Session 7B: Regional Planning for Operations in PA - Current and Future

Session Description: This session is focused on the integration of transportation systems management and operations strategies into the planning process for the purpose of improving transportation system efficiency, reliability, and options. Presentations will be made on the efforts of Pennsylvania’s two largest MPOs, followed by a national perspective from an FHWA Transportation Specialist in the Planning for Operations program.

Moderator: James Paral, Federal Highway Administration, Pennsylvania Division

• Planning for Operations at Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Domenic A. D’Andrea, PE, PTOE, Manager, Operations & Safety Programs, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
• Planning for Operations at Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Paul Carafides, Senior, Office of Transportation Operations Management, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
• FHWA Planning for Operations Program, Jim Hunt, PE, Congestion Management and Pricing Team, United States Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Operations

Speaker Bios:

Dom D’Andrea is the manager of operations for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), the cooperative forum for regional collaboration, planning, and public decision‐making. The commission serves as the official Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for a 10-county region, including the city of Pittsburgh and the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland. He oversees safety programs at SPC and is responsible for work-program elements such as the congestion management process, the regional operations plan, the regional safety action plan, the regional traffic signal program, and regional ITS planning and implementation. Dom is a registered PE in the state of Pennsylvania and has more than 30 years of experience in managing transportation capital programs, projects, and studies in the Pittsburgh region.

Paul Carafides is a senior transportation planner with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. He has been with the Office of Transportation Operations Management for four years and has 14 years of experience overall with DVRPC. Paul works closely with first responders through DVRPC’s Incident Management Task Force Program and he is also DVRPC’s project manager for both the PennDOT District 6-0 Traffic Signal Retiming Initiative and the NJ Traffic Signal Retiming Initiative. Paul has a bachelor of arts in geography and planning from West Chester University, an M.B.A. from Saint Joseph’s University and a certificate in transportation planning from Temple University. Paul is also a 2016 graduate of the Operations Academy.

Jim Hunt is a transportation specialist in the FHWA Office of Operations. He manages projects related to operations planning and design, organizing for operations, and active transportation and demand management. Jim holds a bachelor of science in engineering from Hofstra University, a master of science in transportation planning from Iowa State University, and is a registered P.E.