The agencies responsible for managing large-scale transportation resources (buses, ferries, trains, etc.) face many challenges. Typically, these agencies are required to provide an ever-increasing number and volume of services without increasing the budget that enables them to provide those services.
One solution is the implementation of the transportation management center, which helps coordinate and manage technological and other transportation resources from a centralized hub.
The transportation management center is the hub of all transportation management systems. All information concerning transportation (freeways, traffic signals, transit vehicles, etc.) is collected and then analyzed to make modifications to each system as is necessary, including coordinating responses to events in real-time. This information is also distributed to media outlets and the public.
The three major transportation management centers in North Carolina are in Metrolina, the Triad and the Triangle.
Metrolina
Based in Charlotte, the 12,000-square-foot Metrolina Transportation Management Center is an integrated system that houses control equipment, N.C. Department of Transportation and N.C. State Highway Patrol personnel and hosts staging areas for response and mobilization in the event of major emergencies.
The system also controls a reversible lane system on U.S. 29 around PNC Music Pavilion and the Charlotte Motor Speedway (the second largest annual generator of traffic for a single event in the nation) using lane control, dynamic message signs and surveillance to optimize traffic during events.
Piedmont-Triad
The Piedmont-Triad Transportation Management Center in Greensboro uses surveillance, dynamic message signs, highway advisory radios and Incident management assistance patrols to collect, analyze and distribute information to maximize smooth traffic flow in the area.
Integration with local law enforcement, traffic operations centers and 911 communications centers in the region share the surveillance and facilities to enhance communication and cooperation, to provide more complete and timely response to incidents in the area.
Triangle
The Triangle Transportation Management Center is linked to the N.C. State Highway Patrol and all area media providers to provide real-time information to motorists via radio and TV, dynamic message signs and the internet. Integration with the Raleigh and Durham Transportation Operations Centers offers expanded surveillance and improved incident response and management.
The reversible lane system on Edwards Mill Road provides efficient movement into and out of the PNC Arena.