Manual of guidelines for inspection and maintenance of intelligent transportation systems

Proper installation, care, and maintenance of intelligent transportation system (ITS) equipment increase the efficiency and connectivity of surface transportation systems, conserve the public's investment in the highway system, and ensure that the system will provide maximum benefits to travelers. ITS equipment failures and malfunctions caused by a lack of technical knowledge, inadequate inspection during installation, and improper maintenance practices can result in increased motorist and maintenance costs (unnecessary failures or malfunctions, increasing personnel and repair time, replacement part costs, and spare part inventory requirements), increased number of accidents, increased delays, degraded air quality, and fuel consumption. Before this study, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) did not have an inspection and maintenance manual as a reference document to assist its inspectors and ITS design, traffic operations, and maintenance personnel to minimize problems; to monitor the performance and failure rates; and to provide a cost-effective approach to inspecting, maintaining, upgrading, and operating ITS equipment on roadways. Rutgers University, in close collaboration with Orth-Rodgers and Associates, Inc., developed a state-of-the art and practical ITS inspection and maintenance manual and implemented it in the form of a user-friendly software tool. This tool provides NJDOT with complete, practical, and efficient inspection procedures for proper installation and preventive or routine maintenance of ITS equipment. Initial feedback after several hands-on training workshops from a group of expert users of the manual and its software implementation was positive and encouraging.