Brief description of recent/ongoing major projects:
Radio Upgrade Project – The Authority operates a public safety radio system along its entire length to allow mobile communication for the State Police, Authority maintenance workers and tow trucks. This project consists of upgrading the hardware (e.g., radios, towers) and communications methods used by the system. This project is expected to be complete in 2008.
Thruway Financial Package (TFP) – This project will replace the existing Financial Management System (FMS) and aging accounts payable, purchasing, inventory, fixed assets, and fleet management programs with an integrated system that will allow greater control, more timely reporting and less redundancy. After evaluating responses through an RFP process, the Authority negotiated a contract with an implementation vendor (Solbourne, Inc). Solbourne came on site in September 2006. The new system is scheduled to go live January 2008.
Trnsport – This project will replace the aging Systems used to support the capital program letting process. The first phase of this project, implementing the pre-construction modules (Estimator, Expedite, PES and LAS), is expected to be complete in 2008 and be followed by implementation of post-construction modules (SiteManager) in 2009..
Information Security Project – This project is evaluating information security processes and procedures for IT and other information within the Authority. Expected improvements may include new computer equipment, new security software, new procedures, and new policies.
Toll Equipment Upgrade Project – This project is replacing the equipment used to issue and process toll tickets for cash transactions on the ticketed sections of the Thruway. An RFP was issued in 2006 and the project team is expects to complete negotiations with a selected vendor and begin the project in 2007. The project is expected to be complete in 2009.
Automated Traffic Management System Project – This project will implement software that will allow for centralized control of equipment used to help manage traffic on the Thruway including Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) and Variable Message Signs (VMS). This project is expected to be complete in late 2007.
HAR Upgrade Project – This project will repair and upgrade existing HAR transmitters and signs and develop detailed documentation of the HAR system. The repair portion of the project will replace failing equipment cabinets and standardize all of the electronics to improve signal quality and ease of maintenance. The upgrade portion will build in the ability to control the HAR signs in a directional manner (e.g., turn on only the northbound signs). The project will also develop documentation that will enable future HAR equipment to be installed as part of construction contracts. This project is expected to be complete in 2007.
Spring Valley Testbed Project – This project will install an open highway E-ZPass facility adjacent to the Spring Valley toll barrier. The current plaza would continue to be operated as it is today until testing is completed, then the open highway structure would dual function as both a live open highway E-ZPass plaza and a test facility. The project would eliminate the need for bypass enforcement, provide a development and test facility for open highway E-ZPass, and provide an open highway E-ZPass plaza for non-2L vehicles (toll classification 2L is defined as any 2 axels vehicle under 7’6”; this includes high-top conversion vans and van-type ambulances). This project is expected to be complete in early 2007.
Automatic Vehicle Classification – This project will develop and install a system to electronically determine a vehicle’s class so that it can be compared against the class stored in the E-ZPass tag. This will allow customers who are using a tag with a class which is different that their vehicle class to use dedicated lanes. Currently, these vehicles are required to use staffed lanes so that they can be reclassified to the correct class.
Vehicle Integration Infrastructure (VII) Pilot – This project will install high speed communication devices in a set of test vehicles and within existing TDS and Transmit stations along the Thruway in the Spring Valley area. The roadside devices will collect data from the vehicles, radio it to an Authority location and then the data will be sent, via the Authority’s fiber optic network, to computer applications designed to process this data into information. The applications will then send information back through the system and radio it into the vehicle. Specific information that will be received by the vehicle will consist of material that would be of interest to a driver (traffic conditions ahead, etc). This project is expected to be complete in mid 2008.
Wi-Fi (Wireless Internet) – This project will install wireless internet connections in the interior customer seating areas all twenty seven Travel Plazas on the Thruway. Customers with WiFi enabled devices (i.e., most new laptops) will be able to connect to the Internet for free using this service. This project is expected to be complete in early 2007
Additional highlights/accomplishments by technology development team:
Application Development Teams
Implemented a Thruway Real Property viewer on GISWeb to enable better management of Thruway property and access to maps and descriptions.
