4. History of Events
This section is a "best effort" to describe the key events that affected the deployment of the Airport ITS Integration and RIMS projects. Although it is unlikely that a comprehensive, complete description of events can be made, the information and descriptions presented here were obtained from interviews with the GLITS management team, Michigan Legislative session archives,15 news articles, press releases, archived Evaluation Team briefings and monthly reports to USDOT, and information derived from the Wayne County16 and DTW 17 Websites.
- Section 4.1 provides a timeline overview of the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.
- Section 4.2 discusses key events affecting the deployment of the Airport ITS Integration project.
- Section 4.3 provides a timeline overview of the RIMS project.
- Section 4.4 identifies key events that affected the deployment of the RIMS Project.
4.1 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Project Timeline
DTW is a large, busy airport. Covering approximately 6,700 acres of land, DTW has six runways, 139 passenger terminal gates and served 36,389,294 air passengers in 2005 ranking it as the eleventh busiest airport in North America and twentieth in the world.18 Table 4 provides an overview of the history of DTW's growth and expansion during its nearly 90-year history:19
| 1927: The plan to build a major commercial airport was conceived on April 12, 1927. |
| 1928: A $2 million bond was issued to finance the acquisition of one square mile of land. Called Wayne County Airport, it served as a general aviation facility. |
| 1929: A landing strip was installed along with several maintenance buildings. The Wayne County Airport was dedicated and opened to the public in September. The first "official" landing was February 22, 1930. |
| 1940s: Control of the Airport was assumed by the U.S. Army for use as a staging base for transport of heavy bombers to Europe. |
| 1944: The Wayne County Board of Supervisors authorized a three-fold expansion of Wayne County Airport to enlarge the airport to cover 3.5 square miles. The U.S. Army released Wayne County Airport, thus paving the way for its use as either a primary or secondary airport to serve Detroit and Wayne County. |
| 1947: The Airport was renamed Detroit-Wayne Major Airport. |
| 1956: It was announced that Detroit-Wayne Major Airport would receive $1 million under the Federal Aid-to-Airports program during fiscal year 1957 to begin construction on a $10.4 million expansion program including a new terminal building (L.C. Smith Terminal) and 10,500 foot runway. |
| 1958: The Detroit-Wayne Major Airport was certified as an international jet craft airport by the Civil Aeronautics Administration, which qualified the Airport for 50 percent Federal funds for construction of the long runways needed for jet airliners. The Airport was renamed Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. |
| 1959: The Federal Aviation Administration proposed new construction at Detroit Metropolitan Airport to accommodate a total of 5,266,000 air passengers in the next 6 years. |
| 1966: Terminal 2 (North Terminal) was constructed. |
| 1974: The Michael Berry International Terminal was completed as part of a $69 million bond issue. Also included were improved lighting and taxiways, expansion of the L.C. Smith Terminal, Terminal 2, and new parking. |
| 1986: A $166 million bond issue was approved to finance the Master Plan update at Metro Airport. |
| 1996: Wayne County and Northwest Airlines announce agreement to build a new $786 million Midfield terminal project triggering projected expenditures of $1.6 million in capital improvements at DTW. |
| 1999: Michigan State legislature creates a special House-Senate joint committee to look into alleged problems and customer dissatisfaction with the operation of the airport. |
| 2001: Wayne County sells over $110 million in airport hotel bonds. |
| 2002: The new $1.2 billion state-of-the-art Edward H. McNamara Terminal/Northwest World Gateway opened February 24. This terminal offers 97 gates, more than 80 shops and restaurants, an indoor Express Tram that travels the mile-long Concourse A in less than 3 minutes, international and domestic connections in the same facility, and an 11,500 space parking garage. |
| March 2002: Senate Bill 690, signed by Governor Engler on March 26, established the Wayne County Airport Authority. The independent Authority will manage Detroit Metropolitan Airport and Willow Run Airport. Both airports will remain Wayne County facilities. |
| January 2003: Wayne County leadership changes. |
| Mid-2003: Senior program manager for Airport ITS Integration project changes. |
| 2003: In September, 2003, the Wayne County Airport Authority Board authorized the sale of up to $825 million in bonds to fund future airport expansion projects. |
| 2004: In September 2004, the Wayne County Airport Authority Board approved the hiring of architectural and engineering firm to design a new 29-gate terminal to replace the Davey and Smith Terminals. Re-development planning began in mid-2004, with design, fabrication, and construction effort ongoing at the present time. |
| Fall 2005: Airport Authority begins demolition/construction for the new North Terminal facility. |
| Mid-2008: Anticipated grand opening of the newly completed North Terminal facility. |
4.2 Key Events Affecting the Airport ITS Project
Discussions, interviews, and research revealed a series of key events that influenced the Airport ITS Integration project. Table 5 shows the key events by chronological order and summarizes the issues and resulting impact.
