COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course provides participants with an appreciation of the key policies, institutional issues, challenges and barriers, and technical and other issues to consider in the planning, design, implementation, management, operation, evaluation, and marketing of freeway facilities. The course is based upon the "Freeway Management and Operations Handbook," September 2003 (FHWA-OP-04-003, EDL No.: 13875). Unlike the 3-day course, which covers all of the information in the handbook, the 2-day course allows a host to tailor the course to the particular needs of the participants. The 2-day course covers nine core sessions and three optional sessions selected from the following list:

Roadway and Operational Improvements

Ramp Management and Control

Lane Management and Control

HOV Systems

Traffic Incident Management

Planned Special Events

Information Dissemination

Information Sharing and Integrations

Communication Media

OUTCOMES:

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the purpose of freeway facilities and the role they serve in relation to the surface transportation system
• Identify the types and causes of congestion on freeway facilities
• Describe the relationship between a public agency's traffic operations program and the activities involved in managing and controlling traffic on freeway facilities
• Describe the value of monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on the performance of freeway facilities
• Identify the range of functions and elements of a transportation management system
• List detection and surveillance techniques used to support freeway management and operations activities
• Depending upon the optional sessions selected for the 2-day course, participants will be able to:
• Compare the potential to improve traffic flow between roadway improvements vs. shorter-term, lower-cost, operational improvements on freeway facilities
• Describe the range of ramp management and control strategies and the conditions under which they might be warranted
• Describe the range of lane management and control strategies and the conditions under which they might be warranted
• Describe the significance of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes as a strategy for improving the performance of freeway facilities
• Identify activities associated with responding to a traffic incident
• List strategies for mitigating the impacts associated with planned special events
• Define travel information, 511 service, pre-trip, and en-route travel condition information
• Describe the significance of sharing or not sharing information and key issues to consider when establishing and maintaining an interface to electronically share information (voice, data, and video)
• Identify key similarities and differences between communications alternative to meet the varied needs of freeway management and operations activities

TARGET AUDIENCE:

This course is designed for professionals engaged in any aspect of planning, design, implementation, management, evaluation, enforcement, operation, or marketing of freeway facilities and should be considered as an introductory course for individuals with limited or no experience in traffic management or freeway management. This course is also of value to individuals whose experience is concentrated in one area of freeway operations as the course exposes participants to the wide array of freeway management activities. Participants could include traffic engineers and technicians, transportation planners, roadway design engineers and technicians, construction and maintenance engineers and technicians, managers/supervisors, transit planners, traffic management center (TMC) staff, and public information specialists from public agencies, consultants and contractors, and colleges and universities.

If you have questions about this NHI training, please contact NHI at nhicustomerservice@dot.gov or 877.558.6873.