097a-23_STS_Qualification_Packet.pdf

Invitation No. 097a-23

NOTE: Failure to complete sections 1 thru 3 below will be considered as non-responsive and eliminate the bidder from consideration.

NOTE: Year/s of project example is 2021, NOT 3 years. # Counts Completed in Year 1/Year 2 example 1226 / 2088 means that completed 1226 in year 1 and 2088 counts in year 2.

Contractor Contact:

Vendor Name: Southern Traffic Services, Inc.

Vendor Address: 2911 Westfield Road, Gulf Breeze, FL 32563 OAKS ID: (If available):

Point of Contact Name: Sheila R. Knowles Phone: 850-934-5732 ext. 107

Email: sknowles@southerntrafficservices.com

1) References: (Must provide 3 references. At least 1 must be from within the state of Ohio. At least 1 must include more than 500 counts per year for 2 consecutive years for a State Department of Transportation, MPO, Toll Authority or city within the last 5 years.)

Name

Sandra Mapel

Entity/State of Entity

Ohio Department of

Transportation

Phone

(614)544-0291

Email

Sandra.Mapel@dot.ohio.gov

Year/s of

Project

2020 –

# Counts

Completed in

Year 1/ Year 2

1489 / 1777

State DOT?

Y or N

Y

Description, including type of counts: Statewide Traffic Counts – STS was responsible for collecting, formatting, and submitting 24 and 48-hour

Classification counts, 24 and 48-hour bi-directional volume counts and turning movement counts.

Name

Gregory Dunmire Entity/State of Entity

Pennsylvania

Department of

Transportation

Phone

(717)783-0632 Email gdunmire@pa.gov Year/s of

Project

2021 –

# Counts

Completed in

Year 1/ Year 2

6200 / 9000

State DOT?

Y or N

Y

Description, including type of counts: Traffic Data Count Services – During the 2022 count year STS completed over 9000 traffic count locations in Districts 3,4,5,6 and 8. These sites were a combination of volume, classification and A.I. classification

Name

Eric Conklin

Entity/State of Entity

Georgia Department of

Transportation

Phone

(404)347-0707

Email

EConklin@dot.ga.gov

Year/s of

Project

2021 –

# Counts

Completed in

Year 1/ Year 2

8000 / 8297

State DOT?

Y or N

Y

Description, including type of counts: Traffic Monitoring Program Data – Responsible for collecting approximately 3500 classification counts, 3000 Volume counts, 1000 ramp counts

2) Contractors Equipment Plan (Add more lines if necessary) – 1-page max

Type of Counter Number available for use

Software used for processing

Year Purchased Last Serviced

MetroCount 1500 MetroCount Various Annually

STARS Video System 95 PETRA/Microsoft Excel Various Annually

Pico 300 DWTS Various Annually

Letron Vision A.I. 80 Microsoft Excel 2019 -2022 Annually

Include information concerning calibration methods, air switch testing, maintenance protocols, tube replacement standards, processing protocols etc.

All portable traffic counters used for classification are event data recorders and do not require calibration. Event data recorders are Programmed to record all sensor hits and process the data through the software. The field technicians follow the same setup protocols when deploying their equipment, if any of the piezo sensors fail the initial trigger test, our technicians pull that unit from circulation and ship them to our main office for assessment. Our trained data analysts take this a step further and are looking for faulty air switches or sensors with additional issues. Using the Metrocount software, STS inspects event data in raw, visual, and graphical form. Photographs ae then analyzed looking for tube placement, tube health, machine placement, attachment methods or other potential problems. Historical data is then considered and compared to the current count data. The analyst will decide if a location needs to be reset or if the count is justified. If a reset is required, the analyst will note and schedule the reset in Drakewell software. Through Drakewell, we can track all our assets historical logs, we know how often and where any unit has been set, its reset history, reset reasons, maintenance logs, etc. If a unit has failed to successfully collect data 3 times, the Program Manager will request the technician to either ship the unit to Gulf Breeze for repair or schedule a comparative class test against a known good unit.

