Phoenix Metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative Evaluation Report

This report presents the evaluation results of the Phoenix, Arizona Metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative (MMDI). The MMDI was a three-year program of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It focused on aggressive deployment of ITS at four sites across the United States, including the metropolitan areas of San Antonio, Seattle, NY/NJ/Connecticut as well as Phoenix. The focus of the deployments was on integration of existing ITS and deployment and integration of new ITS components. Nineteen public sector agencies and thirteen private firms participated in AZTech, the name given to the Phoenix MMDI. The evaluation encompassed fifteen AZTech projects. Eight projects provided advanced traveler information services; four projects were concerned with traffic management systems; and three deployed transit management systems. Traveler information services used public traffic and transit data from the central AZTech server along with data from the private sector. To address diverse market segments a wide range of dissemination technologies was used, including a personalized messaging system, Trailmaster Web site, commercialized Web page, Traffic Check Cable TV, in-vehicle navigation devices, Fastline personal communication device, transit status information, and travel information kiosks. AZTech's traffic management systems included eight "Smart Corridor" projects, three of which were included in the evaluation. Traffic management systems were deployed to provide interjurisdictional traffic signal coordination along major arterial roads in the region and to implement a computer-aided incident management system to facilitate efficiency and accuracy of incident investigations. Three transit management systems were deployed, all with automatic vehicle location technology to aid in dispatch and to provide status information to travelers. Integration among these various projects was a key feature of the AZTech program. The evaluation focused on six key study areas: network efficiency, safety, energy and emissions, customer satisfaction, costs of deployment, benefit/cost analysis, and institutional lessons. The intent was to evaluate changes in each of these areas brought about by deployment of new projects, as well as integration of both new and existing projects. This report presents the observed impacts of each of the fifteen MMDI projects and their integration and provides conclusions and recommendations based on the results.