Detroit Metro Traffic Operations Page

MITS Center Detroit TMC
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Freeway Courtesy Patrol helped more than 28,000 stranded motorists in 2005

South East Michigan roads were a little safer in 2005, thanks to Michigan Department of Transportation's Freeway Courtesy Patrol. With 34 vehicles patroling the 12 Metro Detroit's freeways the Freeway Courtesy Patrol drivers helped 28,359 stranded motorists in 2005.

The full document news release MDOT Freeway Courtesy Patrol in South East Michigan: 2005 Evaluation Report

Detroit Area Operations Partnering Workshop

The Operations Partnering Workshop hosted by the Michigan Department of Transportation at Ford Field on March 1, 2006 brought together over 80 people from over 40 agencies for an interactive morning focused on working together to improve traffic operations. The objectives of the workshop were to connect with people from different organizations and learn good practices from presentations and others participating in the workshop. The complete document is here.

Partnering with Police for Better Traffic Operations

Any good city traffic engineer knows that to be effective he must have the support and cooperation of his local police department. His broad responsibilities encompass planning, design, and operation of the transportation systems in his community. The operations portion of his job cannot be accomplished effectively without a relationship and understanding of the traffic safety officer and the officers on the street who are serving, protecting, and enforcing traffic regulations. The police have the advantage of being on the job 24/7. Read the complete document here.

The Superbowl Traffic Management - Positive and Lasting Legacy

The Super Bowl event had lasting benefits for Metro Detroit as a whole and for transportation operations in particular. The Michigan Intelligent Transportation Systems Center served as a transportation operations hub for the event, and the ITS technologies on the Metro Detroit Freeway systems were used to full advantage to handle the traffic load. The lasting benefits of the Super Bowl event traffic operations included enhanced relationships across agencies, trailblazer signing, and the auxiliary traffic operations center. The PowerPoint presentation gives the details of the traffic planning for the event. The goods news for the transportation agencies involved was that traffic events went pretty much according to plan. MITSC operators saw that the dynamic message signs on the freeway system resulted in dramatic changes in traffic patterns during the event.

The following link (2.9M) will provide a pictorial of the complex planning involved in traffic management of this major event.

Traffic Incident Management in Metro Detroit: Regional Collaboration for Safe and Efficient Transportation Operations

Richard F. Beaubien, P.E., P.T.O.E.
Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.

The Metropolitan Detroit Incident Management Coordinating Committee has been operating since 1992. Public agencies and private interests initially formed the ad hoc group to improve detection of and response to traffic incidents. State department of transportation officials, state police officials, and local government officials received support from their top management to cooperate in responding to incidents. Private organizations including broadcast media and tow operators have joined in the coordination effort. Early accomplishments of this group include combining the Michigan State Police dispatch operations with the Michigan Department of Transportation Intelligent Transportation System Center and establishing a Freeway Courtesy Patrol. The Incident Management Committee has been adopted by ITS Michigan and serves most of the functions expected of a regional transportation operations organization. For the complete text click here

Abstract - The Metro Detroit Regional Transportation Operations Collaboration and Coordination Initiative

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has awarded Metro Detroit one of three national grants to develop and demonstrate a Regional Concept for Transportation Operations. The kick-off meeting for the Detroit initiative was held on May 16, 2005. Metro Detroit transportation and public safety organizations have worked together for years to improve safety and operations on Detroit area freeways through the Metropolitan Detroit Incident Management Coordinating Committee. One of the fruits of this working relationship has been the merging of the Michigan State Police dispatch operation with the Michigan Department of Transportation Intelligent Transportation Systems Center. Another is the sharing of video images among transportation operating agencies. Because many of the elements for regional transportation organizations are present in the Metro Detroit Incident Management Coordination Committee, this committee is being used as a stepping stone to a regional operations organization for Metro Detroit. For the complete text click here