Continued expansion and enhancement of the Authority’s Infrastructure Inventory and Inspection System (IIIS). Accomplishments include absorbing the functions of two stand-alone Microsoft Access based bridge and overhead sign inspection system into IIIS through use of Remote Terminal Services, which dramatically improved the flow of data to/from the field and contract engineering firms, and enhancing IIIS to additionally manage the inventory and inspection of culvert, retaining wall and diving and radio towers.
Continued implementation of Bentley’s ProjectWise electronic document management system to help manage its computer aided design and project documents.
Completion of a comprehensive miscellaneous permits system with the assistance of Accela, Inc., of Visalia, CA, that automates the issue, renewal and financial management of several types of permits, including Thruway and Canal Work and Occupancy, building construction, control of advertising devices and logo sign (roadside amenities and attractions) permits.
Investigating use of a help desk and asset management system named Service Center to help track the assets, location and condition of its intelligent transportation systems on a “real-time” basis and improve coordination of repair requests.
Ongoing replacement of the Authority’s current Accident Reporting and High Accident Location systems (ARS and HAL) with an improved and better-integrated equivalent named the Accident Reporting and Management System (ARMS), which will eventually obtain accident reports from the NY State Police in a fully electronic format via use of a recently implemented notebook PC-based system named TraCS (Traffic and Criminal Software System).
Continued coordination with the NYS Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) on the development and/or consolidation of several different bridge inspection, soil boring and construction contracting related information systems, which will streamline data sharing and substantially reduce hardware, software and maintenance costs.
Standardized on TerraSync software for in-the-field GPS data collection software.
Developed a GISWeb application to analyze the E-ZPass customer base and toll plaza market share along with locations of “E-ZPass on the Go” sales locations.
Provided a Roadwork History GIS application to identify historic construction and maintenance along the highway at given locations along the road.
Incorporated real-time precipitation radar into Seasonal Weather Information System (SWIS) GIS interface.
Developed an GIS-based intranet application to allow contract designers and construction administrators to view the nature and location of Thruway and Canal Work and Occupancy Permits.
Developed an Internet map-based view of highway conditions via a Google Maps interface for the public.
Developed new PDA-based applications for Service Area Representatives to perform Thruway travel plaza inspections. Inspections are printed on portable printers weighing less than 10 ounces.
Enhanced the toll system to support new E-ZPass discount plans for customers with hybrid cars and towed vehicles and to support more than 40 new 20mph E-ZPass dedicated lanes as well as to electronically transfer billing information to the E-ZPass Customer Service Center for E-ZPass tags that fail to read in toll lanes.
Developed the Highway Speed E-ZPass system and deployed it at the Spring Valley toll barrier.
Developed a preliminary Automatic Vehicle Classification system and deployed it at Coxsackie bridge test site.
Updated the toll system to handle elimination of tolls at the Black Rock and City Line toll barriers.
Worked with the State Police to install Computer Aided Dispatch workstations at State Police barracks.
Enhanced Toll Collection reports to allow Toll Division Managers to better monitor toll collector axle variances and red light durations in toll lanes.
Continued migrating major toll system software components to a platform-independent environment to save future development time and money.
Enhanced the Thruway Overdimensional Permitting System to support the issuance of Explosive Trip Permits and to allow customers to purchase permits online using credit cards.
Began development of an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) to integrate the Thruway’s Computer Aided Dispatch system, TRANSMIT, and traffic data with Dynamic Message Signs, Highway Advisory Radio, and TRANSalert to provide Thruway travelers with accurate and up-to-date incident, construction, and emergency information. Standardized on the Condition Acquisition and Reporting System used by NYSDOT to eventually allow for the automated exchange of ATMS data between agencies.
Completed the design and began the development of major enhancements to the Capital Program Management System. Enhancements include the ability to define the Thruway Project Identification Number, fund codes, the fiscal share description, and fiscal share participants at the funding line level as well as developing an interface with Contract Management System to have expenditure data automatically posted to individual projects.
Implemented the TRANSalert e-mail system and customer sign-up for e-mail alerts of incidents along the Thruway and enabled the ability to send the e-mails to PCs and mobile devices.
Added new Zy Search clients for Board Meetings and Legal Claims.
Added Maintenance Directives to the Official Publication Search.
Upgraded the Internet web server environment from WebSphere version 4 to version 6.
