip. For example, the trip toll for traveling Southbound on SR 826 from the NW 25th Street on‐ramp to the SW 88th Street off‐ramp will be the summation of two segment tolls. For this example, the FTE will read the transponders of motorists that passed through a toll gantry near SW 8th Street in one segment and a toll gantry near SW 56th Street and those motorists will be charged the effective trip toll based on the toll assessment calculation (See Toll Assessment Calculations section below) to their SunPass® account. The toll assessment will provide a Trip Toll benefit by locking in the Trip Toll when the motorists first enters the Express Lanes along the project corridor. The current policies/procedures for SR 826 Express (segment to the north) regarding tolling will be used as a framework for developing the SR 826 Express Lanes South specific procedures regarding;

• TADMS/LSDMS failures, • Vehicle Detector System failures, • Retroactive Adjustments and Overrides, • Data exchange with FTE, • Use of operating modes, • Maximum Trip Tolls, • Trip Configuration, and • Time‐based relationships among tolls posted and when tolls are effective (charged).

A key component of implementation of this new trip building system will be maintaining operations of the express lanes from just South of SR 836 up to/thru I-75. Incorporation of trip building in FTE’s Back Office, toll rate signing, express lanes access, etc. are all critical components to be included in the development of a continuity plan, which should be developed in close coordination with FTE.

5.5.2 Toll Assessment Calculations

Once it has been established that a valid Trip was completed by a vehicle; the Toll Assessment will compare the sum of the segment tolls included in the trip to the Maximum Trip Toll determined by the Trip Building process. If the sum of the included segment tolls is greater than the Maximum Trip Toll, the Maximum Trip Toll (lower value) will be used instead of the sum of the included segment tolls.



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Since the effective time of a toll in any segment is a combination of the time at which the toll change was first sent to the Toll Amount DMS and transit times associated with the Toll Amount DMS on which it is displayed, the Segment Tolls for segments included in a Trip will often become effective at different times. This means that the Maximum Trip Tolls will not always be equal to the sum of current effective tolls, even if the trip is synchronized (all segment updates submitted at the same time). If a simple sum of the effective tolls for each segment were used, there could be times when the actual Maximum Trip Toll could be higher than that shown to drivers (e.g. when a downstream segment has an increasing toll and a shorter transit time than the First Segment) which would violate the business rule of not charging more than what is displayed on the Toll Amount DMS. As this project is further developed, a key component will be the coordination with FTE to ensure their back office system is reconfigured to accommodate the new trips, and that the OTM and SELS are reconfigured with the new access locations.



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Figure 16: Express Lanes Diagram – SR 826/I-75 Regional



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Figure 17: Southeast Regional Express Lanes Master Plan



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5.6 User Profiles and Support Environment

The SR 826 Express Lanes South operations and maintenance will be a multi‐agency effort among the FDOT District Six, FTE, MDX, FHP Local Fire Rescue, DTPW, and Miami‐Dade County Traffic Signs and Signals Division. This section highlights the responsibilities of the partnering agencies.

5.6.1 FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC

The FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC will be responsible for operating the Express Lanes from US 1 to SR 836 along SR 826 in both directions. Also, the TMC will be responsible for operating the Express Lanes along the SR 874 and SR 836 direct connector ramps to SR 826. Toll Amount DMS/Lane Status DMS for these segments will be on the TMC network. The TMC Operators will monitor traffic conditions in the Express Lanes and post toll amounts via the SELS. The vehicle detectors within these toll Segments will be used to monitor traffic conditions, toll setting and reporting by the TMC. The dedicated CCTV for the TMC controlled Toll Amount DMS and Lane Status DMS will be on the TMC network and will be used by the TMC to confirm the messages posted. The CCTV and Motorist Information DMS in Miami‐Dade County along the Express Lanes and General Use Lanes will be on the TMC network for incident management. The TMC will be responsible for the maintenance of ITS devices within the project limits. They will also be responsible for maintaining the power service and communications conduit for all devices along SR 826. The TMC will be responsible for incident management within the Express Lanes and General Use Lanes along SR 826. This includes incident detection, dispatching resources (Road Rangers, IRV and RISC), agency notifications and posting messages on Motorists Information DMS. The TMC will be responsible for the performance reporting of the General Use and Express Lanes along SR 826.