| Key Event | Date | Issues | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State legislature creates a special House-Senate joint committee to look into alleged problems and customer dissatisfaction with the operation of the airport. | Late 1999 | Office of the Auditor General (OAG) conducts a series of reviews on competitive bidding; qualifications, responsibilities, and compensation of airport officials; land acquisition, disposal, and development; security; maintenance; contracting practices; and finances, passenger facility charges, bond issues, and capital outlays. | OAG begins audit of airport operations and compliance with applicable laws. |
| House-Senate joint committee completes 200-page report revealing their findings from the investigation. | Oct-01 | The Senate report identifies eight general problem areas: (1) approval of contracts; (2) airport competitive contracts; (3) oversight of contractors/subcontractors; (4) contractual remedies; (5) ethical conduct; (6) cooperation with the Wayne County Auditor General; (7) budgetary and accounting practices; and (8) hiring and assignment of Airport Police. | Legislation is introduced to address management and contracting issues and create a new independent authority to operate the airport. |
| Michigan Senator Glenn D. Steil and others sponsor Senate Bill No. 690. | Oct-01 |  |
Bill is referred to Committee on Detroit Metro Airport Review. |
| Senate passes Senate Bill 690. | Feb-02 | |
SB 690 goes to House. |
| House passes Senate Bill 690. | Mar-02 | |
SB 690 goes to Governor. |
| Approved by Governor | Mar-02 | |
SB 690 filed with Secretary of State. |
| Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) becomes independent from Wayne County. | 26-Mar-02 | WCAA under new management and has new priorities. Administration of GLITS Airport funding. WCAA wished to control the funding however could not per state law. |
Focus on legislative requirements. Negotiations delay GLITS funding to late-2006. |
| Wayne County leadership changes. | Jan-03 | |
New Wayne County GLITS senior program managers. |
| Senior program manager for Airport ITS Integration project changes. | Mid-2003 | |
Loss of project champion. |
| Airport Authority begins demolition/ construction for the North Terminal Redevelopment project. | Fall 2005 | Construction to 2008 changes vehicle traffic patterns through airport and includes building a bypass road and ramp. | Change in traffic flow and possibly volume renders baseline data from 2002-2004 unusable. |
Two events significantly impacted the deployment of the project: the formation of an independent airport authority and the change in leadership. A third event, construction of a new North Terminal at DTW, affected the evaluation effort in terms of the baseline data which had been collected. These three events are described below.
4.2.1 Formation of Wayne County Airport Authority
One of the earliest events, which had a substantial impact on the Airport ITS Integration project, goes back to late 1999 when the Michigan State legislature created a special House-Senate joint committee to investigate alleged problems and customer dissatisfaction with airport operations.
At the request of this special committee, the following reviews occurred:
...the legislature's Office of the Auditor General conducted a series of preliminary reviews on such subjects as competitive bidding; the qualifications, responsibilities, and compensation of airport officials; land acquisition, disposal, and development; security; maintenance; contracting practices; and finances, including passenger facility charges, bond issues, and capital outlay. Additional reviews by the OAG on those and other related topics followed. This investigation was extended during the 2001-2002 legislative session by the Senate Detroit Metro Airport Review Committee.20
In October 2001, a 200-page report by the Senate Detroit Metro Airport Review Committee identified eight general problem areas:21
- A lack of approval of airport contracts by the county commissioners as required by county ordinance.
- The airport not having competitive bids for airport contracts as required under ordinances, and repeatedly granting extensions, renewals, and amendments to existing contractors in lieu of competitively bidding the contracts.
- Inadequate and often functionally non-existent oversight of contractors and subcontractors at the airport.
- Failing to consistently to pursue available contractual remedies when contractors do not meet the terms of their contracts.
- A management culture that has produced an environment where examples of questionable ethical conduct abound.
- Airport management consistently thwarting the Wayne County Auditor General's efforts to place auditors on-site to help oversee airport operations and compliance with applicable law.
- County-based and airport-based deficiencies in the airport's budgetary and accounting practices that hinder the accountability and dependability of the data reported.
- Significant problems with the airport police, involving improper hiring and improper assignment of officers.
As a result of the Senate's report, in October 2001, legislation sponsored by Senator Glenn D. Steil was introduced to address management and contracting issues. In addition, the Wayne County Executive, the Governor, and business leaders agreed to the creation of a new independent airport authority to operate the airport. By March of 2002, the legislation, Senate Bill 690, was approved by the legislature and signed into law by the Governor. Effective March 26, 2002, the Wayne County Airport Authority became an independent public airport authority with the power to manage, operate, construct, improve, and maintain the airport facilities.
