Congestion Management

A congestion management process (CMP) is a systematic process for identifying the causes and locations of roadway traffic congestion, developing monitoring processes to measure transportation system performance and reliability, and developing congestion management strategies and solutions.  
 
Per the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act all metropolitan areas with populations greater than 200,000 residents are required to develop a Congestion Management Process. In Rhode Island the Division of Statewide Planning is responsible for developing the CMP for the Providence metropolitan area and covers the entire State of Rhode Island. The CMP serves as an Appendix to the State’s Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).

The CMP 2020 includes the following: 

• Identifies causes of recurring and nonrecurring congestion in Rhode Island. 
• Utilizes the Regional Integrated Transportation Information System (RITIS) as informed by INRIX traffic count data to ensure accuracy and consistency in tracking congestion in the future.
• Identifies the locations of congestion in Rhode Island including the State’s top 30 bottlenecks and top 20 congested corridors. 
  Defines congestion management objectives and multimodal performance measures. 
• Defines data collection activities and responsibilities and system performance monitoring efforts. 
• Identifies potential multimodal congestion management strategies both programmatic and project based. 
• Identifies potential projects already identified in more recent modal plans for freight, transit, and bicycle, as well as the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) that would contribute towards improved congestion management. 
• Defines how the CMP integrates with other planning processes, including the 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) - RI Moving Forward 2040. 
• Identifies a schedule and responsibilities for implementing priority actions identified in the plan. 

• Congestion Management Plan Annual Report 2024
• Congestion Management Plan Annual Report 2023
• Congestion Management Plan Annual Report 2022
• Congestion Management Plan Annual Report 2021
• Congestion Management Plan 2020 - Executive Summary
• Congestion Management Plan 2020 – Full Report
• RI Congestion Management Story Map

Congestion Management Task Force (CMTF)

The CMTF is the primary vehicle for the implementation of Rhode Island’s Congestion Management Process (CMP). Membership of the CMTF includes multi-disciplinary representation including the Federal Highway Administration, the Rhode Island Department of Administration’s Division of Statewide Planning, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA), and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s (RIDOT) as partners and collaborators each with a particular area of expertise and responsibility. The CMTF combines resources currently used to monitor both recurring and non-recurring congestion. The group meets quarterly to review issues related to the CMP. For more information please contact Mason Perrone.