The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) expanded its Regional Traffic Operations Program (RTOP) by launching the Regional Traffic Signal Operations (RTSO) contracts which fosters partnerships with local agencies to enhance traffic signal operations across jurisdictional boundaries.
Georgia, United States
GEORGIA’S IMPROVED TSMO MATURITY DRIVES A SAFER AND MORE RELIABLE COMMUTE
Summary Information
In 2017, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and its private sector partners consolidated high resolution data from over 6,500 signals and nearly 16,000 vehicle probe miles into corridor-wide performance measures. These performance measures highlight monthly and quarterly trends for each corridor. Some of the metrics currently available on the dashboard include pedestrian delay, approach volume, and arrivals on red.
GDOT has expanded, improved, and integrated its Regional Traffic Operations Program (RTOP) in a variety of ways over the last few years. First, it launched the Regional Traffic Signal Operations (RTSO) contracts as an expansion of RTOP in 2016. The RTSO contracts have allowed GDOT to more easily partner with local agencies to enhance traffic signal operations across jurisdictional boundaries. For example, from 2017 through 2018, GDOT combined several local street traffic operations programs around metro Atlanta. This enhanced cooperation, communication, and efficient resource utilization in these areas.
Furthermore, in 2019, GDOT expanded RTOP’s geographic limits from individual routes to all signals within the metro Atlanta region. GDOT also published a new Statewide Traffic Operations and Response Management (STORM) Concept of Operations to unify Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) strategies across the state.
The region has experienced a variety of mobility benefits from RTOP. Specifically, RTOP signal retiming along the North Avenue Smart Corridor in April 2019 has benefited roadway users and managers. The North Avenue Smart Corridor consists of 16 intersections along 2.6 miles of roadway and sees over 30,000 vehicles per day. The new signal timing has demonstrated the following benefits:
- 20 percent improvement in eastbound AM average speed
- 19 percent improvement in eastbound PM average speed
- 2-5 mile per hour improvement in average daily speed
- $449,069 monthly delay cost savings
- 6.5 hour decrease in total daily congestion time
- 21 percent reduction in weekday travel time
This is just one example of how cross-jurisdictional coordination has improved roadway operations in the Atlanta metro area.
