DRAFT SUGGESTED: I-40 Tijeras Canyon Emergency Response Plan
Background. I-40 carries most of the east-west traffic through New Mexico, with about 50,000 semi-trailer trucks and passenger vehicles passing through the Tijeras Canyon daily. The increasing population in the East Mountain area adds several thousand vehicles to the long-haul traffic count daily. In the future, traffic will certainly increase. In the past, blizzards, icy road conditions, heavy fogs, and major traffic accidents have resulted in the closure of I-40, creating extensive traffic jams or completely stalled traffic on I-40, parallel route NM 333 (old US 66), and major thoroughfares and adjacent side streets in Albuquerque and Tijeras and in city shopping center parking lots as interstate traffic diverts from I-40. Residents frequently are unable to travel to their homes, work, or essential destinations due to closure. Similarly, Bernalillo County and Albuquerque emergency responders are unable to reach homes on fire, badly injured or ill people, and crime scenes—even with sirens screaming and lights flashing. Several meetings have been held with responsible agencies; however, actions need to be documented to coordinate the agencies involved in efficiently responding to emergency closure of I-40 and to assure the public that their personal safety is at less risk as a result of proper planning.
Conditions. There are two general situations that may lead to closure of I-40: weather and accidents. Although the same agencies may be involved in either case, authorities and responsibilities differ. In general, New Mexico state agencies (e.g., NM Department of Transportation, NM State Police) are in charge of the decision and remediation, with support from Bernalillo County and Albuquerque agencies.
Incident Command System. A recommended response management structure is shown below:
For the purposes of this plan, either NMDOT or NMSP could provide the locally-based Incident Commander for, respectively, weather-related or accident-related incident situations. The Operations Section is primarily staffed by law enforcement agency representatives; the Operations Chief should be a representative from the first-responding law enforcement agency that will keep control of the scene for legitimate legal reasons. The Logistics Section is primarily NMDOT and other transportation and support agencies. Planning is primarily a pre-incident function. The Finance/Administration Section may be a small part of the system, but should include appropriate Legal representatives. Liaison includes other involved or affected agencies (e.g., KAFB, AFD, BCFD). Plans should include alternatives for an Incident Command Center, either mobile or an existing fixed facility. Note that some units (e.g., food unit, air operations branch) might not be required due to the limited time involved in responding to the incident.
Responsibilities. Major responsibilities of key agencies include:
· New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) is the primary agency responsible for traffic on or affected by incidents on I- 40. As such, NMDOT has the authority to direct closure of I-40 due to severe inclement weather conditions and to coordinate the emergency response activities to minimize the deleterious effects of any closure. For weather-related emergency situations, NMDOT would provide the Incident Commander.
· New Mexico State Police (NMSP) has the primary responsibility for enforcing traffic laws in the public safety and responding to and investigating vehicle accidents along I-40. NMSP has the authority to direct closure of I-40 when a major accident disrupts traffic. For traffic accident-related emergency situations, NMSP would provide the Incident commander.
· Bernalillo County has the responsibility to assist NMSP in controlling traffic on I-40 and NM 333, as well as along adjacent roadways and streets outside the city of Albuquerque.
o Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) has the support responsibility to act with and for NMSP as NMSP officers on scene request and direct.
o Bernalillo County Fire Department retains the primary responsibility for emergency response within Bernalillo County for fires and medical emergencies, as well as the secondary responsibility to respond within the city of Albuquerque.
· Albuquerque has the responsibility to assist NMSP in controlling traffic on I-40 within the city limits, as well as those major thoroughfares and streets within the city.
o Albuquerque Police Department (APD) has the support responsibility to act with and for NMSP as NMSP officers on scene request and direct.
o Albuquerque Fire Department (AFD) retains the primary responsibility for emergency response within the city of Albuquerque for fires and medical emergencies, as well as the secondary responsibility to respond within Bernalillo County.
· Mid-Region Council of Governments has the responsibility to plan and coordinate regional traffic management with other responsible and involved agencies.
Actions. General actions and activities include:
· Responsible agencies should prepare and coordinate a detailed emergency response plan that states agreed policies, roles and responsibilities, procedures, and goals (e.g., to clear the cause of the closure in an expeditious manner, to protect the public).
· Monitoring of traffic flow, weather conditions, and disruptions is conducted by NMDOT, NMSP, APD, and BCSO, with inputs from motorists, local governments (e.g., drivers from various government entities), and alert citizens who call in reports of serious traffic matters.
· Decision to close I-40 is reserved to NMDOT or NMSP depending on the situation (e.g., weather, major accident) in consultation with other responsible agencies.
· Coordination of emergency response operations requires the establishment of a multi-functional command center for the use of an Incident Commander (a designated State official) and representatives from all agencies involved or affected by closure; staffing should include public information, legal, Federal (e.g., KAFB), and social agency representatives.
· Notification of closure of I-40 is made via emergency announcements on commercial radio stations, the NMDOT traffic hotline (511), and electronic signs of the Intelligent Traffic System.
· Closure is effected by a carefully planned and coordinated effort (NMSP, APD, BCSO) to close eastbound access ramp gates, to erect barriers as required, and to post police vehicles and officers to redirect traffic from I-40 to pre-planned alternate routes and parking areas.
· Response to mitigate the negative effects of closure includes expeditious alerting and dispatch of appropriate crews (e.g., snow plows, sand trucks, ambulances, wreckers) to deal with the specific situation causing the closure.
· Traffic control, under NMSP, the primary agency, should focus on preventing additional vehicles from entering I-40, diverting vehicles from I-40, and keeping nearby thoroughfares and streets open for essential local traffic and emergency vehicles.
· Status reporting, coordinated by the responsible agencies and approved by NMDOT, provides situation updates via commercial radio announcements, NMDOT highway information phone recording, and ITS signs throughout the area.
· Reopening I-40 is a carefully phased and controlled metering of vehicles from nearby parking areas back onto I-40 to return traffic to a normal flow without subsequent disruption.
Mitigating Actions Already Accomplished.
· Extensive electronic signage, part of the Intelligent Traffic System, has been installed and is operating along I-40 and I-25 to alert drivers to unusual traffic conditions. ITS could also provide explicit directions to divert traffic from I-40 to nearby parking areas or alternate routes.
· Some gaps in the median barrier system permit limited “turnaround” (permitting eastbound traffic to reverse course onto westbound lanes) of traffic blocked on I-40. Additional engineering and redesign could facilitate turnaround of larger, longer vehicles.
· There are a very few potential emergency exit areas along eastbound I-40 that could permit traffic to divert onto eastbound (or westbound) NM 333.
Additional Mitigating Measures.
· Completion of a comprehensive emergency response plan should be a high priority. It should include detailed responsibilities and authorities, an agreed Incident Command System approach, and assignment of specific actions designed to facilitate rapid and effective response to a variety of closure circumstances. The public and experienced emergency response personnel (e.g., Albuquerque Emergency Operations Center, 911 operators) should be involved in this important process.
· The public should be informed of the existing processes, the evolving plan, and the accomplishments designed to minimize the negative effects of any closure of I-40.
· Incident Commanders and staff representatives should be identified and an alerting system established to ensure rapid notification and control in an emergency closure of I-40.
· Training of representatives from responsible agencies and from organizations and agencies that would likely be affected by closures should be conducted periodically.
· Practice drills and exercises should be conducted to ensure that emergency incident staff and responders fully understand the actions required to mitigate negative effects of I-40 closure.
