[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 106 (Friday, June 1, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29861-29867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-13791]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Participation in the Intelligent Transportation Infrastructure 
Program

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice; request for participation.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. DOT \1\ is interested in working with State and local 
governments and an existing private sector partner to develop an 
ability to measure the operating performance of the roadway system at a 
regional and national level and to produce other valuable streams of 
information. The U.S. DOT is interested in assisting State and local 
transportation agencies to have access to real-time and archived 
performance data to assist in their planning, evaluation, and 
management activities. To achieve these objectives, the U.S. DOT is 
seeking applications from State and/or local transportation agencies 
interested in forming a public/private partnership, with a private 
partner preselected by the U.S. DOT, to participate in the Intelligent 
Transportation Infrastructure Program (ITIP).
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    \1\ The FHWA is the implementing agency.

DATES: Applications to participate in the ITIP must be received by 4 
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p.m., e.t., July 31, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Applications to participate in the ITIP should be submitted 
directly to the Federal Highway Administration, Office of Travel 
Management, HOTM-1, Attention: Chung Eng, 400 Seventh St., SW., Room 
3404, Washington, DC 20590. Applications may be submitted 
electronically to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Chung Eng, Office of Travel 
Management (HOTM-1), (202) 366-8043, or Mr. Wilbert Baccus, Chief 
Counsel Service Business Unit (HCC-40), (202) 366-0780, Department of

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Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 400 Seventh St., SW., 
Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., 
e.t., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The point of 
contact for the preselected private partner is as follows: Mr. John 
Collins, Traffic.com, Chesterbrook Corporate Center, 851 Duportail 
Road, Suite 220, Wayne, Pennsylvania, Telephone: (610) 407-3412.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The U.S. DOT is interested in developing an ability to measure the 
operating performance of the roadway system at a national level. The 
U.S. DOT is also interested in State and local transportation agencies 
having access to roadway system performance data to assist in their 
planning, evaluation, and management activities. The ITIP provides 
Federal funding for the integration of intelligent transportation 
infrastructure in major metropolitan areas with a population exceeding 
300,000. The ITIP will enhance existing surveillance infrastructure 
through integration, along with strategic deployment of supplemental 
surveillance infrastructure.
    In addition, the U.S. DOT is interested in facilitating public/
private partnerships and the commercialization of traveler information 
data to create the opportunity for self-sustained systems that attract 
private capital. To be useful for the purposes described, roadway 
system performance data must be measured continuously, and be available 
in both real-time and archived formats. There is consensus within the 
transportation community that travel time and travel time reliability 
are among the best measures for these purposes. These and other desired 
measures are described in further detail within this solicitation.
    The path to achieving these objectives presents an opportunity to 
serve public agency needs in true public/private partnerships. It is 
recognized that the same data that is useful to the public 
transportation agencies also has value for commercial traveler 
information applications. Thus, the potential exists for a public/
private partnership that would collect system performance data to serve 
national and local needs and, at the same time, use the same data for 
commercial traveler information purposes.
    Such a partnership was envisioned in section 5117(b)(3) of the 
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), Pub. L. 105-
178, as amended by title IX of Pub. L. 105-206, which requires the 
provision of private technology commercialization initiatives as part 
of a program to ``advance the deployment of an operational intelligent 
transportation infrastructure system for the measurement of various 
transportation system activities to aid in the transportation planning 
and analysis while making a significant contribution to the ITS 
program.'' To that end, the U.S. DOT has retained a private sector 
Consortium consisting of Traffic.com; Signal Corporation; Michael Baker 
Jr., Inc.; L.R. Kimball & Associates, Inc.; and PB Farradyne, Inc. to 
experiment with the collection and archiving of performance monitoring 
data that will ultimately be used to measure national system 
performance while also using this data for commercial traveler 
information purposes. The leader of this Consortium is Traffic.com, 
with the remaining members primarily playing support roles.
    To date, the U.S. DOT and the Consortium have tested this public/
private partnership in two (2) cities: Pittsburgh, PA and Philadelphia, 
PA. Briefly, the deployments in the two (2) initial cities feature the 
following:
     Over one hundred (100) sensors deployed in each city along 
freeways and other major arterials capable of providing data on volume, 
speed, lane occupation, and limited vehicle classification;
     Archived database function;
     Free web-based access to basic real-time as well as 
archived data for public agency stakeholders;
     Free web-based traffic condition information to the 
general public;
     Additional value-added commercial services on a fee basis;
     Firm, fixed price contract where the private partner owns, 
operates, and maintains the system;
     Integration of at least one legacy system (e.g. the 
Pennsylvania DOT's Traffic Operations Center in Pittsburgh);
     Private funding contribution toward infrastructure; and
     Sharing of gross revenues to support system enhancements.
    This notice and request for participation extends the existing 
relationship with the Consortium, along with any necessary changes in 
support role members, to two (2) additional metropolitan areas. Lessons 
from the initial deployments as well as additional elements of national 
interest are reflected in this notice and request. This includes an 
increased emphasis on integrating existing data, and added requirements 
for calculating reliability performance measures using the data to be 
collected, and monthly submittal of performance measure reports to the 
U.S. DOT.
    This expansion of the ITIP provides for the selection, under the 
current task order contract with the Consortium, of two (2) additional 
metropolitan areas to receive Federal grants of no more than $2 million 
each. The focus in these two (2) expansion metropolitan areas is to 
enhance existing surveillance infrastructure through integration, along 
with strategic deployment of supplemental surveillance infrastructure. 
The enhanced surveillance infrastructure and performance data generated 
will be used to: (1) Aid the public sector partner in carrying out 
system management activities including operations, planning, analysis, 
and maintenance; (2) support the provision of free basic traveler 
information to the public; (3) provide opportunities for 
commercialization of other Advanced Traveler Information Services 
(ATIS); and (4) support submittal of data and system performance 
measure reports to the U.S. DOT on a monthly basis.
    Preference will be given to the top 78 metropolitan areas in 
support of the 1996 U.S. DOT ITS goal to deploy a complete Intelligent 
Transportation Infrastructure in these areas within the next decade. 
Preference will also be given to metropolitan areas that are currently 
experiencing significant congestion problems; and which already have 
substantial infrastructure in place such that much of the $2 million in 
Federal funds can be used to fill in data gaps, and to facilitate 
system integration and data management.
    Objectives: This solicitation addresses the program provided for 
under section 5117(b)(3) of the TEA-21. The U.S. DOT is providing 
funding to:
     Accelerate the integration and enhancement of intelligent 
transportation infrastructure in major metropolitan areas to enable and 
help manage the continuous monitoring of the roadway system for 
purposes of providing real-time as well as archived data to aid in the 
operation, planning, analysis, and maintenance activities of the U.S. 
DOT and State and local agencies;
     Enhance the quality, availability, and accessibility of 
transportation system performance data to enable the calculation of 
mobility performance and system reliability measures while satisfying 
system operational needs at the same time;
     Provide to the U.S. DOT performance data and reports 
which, at a minimum, include data outlined in the Technical Plan 
description under Selection Criteria;

