Automated vehicle (AV) deployment can bring about transformational changes to transportation and society as a whole. The infrastructure owner-operators (IOOs), who own, maintain, and operate the infrastructure, have the opportunity to work jointly with the AV industry to provide safe and efficient operations. A key question for the IOOs is, “What transportation infrastructure improvements do AV manufacturers believe will facilitate and improve AV performance?” This study was designed to address this question through a comprehensive survey approach, including an online survey and follow-up interviews. A list of ten questions was discussed, covering the physical and digital infrastructure, infrastructure maintenance, standards and specifications, policy support, data sharing, and so forth. The researchers reached out to more than 60 entities who hold the AV testing permit in California. In total, 20 companies responded. They were from different sectors and well represented the AV industry. From the results of this study, it is concluded that the most important roadway characteristics that have the potential to benefit the automated driving system (ADS) are: (1) digital mapping and signage; (2) lane markings; (3) work zone and incident information; (4) vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications; (5) actual traffic signals; (6) general signage; and (7) lighting. The digital features considered most critical to help accelerate ADS deployment include work zone and road closure information, traffic signal phase and timing, and traffic congestion. This study provides diverse voices and in-depth insights into topics that the AV industry and IOOs should engage in to advance AVs’ deployment.

This research project directly addresses the Caltrans policy question of “How to meet the SB 1 ten-year (2027) mandated preliminary performance outcomes for additional state highway investments?”  More specifically, the study focuses on performance outcome number 4: “Not less than 90 percent of the transportation management system units in good condition”. As part of this project, the research team evaluated the Caltrans performance-based methodology to achieve the 90% performance goal in addition to completing a review of relevant reports from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), state departments of transportation, and Caltrans. The research team also conducted multiple meetings, phone calls and emails with Caltrans management. The research team found that the Caltrans Transportation Asset Management Plan, which governs its SB 1 implementation, follows FHWA guidance and published best asset management practices. Further, Caltrans has a solid asset management plan in place to meet the SB 1 target. The research team also provides several recommendations including but not limited to: 1) Caltrans should continue working on defining deterioration rates or models for transportation management systems (TMS), 2) state of being in “good condition” for TMS must be more clearly defined, 3) Caltrans should continue monitoring innovations in asset management, and 4) Caltrans should consider conducting more pilots of performance-based ITS maintenance.

California’s Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) is a congestion mitigation program managed in partnership with metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), CHP and Caltrans on California’s urban freeways. The program utilizes a fleet of roving tow and service trucks designed to reduce traffic congestion by efficiently getting disabled vehicles running again, or by quickly towing those vehicles off of the freeway to a designated safe location. Quickly removing motorists and their disabled vehicles from the freeway reduces the chances of further incidents caused by onlookers and impatient drivers. In addition, FSP helps save fuel and reduce air polluting emissions by reducing stop-and-go traffic. California’s Road Repair and Accountability Act (SB 1) invests $5.4 billion annually over the next decade to help fix and repair California’s transportation system.  It will address a backlog of repairs and upgrades, while ensuring a cleaner and more sustainable travel network for the future.  California’s Freeway Service Patrol received SB 1 funding to expand its service to motorist across California’s congested freeways. In its first year of implementation (fiscal year 2018-19), the SB 1 funded FSP program expansion provided over 118,000 assists to California’s motorists.  The SB 1 funded FSP expansions provided almost $47M dollars in benefits to motorists, while costing the State under $9M.  On average, the SB 1 funded FSP expansions provided 5 times as much benefit to California’s motorists as these expansions cost the State.

Connected and automated vehicles hold the potential for substantial improvements to traffic safety, travel time reliability, roadway capacity, and environmental impacts and managed lanes have the potential to be ideal testbeds for CAV technologies. The purpose of this report is to identify specific opportunities to leverage California’s managed lane network as early experimental and pilot deployment sites for CAVs. To this end, we have conducted a detailed inventory of the managed lane facilities in California and applied evaluation criteria to identify two promising sites for future CAV tests and initial deployments. Our study recommends the I-15 Express Lanes in San Diego and the I-10 Express Lanes in Los Angeles for future CAV tests.

The 58.5-mile long Highway 101 corridor from the Bay Bridge to the SR 85/US-101 interchange in South San Jose accommodates just over 2.6 million trips on an average weekday. Travel delays on the US-101 corridor over the 2012-2016 five-year period increased by more than 91% (an average delay increase of over 18% per year). Given that California’s economy recently grew to become the sixth largest in the world, this waste of time stuck in traffic ranks among the most consequential economic inefficiencies in the world; workers in this region produce about 15 percent of California’s annual gross domestic product (GDP), 53 percent of its patents and almost 75 percent of the state’s venture capital investment.The extensive economic strength in this corridor drives demand for travel and provides the essential context for the existing conditions and assets described in this report. This demand has overwhelmed much of the available capacity and is expected to do so in the future as well. Therefore, effective Active Transportation and Demand Management (ATDM) strategies must not only address the inefficient use of current capacity and expand capacity where possible, but also address the excess demand in the short term in ways that ensure the mobility gains achieved through these strategies (e.g., delay reductions, travel time reliability improvements) are not lost through induced demand. In short, this allocation will require strategies that will distribute trip making to alternative routes, off-peak periods, and to higher occupancy modes, or even address the more fundamental need for making some trips in the first place. This report concludes with an exploration of ATDM strategies, and provides information on current conditions, operations, built environment, roadwayassets, and travel behavior along the corridor.