California�s transportation system is the foundation for its economic vitality-moving workers to jobs, tourists to destinations, and goods to market. By 2040, the state's population is forecast to increase by 26% to 48 million residents as the transportation demand increases 26% to 334 billion vehicles miles traveled¹. The physical capacity of the system is growing more slowly than in the past for a variety of reasons, including cost, community resistance, and environmental concerns. While construction of new infrastructure (highways, bridges, tunnels, signals) will continue, California must also seek new alternatives to increase the efficiency, safety and security of its transportation systems.

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) combine information, electronic and communication technologies with management strategies in user services to integrate and improve the safety and performance of transportation services, vehicles and infrastructure. The national ITS program was established by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) in 1991. The national emphasis under the subsequent federal transportation program, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA - 21), focused on extending ITS in regional planning efforts and building the professional capacity of transportation professionals to deal with a range of issues associated with adoption of advanced transportation technology.

The California Department of Transportation supported the development of Strategic ITS Deployment Plans in areas of the state that did not already have one of the earliest plans. Most regions in the state currently have an ITS plan and upgrading of regional plans is underway.

¹ California Transportation Plan (CTP) 2040. California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), March 2015.