5.6.2 FDOT District Six Maintenance

The FDOT District Six Maintenance will be responsible for all roadway maintenance activities, including sign, toll gantry structures/toll buildings, Express Lane Markers, and bridge structures along SR 826. There will be no change from their current responsibilities.



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5.6.3 MDX Maintenance

The MDX Maintenance will be responsible for all roadway maintenance activities, including sign, and Express Lane Markers, along SR 836 and SR 874.

5.6.4 FTE

FTE will handle account management of the SunPass® accounts, which includes all back office functions. Back office functions include developing and maintaining the trip reconstruction software and any interface software developed to receive the tolls set by the District. The FTE will also share data required to support the express lanes reporting requirements. The FTE Customer Service Representatives will handle all initial account inquiries and will be supported by FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC to address any toll disputes, respectively. FTE will also be responsible for the ETC equipment on the toll gantries, the toll buildings, and the equipment inside the toll buildings.

5.6.5 FHP

FHP will be responsible for providing field enforcement of the Express Lanes and Ramp Signaling, as well as incident management support. In addition, FHP will provide field enforcement for the Transitway Connector between US 1 and the Express Lanes. These additional Troopers will be provided through existing, or new, FHP Hire‐Back contracts managed by FDOT District Six.

5.6.6 Local Fire Rescue

The fire rescue agencies will continue to provide emergency services for incidents along the project corridor. These agencies will have to revisit their existing mutual aid agreements for responding to incidents near their respective jurisdictional boundaries. They include:

• Miami‐Dade County Fire Rescue

5.6.7 DTPW

With the improvements being made by DTPW around SMART, additional bus service or Bus Rapid Transit could become a need along this corridor. In addition, more effective transit movements along SR 826, connecting the corridor to the Transitway along US 1, will allow for more opportunities for commuters. The responsibilities and procedural needs to have Transit as an integral part of the project are underway.



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5.6.8 Miami‐Dade County Traffic Signs and Signals Division

Miami‐Dade County Traffic Signs and Signals is responsible for the operation and maintenance of arterial traffic signals along the project corridor. The arterial operations will be impacted by the ramp signal operations and close coordination among the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC and Miami‐Dade County Traffic Signs and Signals will play a critical role in the success of the ramp signaling operations. The FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC will produce and distribute weekly Ramp Signaling reports. These weekly reports identify the operational periods for each ramp signal, release rates, and the observed ramp queuing from ramp signal operations. This provides valuable information to the Miami‐Dade County Traffic Signs and Signals for any signal timing adjustments needed to improve traffic flow along the arterials. Table 3 is a matrix that includes specific responsibilities between the various agencies.



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Table 3: Responsibility Matrix (SR 826 Express Lanes from US 1 to SR 836)

Express Lanes: FDOT District Six (non-Turnpike) LEGEND:

Responsibility Matrix

Turnpike (R): Limited Design and Shop Drawing Review by Turnpike

Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX): Limited Design and Shop Drawing Review by MDX

(NA): Not Applicable

Submittal Reviews

Construction/ Implementation/

Testing

Maintenance RCI/Pontis/

Asset Mgmt

Design Design Shop Program Element Description Ownership Delivery Plans Drawings District Perform Notes

Right of Way Includes all of the right of way associated with the project

District District District NA NA District District District

Utility Permitting

Includes any necessary permits for utilities associated with the toll site (e.g. leased line or power service permits)

NA District NA NA NA NA NA NA

Toll Building Permitting

Includes the permitting of the Toll Equipment Building

NA Turnpike NA NA NA NA NA NA

Turnpike is self-permitting. Permitting completed through Building Code Administrative Services Inc. (BCAS). Coordination through FTE Building Permit Coordinator.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


Roadway/ Pavement

Includes resurfacing, patching, pavement marking and other elements within the corridor.

District

District and

Turnpike (R) and MDX (R)

District and Turnpike (R) and MDX (R)

NA District and

Turnpike and MDX (R)

District District District

Turnpike (R) includes a limited review of the roadway features surrounding the toll point (100' section) including pavement design. MDX (R) includes reviews of direct connector ramps between SR 826 and SR 874/836

Bridges

Includes all bridges and bridge components, inclusion in PONTIS, inspection and routine and periodic maintenance.