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     Provide a traveler information service that includes free 
public access to basic traveler information, and supports provision of 
a 511 based telephone service; and
     Realize and publicize the benefits of regionally 
integrated and interoperable intelligent transportation infrastructure 
capable of supporting regional as well as national needs.
    As stated in section 5117(b)(3) of TEA-21, additional program 
objectives include:
     Providing private technology commercialization initiatives 
to generate revenues which will be shared with the U.S. DOT;
     Collecting data primarily through wireless transmission 
along with some shared wide area networks;
     Aggregating data into reports for multipoint data 
distribution techniques; and
     Utilizing an advanced information system designed and 
monitored by an entity with experience with the U.S. DOT in the design 
and monitoring of high reliability, mission critical voice and data 
systems.
    Funding: The U.S. DOT will select two (2) metropolitan areas to 
participate in this expansion of the ITIP. A total of $2 million in 
Federal funds per metropolitan area will be made available 
incrementally over the next two (2) calendar years to the metropolitan 
areas selected through this solicitation. The Federal funding will be 
made available to the selected partnerships through an existing 
contract involving the Consortium.
    Federal funding for the ITIP shall be used to support:
    1. Creation of a process and mechanism to collect, integrate, 
archive, manage, and report new and existing transportation data for 
mobility and performance monitoring, planning, evaluation, and other 
similar purposes;
    2. Creation of a data repository of new and existing real-time 
traveler information for dissemination to the traveling public through 
a variety of delivery mechanisms, including support for a 511 based 
telephone service, provision of free basic traveler information to the 
public, and commercial traveler information services;
    3. Creation of a regional transportation information system that 
integrates and supplements existing surveillance infrastructure to 
support public sector transportation management needs and private 
sector commercialization; and
    4. Accommodation/integration of existing transportation data 
collection, archiving, and dissemination mechanisms.
    There is a twenty percent (20%) matching share ($500,000) that must 
be from non-Federally derived funding sources, as statutorily required. 
For the purposes of this program, this matching share must consist of a 
cash contribution to the project. The non-Federally derived funding may 
come from State, local government, or private sector partners. Note 
that funding identified to support continued operations, maintenance, 
and management of the system will not be considered as part of the 
partnership's cost-share contribution.
    In an ITS partnership, as with other U.S. DOT cost-sharing grants, 
it is inappropriate to include a fee in the proposed budget as part of 
a partner's contribution to the project. This does not prohibit 
appropriate fee payments to vendors or others that may provide goods or 
services to the partnership. It also does not prohibit business 
relationships with the private sector which result in revenues from the 
sale or provision of ITS products or services. The U.S. DOT regulations 
require grant income to be deducted from expenditures before billing. 
Given prior approval, grant income can be used either as match or cost 
share.
    The U.S. DOT and the Comptroller General of the United States have 
the right to access all documents pertaining to the use of Federal ITS 
funds and non-Federal contributions. Non-Federal partners must maintain 
sufficient documentation to substantiate these costs. Such items as 
direct labor, fringe benefits, material costs, consultant costs, public 
involvement costs, subcontractor costs, and travel costs should be 
included in that documentation.

