Traffic Incident Management at the Big Dig

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Traffic Incident Managementat the Big Dig
Presenter Kevin A Duffy- CA/T Manager of
Emergency Planning Response Kaduffy_at_bigdig.com
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DifficultyKeeping the Roadways Traversing Boston
Open and Flowing at Pre Construction LevelsDaily
Use of Project Footprint Areas 339,000(minimum)
Traffic Incident Managementat the Big Dig
Solution Disseminate information quickly
simplify response, and execute with perfection
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Critical Elements of Success
Strategic

• Great emphasis on traffic planning and
  congestion prevention
• All lane alterations are scripted, using a three
  phase sign off, involving Construction, Traffic
  Engineering, and state/local authorities
• Every effort in planning yielded one less incident

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Strategic (continued)

• Established Traffic Disruptions as part of
  Project- wide Emergency Response System

Guarantees that a quick, efficient method is
continually in place to mitigate traffic
difficulties As part of the ERS, multiple
resources are dedicated to a traffic disruption,
minimizing the time and scope of a traffic
disruption. These include a field engineer, and a
traffic engineer, along with emergency services.
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Including Traffic in the ERS Provided a Structure
of Communication and Incident Management Control
Among Non- Traffic Personnel. Field Staff
Receive Instruction on Clearing Self- Created
Disruptions. All Staff must Submit to Annual
Refresher Training
Strategic (continued)
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Strategic (continued)
Non project related disruptions were handled
through the same assessment criteria and
communications links to external agencies as
would be used for injuries, utility disruptions
etc. Critical links were found by analyzing
these non related events
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Continually Functional Operations CenterThe
CA/T Ops Center Operates 24/7 Due to Construction
Demands. A Less Ambitious Construction Project
Would Only Require a Center Operating Around That
Specific Construction Schedule
Tactical
Application of measures to minimize disruption
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Tactical

• Video Monitoring
• A picture is worth a thousand words
• Sharing images with decision makers via intranet
  link
• Rapid identification and classification of a
  traffic disruption
• Occurring when a disruption is noticed by a
  construction engineer, operations monitor, or
  external notification
• Classification to ensure standard response

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Tactical

• Primary notification is delivered to a single
  point of contact in the field, who will
  coordinate the response
• One point of coordination is a traffic engineer

• Immediate independent notification of a Traffic
  Engineer when a disruption is reported or
  identified
• Notification is made by the operations center,
  ensuring the passage of information

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Tactical

• Exercise program with training and drills
• All personnel will be ready for the real
  disruption