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Sponsorship/Conference Information

We are pleased to present this opportunity for your organization to become a sponsor of the 2008 TRB / IBTTA Joint Conference on Freeway and Tollway Operations. The conference is scheduled to be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, June 15-18, 2008, and will be the second co-hosted conference between the organizations. In 2006, the 1st International Symposium on Freeway and Tollway Operations was held in Athens, Greece, where nearly 600 members attended from countries across the globe. We anticipate equaling or surpassing 2006 conference’s attendance and look forward to the challenge of exceeding the high standards that were set by its hosting committee.

Along with a full conference sponsorship opportunity, there are four levels for your company to achieve prominence at the conference:

Each level includes upgraded final program advertisement space, delegate registration, website advertisement and hospitality suites. More details are included in the attached documents.

The 2008 TRB / IBTTA Joint Conference on Freeway and Tollway Operations plans to be one of the most interactive and informative conferences held. With five regional Transportation Management Centers (TMC) within a thirty-mile radius of the host site, attendees will be able to see state-of-the-art practices in freeway and tollway operations. Three of these facilities are multi-agency and include; freeway operations, signal operations, law enforcement operations and toll collections. During the last five years, these facilities have coordinated communications as members of the Southeast Florida Regional TMC Operations Committee (SEFRTOC), managing freeway and tollway operations from a regional perspective. SEFRTOC uses Florida’s Open Road Policy as a guideline to facilitate agency coordination in clearing incidents in 90 minutes or less. With the responsibility of managing the 5th largest US metropolitan area, the need for seamless operations has driven the State of Florida to create a Statewide TMC Software platform which enables all centers to see the “big” picture in traffic and incident management activities.

With the wide range of facilities managed in South Florida, close proximity of the TMCs has created the impetus for commonalities to be developed and shared. Some of these programs include a Statewide Service Patrol Program that continues to expand its coverage area and motorists’ services. This “Road Ranger” program offers free services to motoring public in need of assistance on the state’s limited access facilities.

Florida has one of the largest statewide deployments of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and devices currently under construction. With hundreds of miles of roadway under contract, lessons can be shared and sites can be toured to illustrate cutting edge practices currently being utilized. Over the last four years, Florida has been subjected to six hurricanes, which has driven the State to create a contra-flow and disaster recovery plan that incorporates a multi-agency approach. Each TMC has utilized local academic institutions to further ITS and tolling research while developing a streamlined feeder system for future staff to be hired and integrated into ITS and tolling careers.

With almost 500 miles of toll roads, including the second largest toll road in the United States, Florida has become one of the leaders in tollway technology and innovations. Both the Florida’s Turnpike and Miami-Dade Expressway have and are integrating Open Road Tolling (ORT) systems throughout their coverage areas. These facilities are supported by Customer Service Centers that ensure their systems are meeting the collection percentages required by their organizations. The tolling organizations have demonstrated a clear understanding of incident management with the creation of the Rapid Incident Scene Clearance (RISC) program. This program provides bonuses to the towing industry to clear severe incidents within an established time limit which starts upon their notification to proceed. The RISC program, over the two plus years since it was established, has been an effective method to quickly remove lane blocking events and increase customer satisfaction on a toll road facility.

Some of the other highlights that will be offered and demonstrated to the attendees are the following:

The host committee is currently planning numerous extracurricular activities that will showcase Florida as one of the most diverse locations for travel in the United States. With hundreds of thousands of visitors coming to Florida on an annual basis, the importance of transportation management activities is becoming more and more ingrained in all public and private agencies to enhance the experience of their customers. The planned events will showcase these transportation management activities while traveling to and from each location, whether it is through a multimodal approach or getting the latest information on the best route to the location of the activity.

On behalf of the TRB/IBTTA, we are excited and anxious to produce a rewarding and mutually beneficial show to the host agencies, sponsors and most importantly, the conference attendees. We look forward to your participation and assistance to make this event a great success.

Sincerely,

Hosting Committee
Transportation Research Board
International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association


For more information, please contact:

  • Bob Murphy, SMART SunGuide TMC, Phone 954-847-2795
  • Jim Hilbert, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, Phone 407-264-3312