Implementation of Predictive Analytics Tools To Identify Crash Risk Locations as Part of the Missouri I-270 Design-Build Project Totaled Approximately $573,000 in Annualized Costs.

The I-270 Predictive Layered Operations Initiative (PLOI) was an effort by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to improve traffic management and enhance roadway safety along the I-270 corridor, implemented as part of the broader I-270 North Design-Build Project. This major roadway reconstruction effort incorporated strategies intended to maintain safety and traffic operations during construction. The project covered an 8.6-mile segment of I-270 and was carried out between 2019 and 2023. Funded in part by an Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) grant, the PLOI included three advanced technologies: (1) Crash Risk Location Prediction and Incident Identification, to predict the location and timing of incidents using machine learning and data from connected vehicles, weather forecasts, and special events, among other sources, (2) Advanced Video Analytics, to identify and respond to incidents more quickly using analyzed CCTV camera feeds, and (3) Integrated Modeling for Road Condition Prediction (IMRCP), to refine weather and traffic forecasts to decrease weather related crashes.

The cost basis used for the project’s benefit-cost calculation is shown in the following table. The evaluation period spanned from 2021 to 2023. MoDOT accounted for costs related to its Traffic Management Center (TMC) operators during the same period. Recurring costs for future years included annual maintenance expenses for software, costs associated with MoDOT operators, supervisors, project managers, interagency communication, and police patrol.