Searching for new strategies to manage increasing congestion through the region's most traveled corridors

If transportation successes in Europe are any indication, technology and other proactive transportation techniques of Active Traffic Management (ATM) might be the wave of the future for reducing traffic congestion in the central Puget Sound region.

ATM is a tool that can maximize safety and traffic flow by dynamically managing and controlling traffic based on the prevailing traffic conditions. These strategies include speed harmonization, queue warning, junction control, hard shoulder running, dynamic re-routing, and traveler information.

To examine how effective Active Traffic Management strategies would be in central Puget Sound, WSDOT worked with a consultant team to study how it could be applied.

The consultant team qualitatively assessed nine major corridors in the region and decided to focus on the southern section of Interstate 405 (from I-90 near Factoria to I-5 near Tukwila) for further quantitative analysis.

The project team assessed six ATM techniques for application within the selected corridor. In addition, they explored the operational, policy and institutional issues for implementation as well as developed conceptual cost estimates (capital, operations and maintenance) and conducted microsimulation modeling to assess the benefits.

The results of the feasibility study can be found in the Active Traffic Management Feasibility Study and Appendices below.

WSDOT and the project team are now in the process of beginning the next phase of the study, examining these strategies in further detail.

Active Traffic Management (ATM) Feasibility Study, November 2007
All Appendices (1.9 MB]
    Appendix A - Active Traffic Management: Innovative Techniques for the Future [1.5 MB]
    Appendix B - Forum Proceedings
    Appendix D - Estimated Benefit Calculations
    Appendix D - Micro-Simulation Modeling Results
    Appendix E - Capital Costs
    Appendix F - Operating and Maintenance Costs


Active Traffic Management Workshop, June 21, 2007
Workshop Notes
PowerPoint Presentations:
    ATM: Next Steps - Current Practices in Europe
    ATM Experiences Made in Hessen
    ATM Feasibility Study
    Dynamic Traffic Management - Frans Middelham
    Case Study M42 ATM
    Our Traffic Congestion - Challenges & Opportunities
    USDOT's Congestion Initiative
    HOT Lanes - SR 167 Pilot & I 405 Express Toll Lanes
    ATM in the Netherlands