The Rural California/Oregon Advanced Transportation Systems (COATS) project, undertaken as a joint effort between Caltrans, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Western Transportation Institute, was instrumental in creating awareness of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) applications that could help address rural transportation needs. Through COATS and its follow-up effort COATS Showcase, there has been significant research and demonstration of ITS technologies that address traveler needs and give transportation agencies additional tools to help manage the highway system. COATS and COATS Showcase realized significant successes in ITS awareness, planning, bi-state cooperation and cooperation, and information exchange. These projects also achieved several facets of a bi-state vision and mission. Despite the successes of ITS in the COATS area, however, there remains work necessary to develop a self-sustaining enterprise to foster bi-state cooperation in the future. The full COATS vision has not been attained, as there are gaps related to multi-modal transportation, public-private partnerships, assessing systemwide ITS benefits, and extending applications to non-state highways. In addition, as the COATS project has evolved since its inception, there is a need for broader awareness (both within and outside the region), increased technological integration, and a development of 'big ideas' to sustain bi-state coordination and help COATS to remain a national leader in rural ITS research and demonstration. In short, despite the successes of ITS in the COATS area, there remains work necessary to develop a self-sustaining enterprise to foster bi-state cooperation in the future. COATS Phase 3 seeks to help in developing that as a continuation and evolution of COATS and COATS Showcase.

The goal of COATS Phase 3 is to provide research and support activities to help California and Oregon achieve the COATS vision. These activities include: fostering bi-state cooperation and communication, promoting technology transfer, assisting in ITS planning and architecture development efforts, evaluating ITS projects and systems, and providing assistance to mainstream deployment of field-tested ITS technologies.

Task 1: Project Management - The purpose of this task to provide overall management for the project. Task 2: Technology Transfer - This task covers technology sharing within the COATS region, to other stakeholders in each state, and to national stakeholders. Task 3: National Partnerships and Leveraging - This task seeks to identify national funding opportunities and position COATS to achieve thos in order to improve transportaiton in the region. Task 4: Planning and Architecture Support - Under this task, targeted assistance would be provided to help COATS-region stakeholders address ITS planning and architecture considerations. Task 5: Evaluation Support - This task involves evaluation of ITS deployments to determine benefits, costs and future applicability. Task 6: Deployment Assistance Support - This task involves assisting Caltrans transition existing ITS products developed in the COATS area and "packaging" them for broader implementation elsewhere in the state through developing documentation, training materials, etc

We anticipate a total contribution of $ 855,143. The distribution is as follows : $435,202 from Caltrans, $207,134 from ODOT, and $212,087 from the University Transportation Center program (through the Western Transportation Institute).