NCHRP Research Report 1080, Using Cooperative Automated Transportation Data for Freeway Operational Strategies is an assessment of transportation operational scenarios and use cases where freeway operation strategies could be improved through the transmission of data between a transportation management system (TMS) and the larger cooperative automated transportation (CAT) system. 

NCHRP Research Report 1080 reviews the use of CAT data for freeway performance estimation and operational strategies, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for enhancement. It details key considerations for agencies to enhance and deploy strategies using CAT data, presents use cases of ten relevant strategies with high improvement potential, describes a simulation-based case study on enhancing ramp-metering strategies with CAT data, and provides key findings and recommendations for future work. ­The report will be relevant to TMS managers and engineers interested in developing enhanced and new operational strategies and could help infrastructure owner/operators (IOOs) justify gaining access to additional CAT data.

NCHRP Project 20-44(59) will support the adoption of NCHRP Research Report 1080 through a two-phased approach. Phase 1 will include identification of both barriers and drivers that influence the implementation of the report, and determination of appropriate outreach and implementation efforts to support that. 

Phase 2 will involve the conduct of the identified outreach and implementation activities. Currently envisioned outreach activities include (a) a webinar on the report and the benefits of using the associated products from the report; and (b) a fact sheet to provide guidance on how to use the products. To support implementation, activities may include establishing a cohort of pilot agencies to deploy freeway operational strategies using CAT data. The pilot agencies will be provided guidance to use or adapt the relevant freeway operational strategies for their specific needs.