Return on Investment Study of the Hampton Roads Safety Service Patrol Program

摘要

Safety Service Patrol (SSP) programs are widely used to help mitigate the effects of nonrecurring congestion on our nation's highways and have become an increasingly vital element of incident management programs. SSPs are typically deployed in areas that have high traffic volumes (e.g., urban freeways). They are charged with clearing obstructions such as debris and disabled vehicles from roadways and assisting state police with traffic control at crash scenes. In recent years and in conjunction with performance measurement activities, some state departments of transportation have initiated benefit evaluations of their SSP programs. In support of the Virginia Department of Transportation's return on investment initiatives, staff from VDOT's Operations Planning Division requested that a benefit-cost study be conducted with regard to the Hampton Roads SSP. To perform the study, an analysis of route geometrics, traffic characteristics, and incident data was conducted in the Hampton Roads area for the period from July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006. These data were then used as inputs into an SSP evaluation model to obtain the benefits of the program.