System costs for TMC construction and integration of communication systems were projected for upstate California; capital costs were estimated at $1.2 million per facility.

Caltrans integrates ITS applications into the California Regional ITS Plan.

Made Public Date
07/29/2019
Identifier
2019-SC00432
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Summary Information

This research identified strategies to integrate ITS applications into the California Regional ITS Plan over the next ten years. Estimates of initial capital costs and ongoing annual operations and maintenance costs were derived from an analysis of data in the national ITS costs databases and input from Caltrans staff.

ITS Functional Element: System Integration and Management

  • Satellite TMC. Construction of a satellite TMC that may be used to distribute everyday management operations, or in the case of emergency. Given the size of the region, the efficiency of operations and maintenance could be improved by constructing satellite TMCs that provide staff in certain subareas to better monitor traffic and equipment, and coordinate their activities. Consideration may be given to setting this up to operate as an alternative TMC in the event of communications link failure to the main TMC. A satellite TMC in Marysville is of specific interest in District 3.
    • Capital Cost:
      • $1 million+ (highly variable depending on the scope, magnitude, and existing infrastructure).
    • O&M Cost:
      • Variable depending on scale, hours of operation, etc.
  • Communication Upgrades. Upgrades to provide more robust and reliable communications between field devices and applicable control centers. This may include expanding coverage or enhancing coverage (e.g. reliability, bandwidth) of current systems. Currently employ a variety of technologies and services. This tactic can also include equipment for vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. Applicable throughout the region, especially in remote areas where cellular coverage is limited. Caltrans has expressed a desire to reduce the reliance on leased communications. One element of this tactic is to connect Caltrans signals to the TSMSS server per Traffic Signal Operations Business Plan. For existing signals, this may require new or upgraded communication infrastructure. This infrastructure should be included as part of all new signal projects.
    • Capital Cost:
      • $200,000/mile for fiber optic cable installation (variable by project)
      • $5,000 per location for DSL or 4GLTE modem.
    • O&M Cost:
      • Highly variable.