District District District District District District District District



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


Static Signs Includes static signs related to the managed lane operations.

District

District and



District and Turnpike (R)

and MDX (R)

District District District District

Turnpike (R) includes a limited review of the toll rate signs, toll schedule, SunPass, Toll By Plate and other related toll collection messaging. MDX (R) includes limited review of static signs related to direct connector movements to/from SR 836/874.

DMS

Includes DMS related to the managed lane operations.

District

District and




and MDX (R)

District District District District

Turnpike (R) includes a limited review of the toll rate signs, toll schedule, SunPass, Toll By Plate and other related toll collection messaging. MDX (R) includes limited review of DMS related to direct connector movements to/from SR 836/874.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


Sign Structures

Includes the structure required to hold any signs related to the managed lane operations.

District

District and

MDX (R)

District District District District District District

MDX (R) includes a limited review of sign structures along SR 874/836 associated with direct connector movements.

Incident Management

Includes funding for Road Ranger Services and other incident management services.

District NA NA NA District District District NA

District Fiber Optic Cable

Includes the communication back-bone for both the ITS system for traffic operations as well as the communication back-bone for tolls data.

District

District and

Turnpike (R)



District and Turnpike District District District

Turnpike (R) includes a limited review to confirm tolls data connectivity approach and architecture from toll sites to the FTE Tolls Data Center. Optical Time Domain Reflectometer is required as a contract deliverable per FDOT Standard Specifications. Review test documents to ensure acceptable dB losses.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


Turnpike Fiber Optic Cable

Includes the communication back-bone on the Turnpike for Tolls Data. In most District Express Lane Projects, the District will have project network communication connect to the existing Turnpike fiber optic backbone.

Turnpike Turnpike NA NA Turnpike NA Turnpike Turnpike

Includes review to confirm tolls data connectivity approach and architecture from toll sites to the FTE Tolls Data Center. Optical Time Domain Reflectometer is required when new fiber is installed as a contract deliverable per FDOT Standard Specifications. Review test documents to ensure acceptable dB losses.

Miami-Dade Department of Transportation

and Public Works (DTPW)

Responsible for public transportation services in a given region, may include operation of transit vehicles within Express Lanes facility.

DTPW NA NA NA Test transit related

system functionality

Support transit operations and maintenance

plans

Maintain vehicles and transit stop facilities

owned by the agency

NA

Identify role relative to other agencies and how functions are to be carried out.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


Tolls Lateral and Interconnects

Includes the lateral drop between the nearest splice vault and the tolls communications cabinet fiber distribution panel (FDP) inside or between toll equipment buildings.

District

District and

Turnpike (R)




Review test documents to ensure acceptable dB losses.

Leased Line Telephone

Company (Telco)

Includes the site infrastructure (pull boxes and conduit) from the toll equipment building to the nearest splice vault or point of presence. If no geo-diverse fiber is provided, leased lines are required for physical redundancy on Express Lanes, per GTR 12.5

District and Telco (*)

District, Telco (*)

and Turnpike

(R)

District, Telco (*) and Turnpike (R)



District, Telco (*) and

Turnpike (R)

District, Telco (*) and

Turnpike (R)

District and Telco (*)

Turnpike coordinates with the Telco and communicates need based on forecasted traffic volumes and toll system bandwidth requirements. Telco (*) requires 200 days advanced coordination prior to turning the site over to the toll equipment contractor. This effort includes circuit ordering and equipment installation by the Telco. To be included only if leased lines are used.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


District Six SunGuide® TMC to FTE Tolls Data

Center Communications

Media (for sending toll

amount data)

This item is associated with the protocol for communicating tolls amount data from the District to the Turnpike. It not associated with the physical communications media, but the rather the protocol. The Turnpike owns the Interface Control Document. Communications media will be either fiber communications or leased line.

District and Turnpike

District and

Turnpike



NA District and Turnpike


NA

Tolls Wide Area Network (WAN)

Monitoring

Includes monitoring of all of the Toll's WAN electronics (within FTE and District network) and leased line connectivity.