Added new Project and Study mini-websites on the Thruway’s Website.
Enhanced the internal Traffic Camera Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) WebPages for controlling the traffic cameras along the Thruway.
Modified the Commercial Accounts Post Paid System (CAPS) to change volume discounts rates for 2006, to include the charge account terms and conditions on the monthly CAPS invoice, and to change the speed violation letters and logic to incorporate new violation levels.
Modified the Auction Reconciliation System and the Electronic Payments Management System (EPMS) to indicate credit cards as a method of payment for auction sales.
Worked with State Police Troop T and the Department of Criminal Justice to enhance their Amber Alert application to display Amber Alerts and Missing and Exploited Children Clearing House (MECC) posters on all service plaza televisions.
Implemented Kronos Timekeeper as a project time reporting system within Information Technology.
Technology Development Team
E-ZPass expansion was an important 2006 goal for the Authority. The original Sony video cameras for VES are no longer available. TechDev staff identified and tested an improved replacement, then designed and produced a special adaptor unit to allow seamless replacement of the existing cameras.
TechDev Engineering developed a backup system for the VoIP voice links to NYSTA radio towers using dial up telco circuits, which provide redundancy for the VoIP leased line replacements at very little operational cost.
At the request of ITSM and Operations, TechDev developed some special instrumentation and fixtures for toll ticket stock testing to improve the overall ticket procurement quality control program.
Project Management and Technology Administration Teams
Secured FCC licenses in each division for new frequencies needed to pursue coverage improvement, interference reduction, and to reduce main channel congestion at existing tower sites.
Designed a new radio frequency use plan for utilizing additional frequencies and identified locations in the New York Division where additional frequencies need to be licensed.
Secured FCC licenses to add one additional tower site in the Syracuse Division and two in the Buffalo Division to reduce main channel congestion.
Relocated one base station radio from an off-highway leased site to a recently constructed cell tower at the Oneida Service Plaza. This permitted termination of an annual lease contract and elimination of the requirement for servicing and maintaining communications infrastructure at a leased off-highway site.
Installed communications shelters and supporting infrastructure at four additional tower sites along the mainline (increasing the total number utilized by our mobile radio system from 23 to 35). These additional base station radio repeater sites improve radio system coverage and reduce interference. Additional base station radios at selected sites will support a second channel for non-emergency communications, reducing main channel congestion.
Installed network and radio communications equipment at the TSOC and at tower sites to support integrating them into our mobile communications system.
Completed the design, development, and component purchase of a backup system to provide temporary circuits between the radio towers and the dispatch center in the event of failure in the primary fiber network based circuits. It involves dial-up phone lines and custom in-house designed switching equipment.
Identified and purchased a current generation digital recording system with the capacity to record all audio radio and telephone traffic processed by the TSOC and to generate a variety of management and incident reports.
Implemented a radio tower inspection program, utilizing a Thruway Bridge Inspection contract that will provide periodic reports documenting tower structural inspection findings and the condition of all devices attached to all Thruway towers not inspected under cell company collocation agreements.
Coordinated the CIO/GOER/OFT IT skills assessment directive – a web-based voluntary survey of IT-titled Civil Service and other select IT staff for collection of specific IT skills required by the Authority versus the actual IT skills and experience of current staff.
Initiated development of Access application standards for source code control, backups, installation instruction, and security, and facilitated retrofit of existing applications.
Began analysis of purchasing delay timeframes from actual purchase to receipt by vendor to determine a purchasing cutoff date by vendor and still have the greatest possibility of supporting the purchase from the current year’s budget without impacting the following year’s funding.
Successfully converted 25 Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) locations over to the fiber optic network with VoIP audio interface at the transmitter sites. This work was accomplished with the combined assistance of IT Network Services, IT Applications Development, and ITSM personnel. The Authority realized an estimated saving of $91,000 per year by switching the HAR from leased-line to fiber.
Completed the Spring Valley Open Road Tolling Facility which will improve mobility for commercial E-ZPass customers, eliminate the need for bypass enforcement and provide an Intelligent Transportation Systems research and development facility for testing vehicle safety applications and enhance the Authority’s traffic management capabilities.
Purchased new licenses for Rational Software.