A key issue facing Transportation Agencies is the ongoing challenge of mainstreaming transportation Systems Operations activities. Systems operations strategies, especially in combination, can often be implemented more quickly and economically than new construction projects and achieve similar outcomes in terms of reduced congestion, particularly non-recurring (unexpected delays due to events such as incidents, work zones, weather) congestion. Understanding the source of any congestion condition is necessary to select the appropriate capacity and/or operational countermeasure treatment. Additionally, institutional barriers can either thwart or considerably slow mainstreaming of Systems. Overcoming these barriers is key to effective system operations. The SHRP 2 Reliability research program seeks to address and mitigate non-recurring congestion and improve the reliability of highway travel times by reducing the impacts of incidents and events that cause travel times to vary from day to day. At this session, the panel will discuss several ongoing SHRP2 Reliability research and implementation efforts, reliability products and provide a status update of these elements at a programmatic level and the need for stakeholder involvement including FHWA, AASHTO and State and MPO and other local agencies will be stressed for making this effort successful.

Invited Speakers: