Skip to agency navigation
Skip to main content

Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    ​Next-Generation TIM: Integrating Technology, Data, and Training

    Traffic incidents put the lives of drivers and emergency responders at risk, and cause congestion that can lead to secondary crashes. NextGen TIM programs plan for and coordinate response among agencies to reduce incident duration, thereby improving safety and reducing congestion. Advancing technologies have allowed for improved collection of data that helps agencies enhance NextGen TIM programs. Agencies are encouraged to initially adopt three key national NextGen TIM performance measures: roadway clearance time, incident clearance time, and number of secondary crashes. With better data and analytics, agencies can quantify program performance, demonstrate program effectiveness, and improve NextGen TIM planning and resource management. NextGen TIM: Integrating Technology, Data, and Training is a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Every Day Counts Round 6 (EDC-6) and EDC-7 innovation that Pennsylvania championed.

    Email the STIC
    Sign up for the Innovation in Motion e-Newsletter

    How Does It Work? 

    TIM consists of a planned and coordinated multi-disciplinary process to detect, respond to, and clear traffic incidents to restore traffic flow as safely and quickly as possible. Effective NextGen TIM reduces the duration and impacts of traffic incidents; improves the safety of drivers, crash victims, and emergency responders; and reduces the frequency of secondary crashes. NextGen TIM incorporates training, data and technology to help PennDOT, law enforcement and local agencies reduce secondary crashes and incident clearance times. The objective is to put reliable data behind the incident timeline to present a more complete picture of what occurred. This results in a better understanding of how long the incident lasted and how it affected traffic conditions.

    What Are The Benefits? 

    PennDOT aims to continuously improve the safety of responders and road users, the reliability of travel, and the efficiency of incident and emergency response through institutionalization of NextGen TIM programs.

    • Increased Safety – NextGen TIM targets advances in safety through engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency services. These advances help keep responders, drivers, and pedestrians safe across freeway, arterial, and multimodal travel.
    • Improved Travel Times – Training, data, and technology combine to help local and state agencies reduce secondary crashes and clearance times. This leads to improved trip reliability and increased driver awareness of active responders along their travel routes.
    • Improved Operations – Integrating new and emerging technology with existing tools and training can improve incident mitigation and safety throughout the entire incident timeline, from incident detection to clearance on all roadways.

    Innovation in Motion  

    PennDOT uses NextGen TIM data-driven incident research to identify areas for operational improvements, and to develop tools and training to aid in implementation of those improvements. PennDOT has also partnered with Maryland DOT to provide TIM partners with MView. MView is a secure, web-based video sharing portal where first responders and public safety personnel can view live streaming video from PennDOT traffic cameras. This provides partners with situational awareness from most anywhere, i.e., desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

    Roadway Closure Incident Timeline Summary