Regional Traffic Operations Program (RTOP)

With funding support from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District and the City of Atlanta partner to manage 170 of the signalized intersections Downtown. The traffic signal management program exists in the form of the Regional Traffic Operations Program (RTOP) Zone 7. 

RTOP involves such activities as the inventory of existing equipment, determining existing operational and equipment deficiencies, providing signal timing, supporting regular maintenance, upgrading signal timing and hardware, and evaluating the use of advanced signal timing techniques. The program was initiated in spring 2014 as The Downtown Traffic Operations Program (DTOP) and evolved into RTOP Zone 7 in the Spring of 2018.

As a result of DTOP becoming an RTOP zone in 2018, GDOT began performing an active management role to the Downtown signal network and staffs traffic engineers daily to monitor movement and delay throughout Downtown with the help of a close circuit feed. Additionally, GDOT and the City of Atlanta actively management signals during regionally significant events Downtown to improve pedestrian safety and vehicular movements.

RTOP activities are conducted through a contract between GDOT and a traffic signal engineering team led by Kimley-Horn with support from Jacobs Engineering Southeastern Engineering, and others.  Each year the role of RTOP evolves to adapt to the changing roadway patterns, mode shifts and safety practices; however, in general typical RTOP tasks include: collecting an inventory of existing equipment; determining existing operational and equipment deficiencies; establishing a routine maintenance program; modifying signal timings as needed, trouble-shooting the communications network; performing data collection; and performance monitoring.

For additional information about the Regional Traffic Operations Program (RTOP) Zone 7, please contact Wesley Brown at 404-658-5983 or wbrown at atlantadowntown.com.