District Six TSM&O Presents the IRV Program to National Transportation Committee
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Six Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSM&O) Office was selected to present about their Incident Response Vehicle (IRV) program by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Committee on Transportation System Operations (CTSO) in December. CTSO focuses on transportation system operations and associated intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and emerging technologies with a goal of improving safety, system reliability, and highway system performance.
CTSO’s December meeting focused on work zone safety. Other presentations included work zone information and resources from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and lessons learned from connected arrow board use from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. District Six staff described the operational challenges of managing traffic in South Florida, where high traffic volumes and limited right-of-way require effective and coordinated TSM&O strategies. These conditions led to the development of the IRV program in Miami-Dade County, which District Six implemented in 2008 to support Florida’s first express lanes project on Interstate 95. The corridor’s limited shoulders and high demand required additional on-scene incident management capabilities beyond traditional service patrols.
The presentation explained how the IRV program was designed to complement the Road Ranger Service Patrol while providing FDOT with an official on-scene representative. IRV drivers meet higher training standards and typically have prior law enforcement or fire rescue experience. This background enables them to manage complex incidents, coordinate with partner agencies, and support effective decision-making during high-risk events. District Six noted that Road Rangers and local first responders have reported operational benefits from the program, including improved coordination and more efficient incident response. Based on its effectiveness, FDOT expanded the IRV program in 2016 to support additional express lane corridors, including 75 Express and Palmetto Express. The program is now an established component of FDOT’s incident management operations in Miami-Dade County.
District Six also highlighted recent IRV enhancements focused on work zone and responder safety. These include vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) traveler information notifications that alert motorists when an IRV is active at a scene, rear-facing red lights to reinforce Move Over compliance, and sequential flare lighting to improve visibility and support safer merging.