Title
Transportation 2050 Streets Technology Enhancements Five-Year Program Update
Description
This report provides information to the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee on the proposed Transportation 2050 (T2050) five-year Streets Technology Enhancements Program and requests the Subcommittee recommend City Council approval of the updated $5.769 million, five-year program for Fiscal Years (FYs) 2021-25.
THIS ITEM IS FOR CONSENT ACTION.
Report
Summary
The approved T2050 Plan allocates a total of 13.8 percent of Proposition 104 local sales tax revenues (or approximately $2.3 billion over 35 years) to the Street Transportation Department (Streets) for the construction and maintenance of City roadways. Of these Streets T2050 revenues, the T2050 Streets Technology Enhancements Program is allocated 5 percent of Street’s T2050 revenues.
Streets is responsible for the operation and maintenance of illuminated street name signs and traffic signals. The City has invested significant resources to build, maintain, and improve the traffic signal infrastructure of 1,158 traffic signals that manage the flow of traffic safely throughout the city’s nearly 5,000-mile street network. To provide a safe, aesthetic, and efficient signal network for citizens and visitors, Streets has identified programs for the investment of capital and maintenance funding to improve the traffic signal infrastructure.
On Feb. 14, 2017, the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee was provided with information on the recommendation approved by the Citizens Transportation Commission for a $9.7 million, ten-year maintenance program for the T2050 Streets Technology Enhancements Program through FY 2026 for the replacement of damaged and faded illuminated street name signs over a two-year period, the addition of left-turn arrows at five to seven intersections annually over a five-year period, and repainting all traffic signal poles in the City over a ten-year period. On Nov. 27, 2018, the Aviation and Transportation Subcommittee approved funding for FYs 2022 and 2023 as part of the updated five-year, $4.793 million program for the T2050 Streets Technology Enhancements Program (FY 2019-23). The updated five-year program included funding for fiber communications and enhanced intersection technology projects.
Illuminated Street Name Signs
To improve traffic safety, especially at night, as well as appearance and convenience, Streets installed over 4,065 illuminated street name signs on traffic signal poles over the past two decades. Prior to 2016, due to funding shortfalls, few signs had been replaced and approximately 3,000 of the signs had exceeded their ten-year serviceable life and needed replacement. From an operational and maintenance aspect, many of the signs had suffered sunlight damage over the years and the lighting components of the majority of signs were not functional.
When these signs are maintained and functional, they improve visibility and legibility of street names at longer distances and in adverse driving conditions. This in turn reduces the attention required to read street names giving drivers more time to plan driving maneuvers at intersections. These benefits are especially valuable along wide, high-traffic intersections. The signs also represent an aesthetic improvement to our roadway infrastructure that has become popular with residents and visitors.
$2.3 million in annual T2050 funding was previously approved to replace 1,972 damaged and faded illuminated street name signs over a two-year period (FY 2017 and FY 2018) for a total of $4.6 million. Streets also budgeted $2.4 million in non-T2050, Arizona Highway User Revenue Fund (HURF), funding to replace an additional 1,028 signs in order to budget the replacement of a total of 3,000 signs.
To date, over 3,330 illuminated street name signs have been replaced, and the T2050 sign replacement project was completed in 2019. Additionally, to address ongoing maintenance requirements, Streets has programmed annual HURF funding in the amount of $1.2 million in the traffic signal operating budget to replace illuminated street name signs as they reach end of ten-year service life.
Left-Turn Arrows
Left-turn arrow treatments are critical to both the safety and operational characteristics of a signalized intersection. Currently, Streets has a process to analyze public requests for left-turn arrows. Requests are evaluated based on factors such as crash history data, sight distance and traffic volumes to determine the need and prioritize those intersections for left-turn arrow treatments. Prior to 2016, the number of these requests and the cost of implementation were significantly higher than the annual Streets budget to install left-turn arrows.
To address the warranted left-turn arrow projects at intersections, the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee previously approved $420,000 in annual T2050 funding over a five-year period (FY 2016-21) for a total of $2.1 million.
Streets also increased its annual left-turn arrow HURF funding slightly to $80,000, for a five-year (FY 2016-21) total of $400,000. Since 2016, a total of 15 intersections have had left-turn arrows added utilizing HURF funding. It is anticipated that an additional intersection will have left-turn arrows added with HURF funding in FY2021.
To date, an additional nine left-turn arrows have been installed utilizing T2050 funding, and it is anticipated that two more left-turn arrow locations will be completed by the end of FY 2021 with T2050 funds.
Traffic Signal Pole Painting
The painting of signal poles is an important element of the City’s traffic signal pole maintenance program. Pole paint provides preservative protection for metal structures from both rust and corrosion. Additionally, freshly painted poles are an aesthetic enhancement to the City’s infrastructure and help to reduce blight on streets and display a sense of pride in how the City maintains its streets. Poorly maintained poles can attract additional blight such as graffiti, posters, stickers and other nuisances.
Prior to 2016, the City had last repainted its signal poles in 1999. Due to years of weathering and age, the paint on many of those poles had faded, cracked, and chipped, and needed repainting. The City has an inventory of over 8,600 traffic signal poles at 1,158 intersections and maintenance funding was not sufficient to complete the repainting.
The Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee approved $300,000 in annual T2050 funding over a ten-year period (FY 2016 through FY 2026) for a total of $3 million. This T2050 funding augmented Streets annual HURF funding of $25,000 per year (total $250,000), in order to repaint traffic signal poles citywide over those ten years at an anticipated rate of 110 intersections per year utilizing both fund sources.
To date, traffic signal poles have been painted at approximately 464 intersections, and the signal pole painting project will continue as planned through FY 2026.
Fiber Communications
Much of the business of municipal government is dependent on data, whether generated by a computer, camera image, sensor, or other data source. The main traffic data sources are at signalized intersections. City data is transferred through fiber optic cables, which can either be owned and operated by the City or rented from third-party vendors.
Streets works with the City’s Information Technology Department to coordinate the installation of City fiber at key locations in the City to provide reliable, secure and high-speed data links. This saves the City millions of dollars in leased data circuit costs. Streets recently applied for and received federal funding from the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Systems Management and Operations (SMO) Program for two fiber projects, each over twelve miles in length.
The first project will provide fiber from Fire Station 54, located at 99th Avenue and Campbell Road, to the City’s existing fiber network at 27th Avenue and Camelback Road. The project will include fiber along Indian School Road and 27th Avenue. This project is scheduled for construction later this fiscal year. The local match for the federal funding will be provided using T2050 Streets Technology Enhancements funds in the amount of $1.4 million in FY 2021 and $300,000 in FY 2022.
The second project will provide fiber along Baseline Road from Ed Pastor Freeway (Loop 202) to Interstate 10 (I-10). This project is scheduled for FY 2023. The local match for the federal funding will be provided using T2050 Streets Technology Enhancements funds in the amount of $335,000 in FY 2021 and $706,000 in FY 2022.
In addition to the two projects above, Streets has identified additional priority corridors (Attachment A) for the installation of City fiber in order to provide more reliable communications to Streets traffic signal infrastructure.
Due to Streets receiving the two federal MAG SMO Program grants, Streets has modified its fiber communications project funding by programming $1.756 million in FY 2021, $1.006 million in FY 2022, and $547,000 in FY 2023.
The average cost to install one mile of fiber cable is approximately $200,000. Streets FY 2023 funding should allow for the installation of two to three miles of fiber using the Streets priority list. Should additional T2050 funding become available in the five-year cycle, Streets would propose to expand funding for the installation of fiber communications projects.
Enhanced Intersection Technology
Streets has historically relied on technologies and methodologies from the 20th century to control and manage traffic through our signalized intersections, which has served the City well as it is based on our mile and half-mile major street network. However, as traffic volumes have increased and development patterns have evolved, more signalized intersections have been added to our street network at spacings other than the traditional mile and half-mile. This has impacted our ability to move traffic efficiently in multiple directions simultaneously. Providing more advanced technology at signalized intersections to monitor real-time traffic data will help to mitigate the congestion experienced in numerous corridors and locations across the City.
Enhancing technologies at intersections will provide the City with real-time operational conditions to be able to adjust signal timing to move people and traffic more efficiently as required. Upgrades to this technology include:
- installing new traffic signal controllers which accept additional device integration;
- adding detection technology where there is none today; and
- adding anonymous re-identification devices (ARIDs) that will capture real-time travel time and speed condition data.
This enhanced technology will also enable intersections to support connected vehicle and rideshare/autonomous vehicles as those advancements change the landscape for roadway design and community mobility in the future.
The intersections where this technology will be deployed will also need to be upgraded to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements because accurate pedestrian movement and detection is required in implementing signal timing improvements. Upgraded intersections outfitted with appropriate technology for managing the transportation network will become the standard by which all future intersections will be built.
The City is also actively participating in MAG’s Emerging Technologies Program, which was created by MAG to allow its member agencies to experiment with new technologies as part of pilot programs with minimal risk to the agencies. Under the program, MAG provides funding, working with universities to evaluate the new technologies. The City is currently participating in the program with two projects:
- The NoTraffic detection system was deployed to optimize the traffic signals along a busy stretch of Glendale Avenue between Central Avenue and State Route 51 that experiences a lot of congestion during peak travel times. NoTraffic’s sensors ‘see’ how cars are lined up at the traffic signals, detect patterns and can identify various classes of vehicle and modes of transportation (car, truck, motorcycle, bus, emergency vehicle, bicyclists and pedestrians). The system is in a ‘learning mode’ now, but once activated, it will be able to make instant adjustments at the signals to optimize the number of vehicles moving through each intersection. Streets utilized approximately $20,000 in HURF funding for the installation of the devices; and
- The ThruGreen Technologies’ mobile phone application, along with the deployment of small antennas attached to the traffic signal controllers at several signalized intersections, allows for a method of detection for the app user to request a green light or pedestrian walk signal. No City funds were required for this project.
The amount for enhanced intersection technology project funding in FY 2023 is $555,000.
The program will enhance operations at intersections and allow signals to be managed more efficiently. The average upgrade cost per intersection is approximately $185,000, and the funding allows three intersections to be completed under this program. Should additional T2050 funding become available in the five-year cycle, Streets would propose to expand funding for the enhanced intersection technology projects.
Proposed Five-Year Program
Attachment B includes the proposed $5.769 million, five-year program budget for FY 2021-25.
Concurrence/Previous Action
The Citizens Transportation Commission:
- Heard this item on Nov. 19, 2020; and
- Recommended Council approval of this item on Dec. 17, 2020, by a vote of 10-0.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Street Transportation Department.