managing travel for planned special events - FHWA Operations ...

Figure 5-18Internet Summary of Road Construction andPlanned Special Events (Graphic courtesy ofthe City of Milwaukee DPW.)increase in background traffic duringtypical off-peak periods as a result oftraffic generated by major events occurringin other jurisdictions.External Factor Monitoring andAssessmentThe event planning team should maintain,and continually update, a spreadsheet matrixor map of inter-jurisdictional roadway constructionand planned special events occurringover some defined period of time. Forexample, Appendix G contains a WisconsinDOT summary of local and state road constructioncoupled with major planned specialevents occurring in the Milwaukee metropolitanarea over Summer 2002. Identificationof concurrent planned events allowsstakeholders to merge transportation planningand operations efforts and consider revisingroad construction schedules.On a broader scale, a regional committee onplanned special events monitors plannedevents across a metropolitan area throughregular meetings with traffic operationsagencies, law enforcement, community officials,event organizers, and other agencies.The committee facilitates communicationand coordination between specific eventplanning and operation task forces to ensureoptimal application of personnel and equipmentresources. The Traffic Incident ManagementEnhancement (TIME) program insoutheastern Wisconsin maintains such acommittee. As highlighted in Chapter 2, theTIME special event committee proposeddevelopment of a traffic management planningtool designed to evaluate the severitylevel of any planned special event proposedin the greater Milwaukee metropolitan area.Table 5-19 lists specific external factors, andassociated criteria, accounted for in the draftplanning tool.REFERENCES1. Held, T., “Dead Family Reunion inEast Troy Is a Go,” Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel,June 28, 2002.2. Schmitt, B., “State Troopers CloseRoads into Downtown Detroit,” DetroitFree Press, June 13, 2002.3. Laitner, B., “Royal Oak Preparing toHandle Crowds of Red Wings Fans,”Detroit Free Press, June 13, 2002.4. “Hundreds questioned in Nevada CasinoDeaths,” CNN.com, April 28,2002.5. Shaw, T., Performance Measures ofOperational Effectiveness for HighwaySegments and Systems, NCHRPSynthesis 311, Transportation ResearchBoard, National ResearchCouncil, Washington D.C., 2003, 59pp.5-36