Program-Wide Evaluation of Benefits

    The U.S. DOT may use its resources to conduct independent 
evaluations of the benefits resulting from the ITIP at the selected 
metropolitan areas. The decision to evaluate benefits at a specific 
metropolitan area will be made on a case-by-case basis, reflecting 
information needs at the U.S. DOT. The ITIP partners shall cooperate 
with the independent evaluators and participate in evaluation planning 
and progress review meetings to ensure a mutually acceptable, 
successful implementation of the independent evaluation.

Eligibility

    To be eligible for participation in this limited expansion of the 
ITIP, applicants must establish a partnership with the Consortium that 
is currently under contract with the U.S. DOT to initiate this program 
in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Applicants must also be 
willing to work within the current contractual mechanism for the 
initial deployments. This will involve the following:
    1. The FHWA has a contractual arrangement with the Consortium in 
the form of a work order under the U.S. DOT's Information Technology 
Omnibus Procurement (ITOP) program to develop and deploy systems in 
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Since this program expansion involves 
exercising an option within the current ITOP work order, the Federal 
funds provided will continue to be made available to the selected 
partnerships through this ITOP arrangement. This involves direct 
payment to the private partner of the Federal funds to be provided; and
    2. The selected metropolitan areas/States are expected to negotiate 
their own agreements with the Consortium, henceforth referred to as the 
preselected private partner, to facilitate their financial 
contribution, and the work to be performed. The ITOP work order(s), 
including payment schedule, will be adjusted as necessary to reflect 
the agreements that have been individually negotiated between the 
selected metropolitan areas/States and the preselected private partner.
    Information on U.S. DOT's ITOP program can be found at http://itop.dot.gov/itop/.
    In addition, applications must:
    1. Demonstrate that the population in the metropolitan area where 
the proposed deployment will occur currently exceeds 300,000;
    2. Demonstrate that the metropolitan area where the proposed 
deployment will occur currently experiences significant vehicular 
traffic congestion based upon metrics acceptable in the transportation 
industry;
    3. Demonstrate that the metropolitan area where the proposed 
deployment will occur has already made significant investments in ITS 
infrastructure;
    4. Demonstrate that the metropolitan area where the proposed 
deployment will occur provides an environment supportive of 
commercialization of traffic data;
    5. Demonstrate that the proposed deployment will achieve the 
objectives described in the ``Objectives'' section of this 
solicitation;
    6. Demonstrate that sufficient funding is available to successfully 
complete all aspects of the proposed deployment while complying with 
the cost sharing and matching requirements described in the ``Funding'' 
section of this solicitation;

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    7. Commit to sharing existing surveillance data with the 
preselected private partner;
    8. Provide access to rights-of-way for installation of additional 
surveillance infrastructure by the preselected private partner;
    9. Contain a Technical Plan, a Management and Staffing Plan, and a 
Financial Plan; and
    10. Demonstrate a commitment to a schedule whereby the proposed 
deployment will be operational within one year from the date of award.