The impact of the creation of a separate, independent airport authority complicated the planned allocation of funding for the Airport ITS project. Since the airport was an independent authority and no longer part of Wayne County, the County had no legal rights or authority at the airport. Michigan State law required that the agency receiving the GLITS and CMAQ funds, which are highway funds and were programmed with the understanding that they would be used for ITS at the airport, needed to be an eligible government county, city, or village agency (per the requirements of Act 51 of Public Acts of 1951) to administer the highway funds.
As a result, the Wayne County Airport Authority and Wayne County experienced a funding dilemma which resulted in the deployment languishing until both agencies came to an agreement that:
- Wayne County will administer the project.
- Wayne County will release the CMAQ funds for the Airport ITS project.
Negotiations between Wayne County and the Wayne County Airport Authority were completed in late 2006.
4.2.2 Change in Leadership
A second key event, the election of a new Wayne County Executive, resulted in a change in the senior project management for the airport project. In 2003, a new Wayne County Executive was elected and project leadership positions at Wayne County Roads Division and the Department of Technology changed. For the Airport ITS Integration project, the leadership change (in conjunction with other factors such as organizational changes) contributed to the project falling behind the original schedule and having little progress for several years.
The election of a new Wayne County Executive in 2003 resulted in a change of project management at the Wayne County Roads Division. The new management had new priorities, such as managing a budget deficit. As a result, the GLITS Airport ITS project lost much of the early deployment momentum and priority.
The impact of the changes in the political leadership resulted in subsequent changes in project management, personnel changes, and a loss of project champions which likely contributed to delays in the deployment schedule. Project progress can be adversely affected by the loss of key personnel at all levels. Losing a project champion, who is a political appointee, can cause a project to struggle due to the lack of leadership. The loss of key project management or personnel is also likely to slow the work necessary to complete the project.
4.2.3 North Terminal Redevelopment Project Construction
The NTR project which involves the construction of a new North Terminal at DTW had a significant impact on the usability of baseline traffic count and crash data collected in 2002 and 2003. For additional information about evaluation baseline data, see appendix A for the traffic flow data, appendix B for air passenger counts, appendix C for parking lot transactions, and appendix D for airport crash data.
The usability of baseline traffic count and crash data collected in 2002 and 2003 was called into question because of changes to the airport roadways which were made to accommodate NTR construction activity. Since the NTR project involves replacing two older terminal buildings (Smith and Berry Terminals), a bypass ramp was constructed in 2005 to redirect traffic through the airport construction zone. It was unclear how these changes would influence airport traffic patterns and the likelihood for vehicle crashes. Figure 5 displays a map overview of the current DTW roadways and terminal buildings.22 The Smith and Berry Terminals are shown near the center of the diagram. Figure 6 shows the locations of the Smith and Berry Terminals with a graphic of the NTR project overlaid upon them.23 The arrows near the far left and right sides of the diagram indicate the location of the Smith and Berry terminals.
Source: Wayne County Airport Authority Metro Airport Website.
Figure 5. Map Overview of DTW Roadways and Terminal Buildings.
Source: Wayne County Airport Authority Metro Airport Website.
Figure 6. North Terminal Redevelopment Project Overlaid on Smith and Berry Terminals.
Figure 7 presents a schematic of how the temporary Bypass Road was constructed to divert traffic away from the construction site.24 The upper Rogell Drive that serviced the Smith Terminal Arrivals traffic was closed, and a new vehicle ramp roadway was constructed to bypass the site and connect passengers/drivers to the Smith Terminal. Signage was placed to properly direct traffic.
Source: Wayne County Airport Authority Metro Airport Website.
Figure 7. Schematic of Davey Bypass Road/Ramp.
4.3 RIMS Project Timeline
The RIMS Project is intended to develop one seamless system which integrates information currently gathered and stored in existing databases by various divisions within the Wayne County DPS. The RIMS asset management program will derive information from a County-level transportation information backbone to increase coordination among the various agencies involved in roadway planning, permitting, maintenance, and snow removal. Table 6 provides an overview of the RIMS project history from October 1999.
