2015 News & Events

Annual Arizona ITE/ITS Arizona Holiday Party

by Stephen Doubek | Nov 9, 2015

The annual Arizona ITE/ITS Arizona Holiday Party is scheduled for Thursday, December 10th from 5-9pm. This year, the party will be held at The Duce, a new venue that has been called one of the ‘hippest’ and ‘wackiest’ spots in downtown Phoenix. Doors will open at 5pm with appetizers and drinks for you to enjoy while you catch up on the latest with your fellow transportation professionals.  The evening’s entertainment will begin at 6:30pm, when the National Comedy Theatre will perform a competitive improv comedy show specifically tailored to our transportation/ITS audience.  It’s a fun show with a lot of interaction, so we know you’ll have a great time! The entry fee is $10/person, and all proceeds will be donated to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank in Phoenix.

Conference Highlights

by Stephen Doubek | Nov 2, 2015

The ITS Arizona 22nd Annual Conference was another great success and planning for next year’s conference has already begun. Please take a look at the Conference page, which has been updated with an extensive photo slideshow, session presentations, award winners and the board election results. Thanks to everyone who attended and contributed to the conference’s success. The ITS Arizona website has also been updated to recognize our 2015-16 Sponsors and we would like to thank them again for their valued support of ITS Arizona and our membership.

ITS Arizona Joint Luncheons with ITE Student Chapters

by Stephen Doubek | Oct 27, 2015

On Wednesday, October 21st, ITS Arizona held a joint luncheon with the ASU-ITE Student Chapter. Dr. Sarath Joshua, Senior Program Manager at MAG, presented the topic “Planning for a Safer and Efficient Urban Transportation System“, discussing the role of MPOs in urban planning, specifically in the areas of ITS and Transportation Safety. The luncheon was held in the new College Avenue Commons (CAVC) building and was well attended by the ITS Arizona board and our student members. Monirehalsadat Mahmoudi was also presented with her plaque for winning the ITS Arizona Student Paper Competition at this year’s annual conference.

MCDOT, ADOT and OZ Engineering Win Prestigious Transportation System Management Award

by Stephen Doubek | Aug 12, 2015

Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), together with Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and OZ Engineering, LLC have been awarded the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Transportation System Management and Operations (TSM&O) Council Achievement Award for the AZTech Regional Information System (ARIS).

ARIS is a regional traffic communication system that distributes customized and integrated real-time traffic incident information. This information is sent to local traffic management centers and operators throughout Maricopa County to help local jurisdictions fine-tune their traffic signal timing to improve mobility and reduce secondary traffic collisions during incidents.

“Work on Your Swing” with ITS Arizona

by Stephen Doubek | June 30, 2015

Thursday, July 16th Social Event – Come enjoy some food, fun and games at TopGolf Scottsdale at Riverwalk and catch up on the latest with your friends and colleagues. ITS Arizona members and a guest are invited to attend at the subsidized rate of $20 each; additional guests will be at the full rate of $44 each.

2015 Report Card for Arizona’s Infrastructure

by Stephen Doubek | May 18, 2015

This week in Phoenix, over 100 engineers gathered to release the 2015 Report Card for Arizona’s Infrastructure showing how the state’s key assets were doing and what could be improved to keep the state growing. The report highlights how infrastructure is essential to everyday life and critical to economic competitiveness.

• Watch the Report Card video showing the grades
• See the Report Card Infographic Grades Summary
• See the Report Card Infographic – Every Citizen Uses Infrastructure
• Report Card Brochure
• Download the Full Report Card Report

_{-Courtesy of the Arizona Society of Civil Engineers}

Informative Transportation Videos Win International Awards

by Stephen Doubek | May 11, 2015

Gripping Stuff – The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) video “High Friction Surface Treatments: A Road Surface Treatment” has been awarded a 2015 Communicator Award of Distinction in the Programs/News – Information category.

A Connected Future – The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) video “Connected Vehicle: The Future of Transportation” was awarded a 2015 Communicator Gold Award for Excellence, as well as a 2015 Silver Telly Award.

For more information about the videos and the award programs, please refer to the latest issue of Traffic Technology Today.

New Articles from Future Structure Newsletter

by Stephen Doubek | Apr 29, 2015

Here are a couple articles you may find of interest from the Transportation section of the latest Future Structure newsletter, which you can subscribe to here:

• Self-Driving Cars Not Immune to Accidents

Experts caution that regulations could delay implementation of autonomous vehicles and there will be unforeseen problems.

• Los Angeles Deploying Smart Streetlight Network

The city’s grid of LED streetlights are being fitted with remote monitoring controls that keep officials apprised of their condition.

TRB Traffic Signal Systems Committee Workshop

by Stephen Doubek | Apr 28, 2015

The Traffic Signal Systems Committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) is holding a Workshop on Connected Vehicle Dynamic Mobility Applications and Multi Modal Intelligent Traffic Signal Systems in Scottsdale May 17-19, 2015.