Turnpike Turnpike NA NA NA Turnpike Turnpike Turnpike

Turnpike will monitor WAN switch for connectivity. Wide Area Communication requires a response as soon as practicable. Performance metrics should be established for response and repair time.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


ITS Roadside Equipment

Includes all of the ITS roadside equipment (not including the signs - covered elsewhere in matrix) and system required to identify traffic conditions and monitor vehicle speeds and volumes through the corridor.


ITS Roadside Communication

Includes the equipment required to connect the roadside equipment with the ITS building/cabinet equipment.


ITS Traffic Management

Software

Includes the software required for traffic management as well as calculate the toll amounts.

District District District District District District District NA

District will test pricing system. The Turnpike and District will jointly perform End to End testing.

ITS Power Service

Includes power services required for equipment use.

District District District District District District District NA

ITS power shall not be combined or shared with the toll equipment building power service.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


ITS Cabinet/ Building

Includes the site infrastructure and building or cabinet required to house the ITS equipment and/or ancillary equipment.

District District District and Turnpike (R) District District District District District

For Turnpike involvement in submittal review - Should Toll's wide area network (WAN) regeneration be required, then the District ITS cabinet/building shall accommodate the Tolls WAN equipment and electronics.

Toll Amount Pricing

District will provide toll amount/rates through coordination with the TMC and provide them to Turnpike Toll's back office.

District NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

The District is responsible for the dynamic pricing of Express Lanes based on traffic conditions. (The Turnpike establishes toll rates through the Rule Making Process.)

Express Lane (EL) Performance

Reporting

Performance and accuracy statistics for speeds, incidents, ITS equipment performance, etc.

District NA NA NA NA District District NA

Express Lane (EL) Traffic and

Revenue Reporting

Traffic and revenue reporting of Express Lane traffic and toll transactions.

Turnpike Turnpike NA NA NA Turnpike Turnpike NA Turnpike will Report Traffic and Revenue to the District.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


Toll Site

Locating of tolling site and all the civil/site infrastructure in, around, and below the gantry, building, maintenance access area, utility constraints, drainage, etc.

District

District and

Turnpike (R)




Turnpike (R) includes the review of site components for GTR conformance.

Toll Gantry

Includes the structure and all associated elements included with the structure required for installing, operating, and testing toll equipment. Includes all ancillary items such as grating, fall protection systems, gear operators, electrical equipment, man lifts, access gates, etc. Excludes toll equipment and associated cables provided by the toll equipment contractor.

District

District and

Turnpike (R)




Turnpike (R) includes the review of gantry components for GTR conformance. Turnpike to provide guidance on the appropriate use of accessible gantries. District to notify Turnpike when performing Toll Gantry Structure Inspections.



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Toll Equipment Building

Includes the toll equipment building, and foundation.

District

District and

Turnpike (R)



District and Turnpike District Turnpike District

Turnpike (R) includes the review of toll equipment building components for GTR conformance. The Turnpike will perform maintenance on the Toll Equipment Building. Electrical components within the building will be maintained by Turnpike, but the Power Distribution to the Building will be maintained by the District. Replacement of building from damage beyond repair or end of service life is the District's responsibility. District will program and pay for maintenance performed by the Turnpike. Turnpike will provide estimates for District programming.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


Toll Equipment Building (Facility

Systems)

Includes the systems required for operation of the toll equipment building. These systems include stand-by generator, automatic transfer switch, diesel fuel tank, HVAC, lighting, electrical power up to the UPS, equipment connections to the SCADA system, and other required systems

District

District and

Turnpike (R)



District and Turnpike District Turnpike District

Turnpike (R) includes the review of the facility systems for GTR conformance. This does not include gantry or rack mounted toll equipment provided and installed by the toll equipment contractor. District is responsible for purchasing all fuel. Replacement of all toll equipment building facility systems due to damage beyond repair and end of service life is the Districts responsibility. District will program and pay for maintenance performed by the Turnpike. Turnpike will provide estimates for District programming.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


Toll Equipment Building (Tolling

Systems)

Includes the systems required by the GTR for card access control, communications switch, and CCTV.

