Real-Time System Management Information Program

The purpose of the Real-Time System Management Information Program is to provide congestion relief by stimulating cooperation among State Departments of Transportation, other responsible agencies, and commercial entities to widen the accessibility of traffic and travel conditions information via real-time information programs. Travelers and transportation agencies increasingly will depend on traffic and travel conditions information, delivered by combinations of public and private information providers, to manage congestion.

Under Section 1201 of SAFETEA-LU Congress directs the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to establish a Real-Time System Management Information Program that provides, in all States, the capability to monitor, in real-time, the traffic and travel conditions of the major highways of the United States and to share that data with State and local governments and with the traveling public.

The value for a real-time information program to travelers is experienced at a personal level. Traffic and travel conditions information is "decision-quality" information that allows travelers to choose the most efficient mode, time of departure, and route to their final destination. This information should be easily accessed at a low cost in order to be useful to the average traveler. Timely and detailed information about traffic incidents, weather conditions, construction activities, and special events aid in improving travel time predictability, better choices, and reduced congestion.

The value for a real-time information program to transportation agencies is greater control of system-wide transportation assets. Information collection and dissemination are critical for enabling public agencies to provide for efficient interstate movement of goods and to reduce the level of congestion commonly experienced in metropolitan areas.

In May 2006 a Federal Register notice announced a request for comments on questions on a potential structure for the program characteristics. Over 40 comments to the request for comments were received and posted on the U. S. DOT Docket Management System. The original Federal Register Notice and all the Docket Submissions remain available for public inspection.

In October 2007 the FHWA issued an Interim Guidance on Information Sharing Specifications and Data Exchange Formats for the Real-Time System Management Information Program. A link to the Federal Register Notice is available on our Regulation & Policy page. Readers may also view the Information Sharing Specifications and Data Exchange Formats online or download them in PDF format, http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/datexformat/index.htm.

For more information, please contact Bob Rupert at 202-366-2194, or James Pol at 202-366-4374.