The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) has selected Kapsch TrafficCom (Kapsch) to provide management and staffing services for the DOTD Traffic Management Centres (TMCs), each with varying levels of support and staffing appropriate for daily operations.
DOTD currently operates five TMCs and provides Motorist Assistance Patrol (MAP) services in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and Lake Charles areas, as well as MAP services for various construction projects statewide. The contract, valued at $8m for the operations scope of work, will be carried out over three years with an option to extend for up to twenty-four months.
Kapsch TrafficCom North America president Chris Murray says: "Kapsch, in partnership with DOTD, is providing the right people with world-class transportation operations expertise to keep the state’s transportation systems safe, efficient and sustainable. This project award is key to our position as a provider of end-to-end solutions in transportation systems management and operations (TSM&O)."
Kapsch will deliver traveller-focused and performance-driven TMC operations services that facilitate reliable and safe movement of people and goods in designated areas of the state, which will maximise roadway throughput and minimise the impacts of roadway incidents. Kapsch will proactively support traffic management, incident response, special events, and emergencies during expected (routine traffic conditions and rush hour), planned, (large events, construction) and unplanned (major traffic incidents, weather events and natural disasters) events.
DOTD ITS director Stephen Glascock says: "The work product coming out of the state’s traffic management centres has greatly improved our Department’s ability to deliver quality traffic-incident management services to the public. We look forward to working with Kapsch to continue and improve upon this effort as we strive to deliver value-added TSM&O services to our citizens."
As part of the contract, trained and qualified staff will be provided including additional staffing beyond normal day-to-day requirements during times of severe weather events such as hurricanes, special events, planned and unplanned events, as well as emergencies.
The TMC staff use a variety of ITS measures to monitor the highways and prevent potential incidents before they occur, as well as manage an incident once it begins. The staff monitor traffic flow, identify incidents, dispatch motorist assistance patrol, inform motorists of lane / roads closures and congestion, update the ITS maintenance department and other transportation resources, and coordinate with other organisations such as Louisiana State Police or local law enforcement. Additionally, the staff operate systems such as, but not limited to the ATMS, 511 systems, DOTD social media, mobile applications, and other related systems.
Kapsch has more than 28 years of TMC operations experience and currently manages two statewide operations in Iowa, bi-state Kansas / Missouri, and four regional TMC operations in state of New York.
