First in the Country! Implementing TSM&O Evaluations to be the Best!

By Stephanie Holden and Carly Rowader, Process Improvement Interns

February 26, 2016 

This new evaluation will seamlessly integrate into the project development process by providing a timely analysis of highway operations and safety within the project limits. The analysis will review the project and make recommendations for incorporating operational and safety strategies, proven and innovative best practices and new innovations, technologies, and ITS elements.

The TSM&O process seeks solutions other than building new capacity – the process will analyze the underlying causes of crashes and congestion to identify targeted solutions. CDOT wants to ensure that we deliver the best projects that provide the best value and benefit to the traveling public in meeting the challenge of being the best stewards of the taxpayer’s money and being as effective and efficient as possible.

The new process which started on all projects with a scoping date on or after February 1, 2016 is necessary to avoid past instances such as when CDOT completed improvement to the roadway (i.e. paving, striping, widening, etc.) and then after a brief period of time, went back to the same location to make additional improvements.  The public wants CDOT to get in, get out and then stay out.  The TSM&O Evaluation process will help alleviate this issue.  By considering safety, operations and ITS elements early and throughout the design process and in an institutionalized manner, CDOT will optimize its limited resources to make the right decisions for transportation improvements and build public trust by delivering the best projects possible.

What is considered “Operations Improvements”?

Operations at CDOT refers to a number of innovations and strategies that are low cost yet highly effective and used to improve the volume and flow of traffic to maximize the efficiency of our roadways.  These strategies include the use of traffic control devices, use of shoulders, narrow lanes, variable speed limits, traffic incident management, quick clearance, adaptive and efficient signal timing, traffic control, demand management (metering), appropriate and pertinent speeds, alternative and innovative intersections and coordinated work and response efforts.

TSM&O Evaluation: A Lean Process Improvement Project

Ryan Rice, CDOT’s Director of TSM&O and Josh Laipply, CDOT’s Chief Engineer, is the Primary Sponsors of the TSM&O Evaluation Project Team.  They realize Colorado’s rapid growth creates a need for an improved operating traffic system.  In June of 2015 CDOT formed a multidisciplinary team with Region and Headquarters employees experienced in traffic, design, construction and ITS to reevaluate the pilot Operations Evaluation Process.   Several of CDOT’s Lean Project Team Leader’s reached out to Gary Vansuch, Director of CDOT’s Office of Process Improvement to discuss the purpose and the associated barriers in making this cultural change, including an operations evaluation process as an essential element of the project development process.

The Sponsor Coalition selected a project team (seen in the picture) to participate in a Rapid Improvement Event in June 2015.  At this Event, the Team conducted a detailed analysis of a process from start to finish to identify areas requiring the significant change to enable a more effective, efficient and elegant process.  During this time, the Team mapped out the current state, identified bottlenecks, and key issues to determine an ideal future state.  Early into the event, it was identified that the process was missing key components like the engagement of key users, training for staff, proper communication and more.  At this time the Project Team also came to a consensus that this process should be considered an evaluation, similar to other required evaluations during the design process. 

The Project team completed this 3-day Event and presented their future state proposal to the sponsor coalition and it was unanimously accepted.  Mike McVaugh, Region 5’s Traffic and Safety Engineer and also a Project Sponsor noted the success of the event and explained: “bringing in project design stakeholders helped shed light on the impacts and solutions they could find to make the process more successful for everyone.”

This Process Improvement Project Team evaluated the existing process and improved upon it significantly for the benefit of our CDOT Project Managers. The Team’s goal was not to add steps to the existing process but to find ways to integrate the TSM&O Evaluation within the existing preconstruction process to consider operations, safety and ITS technology implementation in the project plans. 

The existing safety assessment process, which is initiated by the Project Manager, was replaced with a TSM&O Evaluation Request form where the Project Manager makes the simultaneous request to the Region Traffic Sections for a Level 1 Safety Analysis, Level 1 Operational Analysis and an ITS Review. 

From there they may make recommendations and/or elect to have a more in-depth Level 2 analysis performed by HQ TSM&O.  Like other reviews or clearances, this allows experts to conduct their respective reviews while allowing the Project Manager to focus on managing the project development process.

Members of the Process Improvement Project Team then met with the Headquarters and Regional Traffic Engineers in October 2015 and reviewed the proposed safety, operations and ITS analyses in depth.  It was there that a draft of the Level 1 operation analysis was developed along with a schedule for rolling out this process including guidance in the form of a Design Bulletin, training for staff and a robust Change Management plan that included multiple forms of communications, a coaching plan, a sponsorship plan, and solid resistance management strategies.  This truly was a collaborative process for all of those involved!  

More About The TSM&O Evaluation & Who It Benefits

The TSM&O Evaluation consists of three parts:

• a safety analysis,

• an operations analysis, and

• an ITS analysis.

Each TSM&O evaluation will consider cutting edge and proven best practices, technology, innovation and strategies in operations and safety to improve the traveler experience during construction and into the future.  The TSM&O Evaluation process is aligned with the existing CDOT project development process. The Project Manager will coordinate with the Region Traffic Representatives for the completion of these safety and operational reviews along with a systems engineering analysis for any proposed ITS elements during the project preconstruction phase.  The TSM&O Evaluation will be tracked in the SAP templates within the project design phase.  These 3 components will be tracked using as a separate milestone within the project design phase schedule.  Training on this new process is being rolled out in a staggered process to the Region Project Managers and Traffic Engineers as their projects get closer to the scoping date.  The training is highly effective due to using current CDOT projects as examples and showing exactly how to apply the Level 1 and Level 2 safety and operational analyses. The Project Team will review the implementation of this new process in late April by checking in with the Regions on how things are going and make any needed changes to the process at that time.  

By conducting the evaluation early in the development cycle, the project manager will be able to incorporate suggested improvements in the project that may have previously not been included.  The primary beneficiaries of this new TSM&O Evaluation will be the traveling public as well as CDOT employees.  The Project Managers will gain insights and be involved in delivering new and exciting technologies and the Regional Traffic Engineers will gain significant new knowledge and expanded capabilities.  Team CDOT will be at the forefront of implementing new ways of improving mobility and safety and helping to propel CDOT in leading this nationwide effort!  

Example of TSM&O Evaluation Success:  Region 1 South Program - I-25 Widening, Lincoln to County Line

The project originated to create a Collector-Distributor lane to allow for a work zone in between Northbound traffic.  It was originally discussed to keep 3 NB thru lanes and 1 NB C-D lane, but, after an operational analysis, it was recommended to have 2 NB thru lanes and 2 NB C-D lanes.  It turns out that half of the NB traffic exists in the area while the other half proceeds into Denver.  Dole Grebenik, Resident Engineer for this project, reported, “Once the change was implemented, CDOT received significant amounts of positive feedback.  The corridor operated very efficiently and was a success.  In fact, because it operated so well, the Contractor left the configuration in place a week longer than anticipated.” 

This new evaluation is constructed to encompass CDOT’s summit of becoming the best DOT in the country while considering what it will take to advance the goals of the People Peak, Technology Peak, and the Multi-Modal System Peak.