ALDOT Statewide TSMO Program Plan ALDOT Statewide TSMO Program Plan 20190522REV | Page 20

Creation of State TSMO Engineer
DOTs across the country with established TSMO programs have redefined the organizational structure
and leadership of the department to include a TSMO Director/Engineer type position. The TSMO
leadership role serves to support and encourage the proactive management, optimization, and
improvement of safety and mobility within the existing surface transportation system; leading to better
use of limited resources realizing increased returns on investments. The figure below identifies the DOTs
across the country that have taken this approach and have defined senior leadership positions with a
focus on operations and TSMO strategies.
Figure 4: States with TSMO Senior Leadership Positions
These senior leadership positions allow states to better integrate TSMO programs into the culture and
mindset of the department – encouraging efficiency and optimization of practice and infrastructure. In
some cases, the leadership position titles may not specifically reference ‘TSMO,’ however, their support
of a culture of collaboration and focus on management and operations to optimize the existing
transportation network is apparent. Examples of several state TSMO leadership position titles include:
•
•
•
Florida DOT – State TSM&O Program Engineer
Iowa DOT – Director of Traffic Operations
New Jersey DOT – Assistant Commissioner, Transportation Systems Management
Under the current ALDOT leadership structure, the TSMO organization currently falls under the State
Maintenance Engineer and lacks dedicated funding. There is not a State TSMO Engineer at the same level
of influence, decision-making responsibility, or accountability similar to other peer DOT organizations
around the country.
To elevate TSMO within ALDOT and integrate its principles and practices within the Department, it is
critical to have a State TSMO Engineer position assigned at the same level of organizational responsibility
as shared by capital projects and maintenance as depicted in Figure 5. Similar to peer roles at this level,
16