|
4.4 Key Events Affecting the RIMS Project
Although much of the specific details, issues, and impacts about key events may never be known, three events contributed to RIMS project deployment delays. Table 7 shows the key events by chronological order. The issues and resulting impacts are derived from discussions and interviews with project management, archived Evaluation Team briefings and monthly reports to USDOT, and information derived from the Wayne County Website.25
| Key Event | Date | Issues | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Change in Wayne County leadership and transfer of project. | Early to Mid-2003 | The transfer of project to WCDT results in a project review to integrate with other WCDT plans. | New RIMS project manager. RIMS development effort and RFP process is delayed. |
| Vendor selection and formal protest by non-selected vendor. | All of 2004 | RIMS team must identify the best combination of bidders. Wayne County must review the procurement process for any improprieties. |
Procurement delayed while due diligence is conducted to select vendors and handle protest in accordance with State and County procedures. |
| Vendor negotiations to adjust cost and SOW. | Early 2005 | Because of the procurement delay, vendors want cost and SOW adjustments. | Additional procurement delay; development re-started December 2006. |
4.4.1 Change in Leadership
In the fall of 2002, a new Wayne County Executive was elected and took office in early 2003. Also occurring in early 2003, the RIMS project was transferred from the DPS to the WCDT. After the transfer, a review of the RIMS project was conducted to integrate the project elements with other WCDT plans. In addition, the RIMS project received a new project manager at WCDT.
For the RIMS project, the leadership change (in conjunction with other factors such as organizational changes and internal reviews) contributed to the project falling behind the original schedule. This chain of events in early 2003 slowed progress in the development of the RFP necessary to procure vendor services. Under the new management, the project was successfully re-scoped and many aspects of the project were moved from being a GIS project to making GIS the backbone for an asset management and maintenance tracking and scheduling system. After the project was successfully redefined, an RFP was released the last week of October 2003 with an award expected in January 2004.
4.4.2 Vendor Selection and Formal Protest by Non-selected Vendor
Although by the end of 2003 it appeared a contract would be awarded in the beginning of 2004, two events arose that resulted in additional delays. The first event, a longer-than-expected vendor selection period, slowed progress. The second event, a formal protest by a non-selected bidder, effectively halted all progress and prevented any negotiations to finalize vendor contracts.
In early 2004, the longer-than-expected vendor selection period was due to the complexity of the RIMS application which needed multiple vendors to integrate the nearly 400 independent Wayne County databases. As a result, the award was delayed as the RIMS team identified the best combination of bidders to accomplish the range of tasks required in the RFP.
In the summer of 2004, a team of vendors were chosen to perform different elements of the contract tasks. During this time it was anticipated that a kick-off meeting would move to September 2004. However, the official kickoff of the design effort was moved to the first week of January 2005 due to a formal protest by one of the vendors not selected from the pool of bidders.
As result of the formal protest, in the fall of 2004 all progress was halted while the complaint was investigated. According to Wayne County policy, when a formal protest is lodged, the Wayne County Human Relations Division of the Department of Corporation Counsel is required to investigate the merit of the complaint. An award is halted while the investigation is made in accordance with the Wayne County Title VI Plan26 which complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (P.L. 100.259), and the Michigan Elliott-Larsen Act. In January 2005, the protest was resolved in accordance with state and county procedures and contract negotiations with vendors began.
4.4.3 Vendor Negotiations to Adjust Cost and SOW
In January 2005, the project entered into a period of contract negotiations with the two vendors selected to perform the work. It was hoped that final contract negotiations would be completed by the end of March and that the kickoff would be held in April. However, because of the 1-year delay to finalize the selection of vendors, negotiations between Wayne County and the vendors were necessary to finalize the cost and terms in the SOW.
Like the amount of time required to select vendors, the negotiations and final approval of contracts also took substantially longer than expected. The contracts with the vendors were finalized in 2006 and the RIMS project was re-started in December 2006 with the deployment anticipated to occur in early 2009.
15 Michigan Legislature Website last accessed on December 7, 2006, and recorded at: <www.legislature.mi.gov>.
16 Wayne County Michigan Website last accessed on January 17, 2007 at: <http://www.waynecounty.com/>.
17 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Website, last accessed on December 7, 2006 at: <http://www.metroairport.com/>.
18 Airports Council International Website, 2005 Final Rankings, last accessed on December 7, 2006 at: <http://www.airports.org>.
19 Airport history synopsized from highlights, last accessed on November 28, 2006, and recorded at: <http://www.metroairport.com/about/history.asp>.
20 Legislative Analysis of Public Airport Authority Act Senate Bill 690 (Substitute H-3), House Legislative Analysis Section, March 12, 2002.
21 Ibid.
22 Detroit Metropolitan Airport Map, last accessed on January 17, 2007: <http://www.metroairport.com/maps/>.
23 North Terminal Project: Project Site Plan, last accessed on January 17, 2007: <http://www.metroairport.com/project/map.asp>.
24 Davey Bypass Road schematic showing diversion and road closure during North Terminal construction, last accessed on January 17, 2007: <http://www.metroairport.com/project/Davey_Bypass_Plan.pdf>.
25 Wayne County Michigan Website, last accessed on January 17, 2007 at: <http://www.waynecounty.com/>.
26 Title VI Plan for Wayne County on Wayne County ePurchasing Policies Website, last accessed on January 18, 2007 at: <http://www.waynecounty.com/epurchasing/>.