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Fact Sheet
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TRAFFIC SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS

Purpose

To encourage and promote the safe and efficient management and operation of integrated, intermodal surface transportation systems to serve the mobility needs of people and freight and foster economic growth and development.

Definitions [1201]

Operating costs for traffic monitoring, management, and control

Continues to include labor costs, administrative costs, costs of utilities and rent, and other costs associated with the continuous operation of traffic control, such as integrated traffic control systems, incident management programs, and traffic control centers.

Operational improvement

Continues to mean a capital improvement for installation of traffic surveillance and control equipment, computerized signal systems, motorist information systems, integrated traffic control systems, incident management programs, and transportation demand management facilities, strategies, and programs, and such other capital improvements to public roads as the Secretary may designate, by regulation.

By definition, still does not include resurfacing, restoring, or rehabilitating improvements, construction of additional lanes, interchanges, and grade separations, and construction of a new facility on a new location.

Funding

While continuing to permit Federal-aid funds to be eligible for traffic system operations and management activities, TEA-21 does not provide separate, additional funding for traffic system operations and management.

Eligibilities

National Highway System and Surface Transportation Program—

Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program—

Key Provisions

Requires the plans and programs for metropolitan areas and States to provide for the integrated management and operation of transportation systems that will function as an intermodal transportation system. One of the considerations of metropolitan and State planning processes for projects and strategies is the promotion of efficient system management and operation. [1203, 1204, 3004]

The Secretary may provide funding to support adequate consideration of transportation system management and operations, including ITS, within metropolitan and statewide transportation planning processes. [5204(f)]

Explicitly adds freight shippers, providers of freight transportation services, and representatives of users of public transit to the list of participant groups in the development of metropolitan and statewide long range transportation plan, and notes that States shall identify transportation strategies necessary to efficiently serve the mobility needs of people. [1203(g), 1204(e)]

Expands the potential for ITS in transit projects and includes the introduction of new technology into mass transportation in the definition for a capital project. [3003]

Strengthens the tie between ITS and traffic systems operations. One of the purposes of the ITS program is to improve regional cooperation and operations planning for effective ITS deployment. [5203(b)]

September 14, 1998


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