Incident Response in Washington State Washington State Department of Transportation

Identifying The Need 1988-89 A major UW study looked at congestion and incidents Major Corridors in Seattle. 58% of Congestion was Incident related $2,700 of cost related to each minute of congestion

Identifying The Need 1990 – Pilot Service Patrols Program Goodwill Games UW evaluated Decreased time to identify and locate incidents Decreased tune required to clear most incidents

Program Structure Initial program established in 1990 One Incident Response Engineer Looked at IR as 4 separate but related activities for improvements: Response Communications Investigation Cleanup & Clearance

The Program’s Beginning One dedicated vehicle for “major” incident response Coordination with other maintenance resources In response mode Worked with WSP & local fire to define role Outreach to the public

Program Benefits Reduced Travel Delay Increased Public Safety Quicker response and clearance Increased Public Safety Reduction in secondary accidents: 18% of fatalities on Interstates Public Confidence in WSDOT Providing a positive and visible service

Initial Results Heightened awareness of the significance of incidents on highway performance Better understanding of IR costs vs. more traditional methods of capacity improvements Benefits realized from better coordination with WSP

Program Expansion Issues that had to be understood worked through: Response criteria Liability Equipment needs/configuration Response procedures Responder training Coordination with other responders

Program Growth 1990 – On person and one vehicle Urban Seattle Area 1997 – 25 Vehicles, 12 on-call & 13 roving: Major urban areas statewide and some rural coverage Today – 44 Vehicles, 4 on-call & 40 roving: All state roadways State Patrol Motorist Assistance Program Contract Tow Trucks

Program Performance 1995: Responded to 35 incidents a month 19% were less then 15 minutes in duration 53% were over 90 minutes in duration 2004: Responding to 4850 incidents a month 63% were less the 15 minutes in duration 1.6% were over 90 minutes in duration

Additional Information Other Activities IR Procedures Manual Seattle Area IR Case Study Program Evaluation IR Training Program Statewide standardized electronic data collection Ongoing Performance Monitoring http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability/default.htm

Future Directions GPS based wireless real-time data for better asset management Enhanced performance evaluation criteria to better match program structure to actual needs Real-time video link between & TMC for traveler info and operations