This will be a great opportunity to participate in a deep dive look at the Multi Modal Intelligent Traffic Signal System (MMITSS) that has been developed under the Cooperative Transportation Systems Pool Fund study. MMITSS has been developed to provide intelligent and priority based signal control in a Connected Vehicle Environment.

The Monday workshop will concentrate on important issues and developments in connected vehicle systems, including the Connected Vehicle Reference Implementation Architecture and Security; the Integrated Vehicle Prototype; the AASHTO Roadmap; Standards; Mapping and Positioning; as well as in-depth presentations from the MMITSS team members on the MMITSS architecture, algorithms and a presentation on the Impact Assessment efforts of the FHWA.

The workshop will conclude with an interactive session to help identify future research needs/questions and will be followed by a field demonstration on Tuesday at the Arizona Connected Vehicle Test Bed in Anthem, Arizona.

Joint ITS Arizona/AZITE Luncheon

by Stephen Doubek | Apr 23, 2015

Timothy Hall, Market Development Director for Global Traffic Technologies, will speak about the “Evolution of the Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP) and Transit Signal Priority (TSP) Systems“, including leading edge developments that leverage existing and future technologies. Meeting registration information will be emailed to all ITS Arizona members in the next few weeks.

National Operations Center of Excellence

by Stephen Doubek | Apr 13, 2015

The National Operations Center of Excellence has a new web portal available for practitioners, researchers and policymakers that includes a variety of materials related to the area of Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSM&O).  The site includes discussion forums, a knowledge center, case studies and other resources available to the transportation community.  Registration for the site is free and an email newsletter is also available.

ITS America’s April Webinars

by Stephen Doubek | Apr 13, 2015

Mark Your Calendar: 5 Can’t Miss Webinars Happening This April

ITS America’s 2015 Webinar Series continues this month with a U.S. DOT sponsored webinar on Decision Support Systems for Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) and a partner webinar with the National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) and Federal Highway Administration on “Securing Transportation Systems.”

V2I Deployment Coalition Webinar

by Stephen Doubek | Apr 11, 2015

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America will host an upcoming webinar to inform members about the Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) Deployment Coalition being organized on behalf of USDOT by ITS America, AASHTO and ITE.

This webinar will inform stakeholders and other interested parties of the purpose and overall goals of the Coalition. Additionally, and more importantly, this webinar will solicit feedback regarding the top four issues members believe the transportation community faces when it comes to V2I deployment. This webinar will begin a dialogue that will continue at the first V2I Deployment Coalition Meeting, which will take place in conjunction with the ITS America Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, June 1-3, 2015.

This webinar is scheduled for Thursday, April 16th, 2015 from 12:30pm to 2:00pm EST.

Congressional Proposal Extends I-11 to Southern AZ

by Stephen Doubek | Apr 2, 2015

ADOT News Release, March 26, 2015

As planning for the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor advances, Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski today expressed appreciation for the efforts of U.S. Senator John McCain and U.S. Senator Jeff Flake for their work to introduce the Intermountain West Corridor Development Act of 2015 to Congress.

The bill formally extends Interstate 11 from Wickenburg south through the Tucson area to Nogales, Arizona. Interstate 11 had previously received a congressional designation from Phoenix to Las Vegas. The Intermountain West Corridor Development Act would not only formally designate I-11 across Arizona from border to border by establishing a new international trade corridor, but would also extend the interstate north through Nevada as well, with plans to ultimately connect with existing high-priority corridors to the Canadian border. 

For more details, see the complete news release.

New Bill Could Negatively Impact V2V Communication

by Stephen Doubek | Apr 2, 2015

As reported by CBS News, the Wi-Fi Innovation Act being proposed in Congress has the potential to interfere with the rapidly growing field of V2V communication and the safety benefits such technology can provide.

South Mountain Freeway Gains Final Federal Approval

by Stephen Doubek | Apr 2, 2015

ADOT News Release, March 10, 2015 – The Valley’s Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, proposed by regional planners since the 1980s, has received final approval from the Federal Highway Administration, paving the way for the Arizona Department of Transportation to move the project forward.

The Record of Decision, signed March 5 by the Federal Highway Administration, grants the final approval necessary for ADOT to begin the process of acquiring right of way, complete the design and begin construction of the 22-mile-long freeway to serve the metro Phoenix region.

Full details, including a 3D Fly-Through Video, are available on the project’s ADOT website.

Social Event – Spring Training Baseball Game

by Stephen Doubek | Mar 21, 2015

ITS Arizona members are invited to bring friends and family to watch the White Sox take on the Royals at Camelback Ranch in Glendale at 1:05pm on March 21, 2015. Tickets will be provided at no cost for each member and up to 3 guests; additional tickets are available for purchase from the Camelback Ranch ticket office. Note that children 2 and under are free ‘on the lap’ with a paid adult.

January Technical Workshop on the ATCC

by Stephen Doubek | Feb 24, 2015

The first ITS Arizona Technical Workshop of 2015 was a big success, with over 60 members in attendance at the Mesa Transportation Training Room on January 29th as Scott Evans, VP of Engineering for Eberle Design, Inc. gave an introduction to the Advanced Transportation Controller Cabinet (ATCC).