District Turnpike Turnpike Turnpike Turnpike District Turnpike District

This does not include gantry or rack mounted toll equipment provided and installed by the toll equipment contractor. Turnpike will coordinate with the District on Toll Systems installation. District will program and pay for maintenance performed by the Turnpike. Turnpike will provide estimates for District programming.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


Toll Equipment Building (Power

Service)

Includes power services required by the toll facility.

District

District and

Turnpike (R)




District District District

Turnpike (R) includes the review of the facility power systems for GTR conformance. The toll equipment building power service shall be dedicated and not shared. Roadway lighting and ITS power shall not be combined or shared with the toll equipment building power service.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


Toll Loops

Includes the loop system installed in the tolling area pavement, 50 feet on both sides of the gantry centerline in the Express Lanes, inside shoulder and adjacent general use lane as required by the toll equipment contractor.

District

District and

Turnpike (R)

District and Turnpike (R) NA District,

Turnpike and TEC District Turnpike District

The toll equipment contractor shall install these loops in the tolling pavement area in conjunction with the gantry and building mounted toll equipment for the means of revenue collection. The Turnpike will perform an annual inspection of the toll pavement. District will program and pay for maintenance performed by the Turnpike. Turnpike will provide estimates for District programming.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


Toll Equipment

Includes the gantry/ground/building mounted equipment provided and installed by the toll equipment contractor. Includes the gear boxes on accessible gantries.

District NA NA NA Turnpike District Turnpike District

Turnpike will test the tolling system. The Turnpike and District will jointly perform End to End testing. Toll equipment installation as-builts are provided by the toll equipment contractor. District will program and pay for maintenance performed by the Turnpike. Turnpike will provide estimates for District programming.

FCC License

This includes the coordination and acquisition of the license for the AVI subsystem RF License from the Federal Communications Commission.

Turnpike NA NA NA Turnpike NA NA NA

Timeline as required by FCC, requires Northing and Easting, Lat/Long and physical building address for application.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


Toll Transaction Processing Software

Includes the software required to manage and operate the toll facility including, transaction creation, trip building, account management, and violations processing.

Turnpike Turnpike NA NA Turnpike Turnpike Turnpike NA

Toll Enforcement (Back Office)

Includes programs used to enforce tolls within the system.

Turnpike NA NA NA Turnpike Turnpike Turnpike NA

Includes back office processing for toll violations in accordance with violation business rules for Express Lanes

Traffic Enforcement (Roadside)

Coordination of speed enforcement, illegal access/egress, and unauthorized vehicles with FHP or other enforcement agencies.

District NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

Toll Transaction Processing

Back office processing of Express Lane toll transactions in accordance with Express Lane Toll Processing Business Rules. This element is associated with the transaction processing activity.

Turnpike Turnpike NA NA Turnpike Turnpike Turnpike NA



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


Project Systems Engineering

Management Plan (PSEMP)

A plan for the implementation of the Express Lanes Project using Systems Engineering Process principles.

District District

and Turnpike

District and Turnpike NA NA District and

Turnpike District and

Turnpike NA

Project/Corridor Concept of Operations

A plan for how the Express Lane will be operated.

District District

and Turnpike

District and Turnpike NA NA District and

Turnpike District and

Turnpike NA

The Concept of Operations should be consistent with the overall regional plan defined in the Regional Concept of Transportation Operations (RCTO) documentation and is a key component within the Systems Engineering Process.

System Validation Plan

Identifies the process for measuring the performance of the project based on system goals and objectives.

District District District and Turnpike NA District and

Turnpike District District NA

Developed before implementation, completed after implementation.



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Submittal Reviews


Testing


Asset Mgmt


Public Information

Office

Coordination of all project related information on the Express Lanes Project.


District and

Turnpike NA NA NA NA NA NA

District Public Information Office provides operational information and statistics (average toll, traffic information, incident management). Turnpike addresses Express Lanes tolling methodology and processes.



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6. Operational Scenarios

This section provides hypothetical operational scenarios for the SR 826 Express Lanes South. Four different scenarios are presented; Typical Operations, Crash in the General Use Lanes, Crash in the Express Lanes, and Passenger Vehicle in the Transitway Connector.

