Overview

The efforts to date to reduce surface transportation congestion have focused on optimization of individual networks. Corridors offer an opportunity to operate and optimize the entire system as opposed to the individual networks. Through the Integrated Corridor Management Systems initiative, the U.S. DOT will provide guidance to assist agencies in implementing Integrated Corridor Management, create supporting analysis tools, approaches, and technical standards, and demonstrate the value of ICM.

Corridor Networks Today

Transportation corridors often contain unused capacity in the form of parallel routes, the non-peak direction on freeways and arterials, single-occupant vehicles and transit services that could be leveraged to help reduce congestion. Traffic information today is often fragmented, outdated or not completely useful. Networks are often independently operated and efforts to date to "reduce congestion" have focused on optimization of individual networks.

The ITS Opportunity

The combined application of technologies and a commitment of network partners to work together have the potential to transform the way corridors are operated and managed. Thanks to recent advancements in intelligent transportation systems technologies, there is a tremendous opportunity today to integrate operations to manage total corridor capacity.

With ICM, the various institutional partner agencies manage the transportation corridor as a system-rather than the more traditional approach of managing individual assets. They manage the corridor as an integrated asset in order to improve travel time reliability and predictability, help manage congestion and empower travelers through better information and more choices.

In an ICM corridor, because of proactive multimodal management of infrastructure assets by institutional partners, travelers could receive information that encompasses the entire transportation network. They could dynamically shift to alternative transportation options-even during a trip-in response to changing traffic conditions. For example, while driving in a future ICM corridor, a traveler could be informed in advance of congestion ahead on that route and be informed of alternative transportation options such as a nearby transit facility's location, timing and parking availability.

Research Approach

• Printable Initiative Overview - [PDF 93KB]
• ICM Standards

Spotlight on the Four Phases of the U.S. DOT's ICM Initiative

The U.S. DOT's seven year ICM Initiative will occur in four phases. These phases are designed to promote innovation in the development of new approaches for efficiently managing existing assets within a corridor. Ultimately, these four phases will help the U.S. DOT and the Pioneer Sites to identify and advance promising ICM approaches that can serve as critical next steps in the nation's efforts to reduce traffic congestion. Note that Phases 2-4 occur concurrently to some extent.

Phase 1: Foundational Research
Phase 2: Corridor Tools, Strategies and Integration
Phase 3: Corridor Site Development, Analysis and Demonstration
Phase 4: ICM Outreach and Knowledge and Technology Transfer

Research Findings and Test Results

Research findings and test results from the ICM Initiative are summarized here and also stored in the ICM Knowledgebase, the searchable, browseable online repository of research reports, documents and other knowledge transfer resources from the ICM Initiative. Search the ICM Knowledgebase by keyword or browse by intuitive categories to find and download resources that may be helpful to you.

• ICM CONOPS and System Requirements
• ICM Pioneer Sites
• ICM AMS Pioneer Sites
• ICM Demonstration Pioneer Sites

ICM CONOPS and System Requirements

The development of an ICM Concept of Operations, or "CONOPS," is the first step toward the implementation of ICM in a corridor. In this foundational step, partner agencies along a transportation corridor work together to develop a detailed concept for operating and managing the corridor as a system of systems. The ICM CONOPS document describes this concept-and includes detailed institutional, operational, and technical implications-to support a shared vision for ICM corridor operations, and development of requirements. In addition, the CONOPS needs to clearly describe why the proposed system is needed and what the needs are for the system. With a complete CONOPS, partner agencies then develop and document Systems Requirements Specifications for their ICM system (ICMS) mapping back to their needs identified in their CONOPS. These two documents guide ICMS design.

• Download and review examples of CONOPS and Systems Requirements Specifications documents from the Pioneer Sites from the ICM Knowledgebase.

Research Update and News

• Coming Soon: ICM Implementation and Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation (AMS) Guides and Workshop Series
• ICM RSS Feeds - What's New, Knowledgebase
• ICM in the News
• ICM Early Adopters
• Knowledgebase Home
• Events of Interest

ICM RSS Feeds

Stay up to date on what’s new with ICM by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page. To receive updates when new resources are posted to the Knowledgebase, click on the link at the bottom of the Knowledgebase.

What's New

• Transportation Research Board 92nd Annual Meeting Session 11
• ICM Newsletter 2012
• Mark your calendar and plan now to attend the half-day session on “ICM: Integrating Highway, Arterial and Transit Operations for Improved Corridor Performance,” Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012, 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm; at the ITSA Annual Meeting at National Harbor – Click here to learn more!
• Real-Time Transit Data Demonstration Projects Awarded to Integrated Corridor Management Demonstration Sites
• Session on ICM to be held at the upcoming 2011 ITS MD & Tri-Chapter Annual Meeting
• San Diego Pioneer Site shares YouTube video featuring ICM – check it out here!
• ICM presentations from APTA TransITech conference now available from the Knowledgebase!

Research Contacts

The ICM Initiative is truly an integrated initiative. This philosophy is reflected in the joint management of the initiative shared by senior representatives from the Research and Innovative Technology Administration's (RITA) Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA). In addition to proactively involving stakeholders in the development of everything from the initial concept of the initiative to the strategic plan for ICM outreach and knowledge and technology transfer, the ICM Initiative is jointly directed by a "Core Team" of U.S. DOT leaders:

Brian Cronin
Team Lead, Research and Demonstration
ITS Joint Program Office
Research and Innovative Technology Administration
(202) 366-8841
brian.cronin@dot.gov

Steven Mortensen
ICM Program Manager
Office of Mobility Innovation
Federal Transit Administration
(202) 493-0459
steven.mortensen@dot.gov

Robert Sheehan
Transportation Specialist
Office of Transportation Management
Federal Highway Administration
(202) 366-6817
robert.sheehan@dot.gov

Dale Thompson
Transportation Research Specialist
ITS Joint Program Office
Research and Innovative Technology Administration
202-493-3420
dale.thompson@dot.gov