If a unit is repaired, we conduct an automated bench test. This is a controlled test using simulated air pulses with desired pulse rates to count all FHWA 13 bins of classification. Multiple units are tested at the same time for a week-long duration. Units that pass this test are sent back into circulation while the ones that don’t are sent back to the manufacturer for replacement or decommissioned.

These results will also be recorded in the units Drakewell profile for future use. STS has many years of experience and trains its technicians how to visually inspect and grade road tube. The quickest and easiest way to grade road tube is to apply pressure. If the applied pressure doesn’t rebound to the opening, it has a hole or isn’t sealed at the knots end. If a gurgling noise is noticed or rebound pressure occurs too soon, the tube has water in it and shouldn’t be used. Technicians are also shown a pinch test that demonstrates how a road tube should rebound. If a tube is too flat or too soft from use, an air pulse from vehicles will not be generated. Technicians check and grade their tube at each site before deploying. If it fails the tests the tube is recycled. Processing Protocol: Analyst will , 1) Verify the proper location of each study by verifying the GPS coordinates 2) Perform initial Quality Check on data 3) When reviewing data collected with MetroCount units identify periods of sensor failure using the graph referred to as “Axle Hit Balance” 4) Identify suspect data caused by excessive hits due to poor sensor installation or weaving by reviewing the graph referred to as the “Axle Hit Spectrum”. This is a histogram of the time between successive sensor hits plotted on a logarithmic time axis.

5) The project manager will ensure all work is performed in accordance with current ODOT polices, procedures, guidelines and standards 6) The project manager will also verify all data is accurate and formatted properly before submittal.

3) Statement of Abilities and Capacity – 1-page max

Provide information that illustrates firms’ ability to collect at least 500 counts in one calendar year. Include number of trained staff, number of equipped vehicles, any other items to be considered.

Southern Traffic Services, Inc. has been supplying Departments of Transportation with quality traffic data for 34 years, and we have been working with the Ohio Department of Transportation for 8 years. We have 1 Program Manager and 4 Engineering Technicians and trucks devoted to ODOT, each truck is equipped with 40 MetroCount units, 10 PICO counters and 2 STARS video systems. We have over 90 employees, 1500 portable event recorders, 80 A.I count systems, 300 PICO counters and 95 STARS video systems that can reassigned if the need arises.

In the last two years STS has collected over 1400 counts per year for ODOT and 8000 counts for GDOT. In 2022 we collected over 9000 counts for PennDOT. Many firms are somewhat involved in traffic data collection, but STS is totally committed to traffic data collection. We take pride in providing our clients with quality traffic data in a timely manner and are dedicated to improving the accuracy, efficiency, and safety of traffic data collection activities. Over the past 34 years, STS has evolved as the market and available technology has changed. We dedicate resources to research and development testing new technologies as they become available. Our commitment to innovation led us to be the first US company to deploy MetroCount event recorders in the 1990's.

While many of our competitors continued to use outdated binning recorders, STS upgraded our entire inventory to event recorders in order to provide our clients with superior data. We recently purchased 80 non-intrusive video-based Leetron A.I. systems capable of classifying vehicles according to the FHWA's 13-bin Scheme F. STS uses these units to collect classification data for high-speed and high-volume roadways where safety is a concern as well as sites with with congestion or conditions which will prevent accurate classification with pneumatic tubes. We own more A.I. classification units than any other private company and believe they will soon replace the need for most permanently installed in-road sensors. Several years ago, STS worked with Drakewell to modify their AM-Cloud software has proven to be an invaluable tool which increase productivity of the field staff and gives our managers full visibility of the traffic count process. Using this tool, our managers supervise more field personnel than was previously possible since they have photos of every tube installation and can check count progress at any moment. During 2022, STS collected approximately 32,000 traffic counts using Drakewell.

4) Contractor Specific Special Services (optional):

Provide a description of any special services offered per Section 7.6 and show on price sheet as G1, G2, G3, etc.

G1 – None

G2 –