6.1 Typical Operations

Since the opening of the SR 826 Express Lanes South, Juan has been experiencing improved speeds along the General Use Lanes of SR 826. His typical commute time has been reduced to 35 minutes from 45 minutes. One Friday afternoon at 5:30 PM, Juan is on his way home from work and sees travel times posted on the Motorists Information DMS on SR 826 Southbound at NW 25th Street. The message displays “To US 1, 8 Miles, 25 Minutes”. Juan thinks that traffic must be heavy today and knows his son has a baseball game. It will be the first time his son is the starting pitcher and Juan wants to be there to support him. Juan needs to be home by 6:00 PM to be at the game on time. Juan is a SunPass® account holder and has heard from co‐workers how the Express Lanes have been a reliable travel option. As he approaches the Southbound entrance to the Express Lanes near Flagler St, he sees the Toll Amount DMS displaying a toll amount of $3.50 to SW 88thth Street at 5:35 PM. He remembers his co‐workers stating that you are never charged more than what you see posted on the Toll Amount DMS. He sees traffic in the General Use Lanes begin to slow down and decides to enter the Express Lanes. Juan feels that paying $3.50 is worth being home on time to see his son pitch. By taking the Express Lanes, he is able to arrive home safely and on‐time. Behind the scenes, the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC Operators are actively monitoring the congestion along SR 826 General Use Lanes, they verify there are no events along SR 826 and verify the travel times are posting properly via the CCTVs. The Ramp Signaling Operators are monitoring their computer screens and observe the release rates of the ramp signal reducing due to the congestion along SR 826 Southbound. They turn the CCTV to check the on‐ramps and see queues backing up to the arterials at NW 25th Street. The Ramp Signaling Operators notify the Miami‐Dade County Traffic Signal Operators and the Traffic Signal Operators begin monitoring NW 25th Street and are ready to make changes to signal timing plans according to their procedures. The Express Lane Operators are monitoring the SELS speed graphs based on the data collected in real‐time from the Vehicle Detector System, as well as checking the CCTV along the SR 826 Express Lanes. The Express Lanes Operators see demand increasing in the Express Lanes, but the speeds are free flowing. The SELS notifies them that the tolls have adjusted in response to increasing demand for the Express Lanes. The SELS presents a video snapshot of the Toll Amount DMS and the toll amounts that should be displayed. They confirm everything is working properly.



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The travel time from the Toll Amount DMS to the Toll Gantry near SW 8th Street is calculated by SELS from the Vehicle Detector System. The travel time is two (2) minutes at 5:35 PM, which means the $3.50 toll displayed at 5:35 PM would be charged to those detected between 5:37 PM and the next toll update. Juan’s SunPass® is detected by the Electronic Toll Collection system at the Toll Gantry near SW 8th Street (5:38 PM) in the Southbound direction. The FTE back office software processes the data collected from the gantry and rebuilds Juan’s trip to be entering the segment with a destination of SW 88th Street. The FTE back office software receives the toll data from the SELS, which has Juan’s trip set to $3.50 from 5:37 PM to 5:45 PM. The FTE back office software applies a charge of $3.50 to Juan’s SunPass® account.

6.2 Crash in the General Use Lanes

It is Monday morning (7:35 AM) and the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC operators are actively monitoring the General Use Lanes with CCTV and speeds graphs. The TMC Operator observes speeds have dropped below a threshold of 30 MPH on SR 826 Northbound just north of NW 25th Street. The TMC Operator turns the CCTV near NW 25th Street and sees a multi‐vehicle crash blocking the two right travel lanes. The TMC Operator enters the event into SunGuide® Software and reviews the SunGuide® Software map which depicts the location of the Road Rangers via the automatic vehicle location (AVL) system. The TMC Operator identifies and dispatches the closest Road Ranger. The staged IRV and Flatbed Tow Truck are also dispatched. The TMC Operator utilizes the SunGuide® Software to generate a plan for disseminating information about the crash to Motorists Information DMS and 511. At the same time, the TMC Operator notifies the TMC Shift Supervisor of the crash. The TMC Shift Supervisor notifies FHP Dispatch of the event, while observing Fire Rescue arriving on‐scene via the CCTV. FHP Dispatch notifies the closest FHP Trooper, who arrives shortly after being dispatched. The Road Ranger, IRV and Flatbed Truck arrive at the crash and position their vehicles according to the maintenance of traffic (MOT) training received. The IRV makes contact with the Incident Commander (Fire Rescue) to establish “Unified Command” at the time of arrival. At this time, the FDOT District Six Road Ranger arrives and reports to the FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC and IRV. The IRV gathers event information, assesses the situation, updates the TMC and makes necessary adjustments to the MOT to improve on‐ scene safety for the responders and motorists. The TMC Operators continue to monitor the crash and update the event in SunGuide® Software, as well as other agencies per the established procedures. The TMC manages the event according to the established procedures until the crash is completely cleared from the highway.



