ALDOT Statewide TSMO Program Plan ALDOT Statewide TSMO Program Plan 20190522REV | Page 29

5.1.3 TSMO Program Support
TSMO programs and deployment strategies have demonstrated performance success in making safer and
more efficient use of existing infrastructure and doing more with less financial investment. Traditional
capacity expansion, i.e. roadway widening, offers about 3 times the benefit versus the investment,
whereas, typical TSMO strategy deployments have been found to offer significantly higher ranges as
shown in the chart below.
Figure 8: TSMO Deployment Strategy Benefit:Cost Ratio Ranges
Supporting Alabama’s TSMO program financially and administratively is the most efficient way to achieve
statewide transportation safety, mobility, and sustainability goals.
Funding Support
Currently, TSMO strategy deployments, programs, and systems are funded through different resources.
The primary funding mechanism for TSMO strategies is allocated from the maintenance budget.
Additionally, deployments are sometimes integrated within larger traditional transportation projects,
special grants, or through partner agencies. Because maintenance funding allocations are partially
dependent upon weather and unforeseen influences, this can cause challenges to the operations and
management of a program.
Alabama’s approach to funding TSMO strategies is similar to other state agencies throughout the nation,
using multiple funding sources based on the specific project or opportunity. There is a recent trend of
allocating dedicated funding for TSMO strategies and systems in addition to traditional means of funding.
Georgia, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Michigan, etc. all have funds specifically budgeted for supporting
TSMO-related programs and/or deployments.
It is recommended that a dedicated funding stream be allocated to support the TSMO program
development and needs. It is recommended that current practices of identifying joint funding
opportunities continue to be encouraged and enhanced through the recommended development of
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