Instructions to Applicants

    An application to participate in the ITIP shall consist of a 
Technical Plan, a Management and Staffing Plan, and a Financial Plan. 
Together, these shall not exceed fifty (50) pages in length including 
title, index, tables, maps, appendices, abstracts, and other supporting 
materials. Copies of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), or other 
similar appropriate documents described below shall be attached to the 
application and shall not exceed fifteen (15) pages. A page is defined 
as one (1) side of an 8\1/2\  x  11 inch sheet of paper, with a type 
font no smaller than 12 point. Applications greater than fifty (50) 
pages will not be accepted.
    Applications shall be submitted in an electronic format compatible 
with Microsoft Office 2000. The cover sheet or front page of the 
application shall include the name, address, and phone number of an 
individual to whom correspondence and questions about the application 
may be addressed. Any portion of the application or its contents that 
may contain proprietary information shall be clearly indicated; 
otherwise, the application and its contents shall be non-proprietary.

Selection Criteria

    Applicants must submit acceptable Technical, Management and 
Staffing, and Financial Plans that together provide sound evidence that 
the proposed partnership can successfully meet the objectives of the 
ITIP.
    The FHWA will assess applications submitted in response to this 
notice using the selection criteria set forth below, to determine: (1) 
the proposed project's potential for achieving and showcasing the 
benefits of using ITS technology for highway performance monitoring and 
management; (2) the proposed partnership's ability to complete the 
proposed infrastructure integration within one (1) year after award; 
(3) the proposed project's potential for fostering private 
commercialization initiatives, and (4) the responsiveness of the 
proposed technical, financial, and management approaches.
    The following criteria will be used in selecting metropolitan areas 
for participation in the ITIP.

A. Partnership

    The proposed partnership demonstrates a strong commitment to 
cooperation among agencies, jurisdictions, and the preselected private 
partner.
    1. The application discusses proposed working relationships, 
cooperation, and information-sharing among participating public 
transportation agencies and the preselected private partner for the 
collection, management, and use of transportation system performance 
data, and the dissemination of travel information services, including 
support for a 511 telephone service.
    2. The proposed partnership demonstrates a strong commitment to 
cooperation among agencies, jurisdictions, and the preselected private 
partner, on both long-range investment decisions and short-range 
operation and management issues. Documentation that clearly defines the 
responsibilities and relationships of all parties, including 
institutional relationships, revenue sharing, and other financial 
agreements needed to support the intelligent transportation 
infrastructure deployment, are attached.
    3. The proposed partnership results in an arrangement where the 
public sector partners will be provided an ongoing data stream and the 
preselected private partner will be responsible for operating and 
maintaining the data gathering system implemented as part of this 
project under a fixed price contract.

B. Technical Plan

    The Technical Plan must address the development, deployment, 
operation, and management of intelligent transportation infrastructure 
that: 1) enhances the quality, availability, and accessibility of both 
real-time and archived transportation system performance data for 
transportation operations, planning, analysis, and maintenance 
purposes; 2) supports monthly submittal of such data to the U.S. DOT; 
and 3) provides a traveler information service, including support for a 
511 based telephone service as well as commercial value added services.
    1. The Technical Plan must contain an operational concept and 
technical approach that demonstrates how the proposed deployment will 
operate when fully implemented, as well as during any incremental 
deployment steps leading to full implementation. The technical plan 
must define the operational roles and responsibilities of the partners 
during operations (and key operator functions), as well as the 
functions performed by the ITS infrastructure elements. The technical 
plan should describe the changes to existing systems and additional 
elements. Emphasis should be placed on operational aspects of the 
proposed deployment that will achieve the goal of improving the 
performance of the transportation system. The technical plan should 
address the opportunities for generating/supporting commercial products 
with the data.
    2. The Technical Plan must contain a description of existing 
monitoring infrastructure and describe the monitoring and traffic data 
needs of the community; and the proposed approach for meeting local, as 
well as National needs.
    3. The Technical Plan must contain a technical approach to submit 
all data aggregated as part of this project, including new and existing 
data, to the U.S. DOT on a monthly basis. At a minimum, the performance 
data are to include the elements outlined below in Table 1.