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Paula is on her way to work and usually doesn’t take Express Lanes. Paula’s commute is from US 1 to Miami Gardens Drive near I-75. She has just gotten on SR 826 from US 1 and she is informed there are two right lanes blocked on SR 826 Northbound. Paula has an important meeting this morning and cannot be late to work. She recognizes the event will impact her normal route to work and decides to enter the Express Lanes north of SW 88th Street to bypass the delays caused by the crash. As she approaches the interchange of SR 836, she is provided the option of staying in the Express Lanes, and because of the slowdown in the general use lanes, Paula decides to stay in the lanes and bypass the crash. Paula has benefited from having travel options and arrives to work on time for her meeting.

6.3 Crash in the Express Lanes

It is Wednesday afternoon and the FDOT District Six Express Lanes Operator is actively monitoring the Express Lanes with CCTV and speeds graphs. FDOT District Six Express Lanes Operators observe that speeds have dropped below a threshold of 45 MPH on SR 826 Express Lanes Southbound near SW 24th Street. The FDOT District Six Express Lanes Operator turns the CCTV and confirms there is a multi‐vehicle crash in the leftmost Express Lane. Once confirmed, the FDOT District Six Express Lanes Operator enters the event in the SunGuide® Software and changes the Express Lanes operating mode for this segment from “Dynamic” to “Closed” in the SELS. During this action, the FDOT District Six Express Lanes Operator also sets the tolls to zero ($0.00) retroactively five minutes before the event was created to ensure any motorists who entered the Express Lanes are not charged for that Segment. The SELS posts “CLOSED” on the Toll Amount DMS/Lane Status DMS at the NW 25th Street and SR 836 entrances to the Express Lanes and the Toll Amount DMS inside the Express Lanes approaching the NW 25th Street Express Lanes exit. At the same time, the TMC Operator enters the event into SunGuide® Software and reviews the SunGuide® Software map, which depicts the location of the Road Rangers via the APL system. The TMC Operator identifies and dispatches the closest Road Ranger. The staged IRV and Flatbed Tow Truck are also dispatched. The TMC Operator utilizes the SunGuide® Software to generate a plan for disseminating information about the crash to Motorists Information DMS and 511. This includes posting “Express Lanes Closed at NW 25th St” on the Motorists Information DMS located in the Express Lanes approaching the NW 25th Street Express Lanes exit, as well as, the Motorists Information DMS located in the General Use Lanes north of the NW 25th Street entrance to the Express Lanes. Simultaneously, this information is sent to the 511 system. The FDOT District Six Express Lanes



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Operator notifies FHP Dispatch of the event, while observing Fire Rescue arriving on‐scene via the CCTV. FHP Dispatch notifies the closest FHP Trooper, who arrives shortly after being notified. The Road Ranger, IRV and Flatbed Truck arrive at the crash and position their vehicles according to the maintenance of traffic (MOT) training received. This includes diverting all traffic in the Express Lanes Southbound to exit to the General Use Lanes. The IRV makes contact with the Incident Commander (Fire Rescue) to establish “Unified Command” at the time of arrival. The IRV also coordinates with FHP to identify a location to relocate the damaged vehicles and complete the investigation. The IRV gathers event information, assesses the situation, updates the FDOT District Six TMC and makes necessary adjustments to the MOT to improve on‐scene safety for the responders and let the remaining vehicles in the Express Lanes navigate around the crash safely using the shoulder. The FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC Operators continue to monitor the crash and update the event in SunGuide® Software, as well as, MDX TMC Operators and other agencies per the established procedures. The FDOT District Six SunGuide® TMC manages the event according to the established procedures until the incident is completely cleared from the highway.

6.4 Passenger Vehicle in the Transitway Connector

Steve, Miguel, and Nancy are traveling in the SR 826 Southbound Express Lane and chose to take the lanes to the southern end to access US 1. As they approach the end of the Express Lanes, they notice numerous signs and pavement markings that are indicating that the Express Lanes are ending and that to continue in the lane after the Express Lanes exit would be a violation since it was only to be used for Buses. Unfortunately, they missed the exit point from the Express Lanes to the General Use Lanes and are now stuck in the Transitway Connector. The roadside AVI unit captures their transponder and notifies the system that their vehicle is unauthorized to use the facility. An electronic notification is sent to the local FHP. As their vehicle approaches the end of the Transitway connector, an FHP unit is there to engage their vehicle and explain the aspects that the connector is for Buses only.



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7. Summary of Benefits/Impacts

7.1 Summary of Benefits

The proposed SR 826 Express Lanes South will provide additional capacity and operational improvements that are expected to provide the following benefits:

• Improved Safety • Reduced Travel Times/Vehicle Delays • Improved Trip Reliability • Increase in Person/Vehicle Throughput • Sustainability • Increase in Transit Ridership

The operational impacts of the proposed system will increase the workload of the existing TMC Operations, Incident Responders, ITS Maintenance, and Roadway Maintenance resources. This additional workload will require additional funding for the operation and maintenance of the proposed system. Subsequently, this will require additional cross training for the system users. The new procedures should be developed at least six months prior to opening the SR 826 Express Lanes South to allow enough time to properly train the system users. This includes training for Express Lanes operational procedures/strategies, incident coordination/response, maintenance of traffic procedures and enforcement.

7.2 Monitoring and Analysis Activities

The SR 826 Express Lanes South will need to be continuously monitored and analyzed to ensure the proposed system is operating such that these benefits are realized to the public. Based on the FDOT’s experience with 95 Express, the demand for the Express Lanes will change over time resulting in adjustments to the dynamic pricing algorithm parameters and operational strategies. In addition, there will be a need to feed data from the proposed system into toll and revenue updates, improve the accuracy of projections and ensure the proposed system is sustainable. The FDOT will establish a comprehensive performance measurement program (similar to 95 Express) that will provide the data and tools to perform periodic analysis of the proposed system and support general data requests. General data requests from other agencies/consultants will occur for future toll and revenue studies, as well as future analysis of Express Lanes operations. Thresholds in performance should be established to prompt the need for analysis. The performance measurement program will include the following elements:

• Monthly Performance Reporting/General Data Requests: o Total Trips o Revenue



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o Tolls Monthly Revenue Total Revenue Minimum and Maximum Range Average Weekday Average Peak Period Average Weekend Average Off Peak

85th Percentile Weekday o Volume (Express Lanes and General Use Lanes)

Average Weekday Average Weekend Average Peak Periods

o Speed (Express Lanes and General Use Lanes) Average Overall Average Peak Periods Percentage of Time Above 45 MPH

o Facility Availability Percentage of Time Closed due to Planned Events Percentage of Time Closed due to Non‐recurring Events

o Transit Usage Passenger counting on trips along the facility

• Conduct periodic analysis when system approaches undesirable performance. o Speeds drop below 45 MPH in the Express Lanes during peak periods o Extended or frequent closures that impact availability of the Express Lanes



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8. Notes

There are no notes at this time 9. Appendices

• Business rules (to be developed); • Incident Management Plan (to be developed), • Enforcement Plan (to be developed)

10. Glossary

TBD



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DOCUMENT REVISION HISTORY

Version Number

Approved Date Description of Change(s) Created/

Modified By

1.0 7/12/19 Initial Draft M. Davis, RS&H

1.0 7/22/19 Initial Draft Quality Review RS&H, Anu W., Jaime L.

1.5 8/02/19 Draft for Corradino Review M. Davis, RS&H

1.5 8/12/19 Draft Quality Review R. Solis-Rios, Corradino

2.0 8/16/19 Draft for FDOT Review M. Davis, RS&H

3.0 10/14/19 Draft for internal review M. Davis, RS&H

3.0 10/14/19 Draft Quality Review K. Palmer & J. Lopez, RS&H