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    In addition, the technical approach must include quality assurance 
processes for both real-time and archived data. For real-time data, the 
data collected should be in accordance with the appropriate data 
quality levels specified in the document ``Closing the Data Gap: 
Guidelines for Quality Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) 
Data, Version 1.0, September 2000.'' \2\ For archived data, three (3) 
facets of quality control procedures must be addressed:
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    \2\ The ``Closing the Data Gap: Guidelines for Quality Advanced 
Traveler Information System (ATIS) Data, Version 1.0, September 
2000,'' can be obtained for review by contacting 
[email protected].
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    (1) Identification of faulty data;
    (2) Editing procedures once faulty data is detected; and
    (3) Treatment of missing values.
    Any breakdown in the accepted quality assurance processes must be 
reported immediately. Additionally, any significant data gaps (one (1)-
day or more) identified will be reported along with the monthly 
submission of data.
    The Technical Plan must also contain a technical approach for using 
the data aggregated as part of this project to calculate the 
performance measures identified in the Table 2 below, and submitting a 
monthly report of these performance measures to the U.S. DOT.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN01JN01.002

    The preselected private partner shall be responsible for submitting 
the above data and reports to the U.S. DOT. Data for each area shall be 
delivered on compact disk (CD-ROM) and made downloadable via the 
Internet monthly by the private sector partner, not more than four (4) 
weeks following the end of the month. Data shall be delivered in a 
granularity and format to be agreed upon prior to initiation of 
delivery. The standard Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) \3\ 
and Traffic Monitoring Guide \4\ formats may be used where applicable. 
Definitions to be used shall be those contained in the Traffic 
Monitoring Guide, or the archived data standards (currently in 
development by ASTM), or the traffic management data dictionary (TMDD) 
standards, if available.
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    \3\ The Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) field 
Manual is available for review at the URL: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/hpmsmanl/hpms.htm.
    \4\ The Traffic Monitoring Guide is available for review at the 
URL: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/tvtw/tvtwpage.htm.
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    4. The Technical Plan must contain a technical approach that 
demonstrates how consistency with the Regional ITS Architecture (or 
with the National ITS Architecture where a Regional ITS Architecture 
does not yet exist) will be achieved; and how use of appropriate ITS 
standards will be considered, consistent with the Final Rule on ITS 
Architecture and Standards, 23 CFR Part 940, 66 FR 1446, January 8, 
2001.
    5. The Technical Plan must include an approach for developing the 
project based on a systems engineering analysis, consistent with the 
Final Rule on ITS Architecture and Standards, 23 CFR Part 940, 66 FR 
1446, January 8, 2001.
    6. The Technical Plan must address issues related to ownership and 
disposition of equipment deployed as part of this project; rights to 
data collected by infrastructure deployed as part of this project; and 
rights to reports generated from this data.

C. Management and Staffing Plan

    The Management and Staffing Plan must demonstrate a well thought 
out estimate of the level of effort and skills needed to successfully 
complete the proposed deployment, along with the identification of 
which partners will supply the staff needed, including the names and 
qualifications of key staff. This plan must also describe the proposed 
lines of communication between the partners, and define the 
responsibilities of each partner.
    1. The Management and Staffing Plan must demonstrate a sound 
management and organizational approach and schedule that will ensure 
that the proposed deployment is operational within one (1) year of the 
award of funds.
    2. The Management and Staffing Plan must demonstrate a commitment 
to hire or assign a project manager and adequate full-time staff to 
ensure timely deployment of the project. Proposed staff should have 
demonstrated skills for effective operations and management, or the 
commitment to acquiring the necessary skills in relevant technical 
areas.

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D. Financial Plan

    The Financial Plan must demonstrate that sufficient funding is 
available to successfully complete all aspects of the proposed project 
as described in the Technical Plan.
    1. The Financial Plan must include a clear identification of the 
proposed funding for the proposed deployment, and a commitment to 
provide a minimum twenty percent (20%) matching share that must be from 
non-Federally derived funding sources. All financial commitments from 
both the public and private partners, including any details of revenue 
sharing, must be documented.
    2. The Financial Plan must include a sound financial approach to 
ensure the timely deployment and the continued long-term operation and 
management of the system without continued reliance on Federal funding. 
The Financial Plan must include documented evidence of continuing 
fiscal capacity and commitment.
    3. The proposed project must include corresponding public and/or 
private investments that minimize the relative percentage and amount of 
Federal funds.

    Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; Sec. 5117(b)(3) of Public Law 105-178, 
as amended; 49 CFR 1.48.

    Issued on: May 25, 2001.
Vincent F. Schimmoller,
Deputy Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 01-13791 Filed 5-29-01; 2:44 pm]
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