The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has added 80 traffic cameras and 87 overhead variable message signs to its traffic management network in Hampton Roads. The new cameras and signs were switched on early in March using a new software system, providing a communication link between traffic controllers and motorists on the roadway.
The completion of the second piece of a three-phase expansion to the region’s network of traffic management technologies gives VDOT’s Smart Traffic Center in Virginia Beach a bird’s-eye view of 31 new miles of the highly traveled interstate system.
The new cameras monitor traffic on:
- I-664 from the north end of the Monitor Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel to the I-64 interchange in Hampton;
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The I-64/I-664 interchange in Hampton to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel;
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All of I-564;
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I-264 from the Downtown Tunnel (Berkley Bridge) to Parks Avenue in Virginia Beach; and
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I-64 from the south end of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel to the High Rise Bridge in Chesapeake.
Traffic controllers use the camera images to monitor congestion, accidents and delays and then use variable message signs, highway advisory radio broadcasts and the media to alert motorists of upcoming delays. Using these tools, VDOT hopes to give motorists useful information and time to change their routes or adjust their travel plans to avoid tie-ups.
The signs also can be used to convey vital information to the public during emergency situations, such as inclement weather, national security incidents or Amber Alerts.
Images from the traffic cameras can be viewed on VDOT’s website at www.virginiadot.org.
Sign warns Phoenix drivers
The latest congestion alert sign in the Phoenix area is at the corner of Chandler Boulevard and 46th Street, according to the Ahwatukee Foothills News. The sign can warn eastbound drivers of congestion on I-10, so they can divert around it.
“We’re trying to catch people before they get caught up in the backup,” said Matt Burdick, a spokesman for the Arizona DOT, which manages the state’s $15 million intelligent transportation system.
ADOT, with cities and the Maricopa County DOT, installed the Chandler Boulevard sign along with signs at three other locations in north Phoenix. The signs are connected to the city’s transportation center and the ADOT system.
The system can warn drivers of a problem within a few minutes, Burdick said.
Signs coming soon to Delaware
The Delaware DOT hoped to have variable speed-limit signs working as early as this month after delays for technical problems, the News Journal, Wilmington, Del., reported. The signs were originally scheduled to go into operation shortly after Thanksgiving, but there were problems getting the signs to communicate wirelessly with the traffic management center in Smyrna, according to DelDOT spokesman Mike Williams.
Twenty-three of the solar-powered signs were installed along I-495 to give the state the ability to slow traffic in cases of emergency and to reduce pollution on ozone-alert days. The ozone reduction was required by the Clean Air Act.
The signs are part of a $3.5 million program. DelDOT plans to install similar variable speed-limit signs this fall along Del. 1 and a portion of I-95. A total of 110 variable speed-limit signs and 25 message boards will be installed in the program.
River run ready for New Jersey
Service on the River Line between Trenton, N.J., and Camden was scheduled to start in mid-March. NJ Transit launched a marketing campaign in mid-February, starting with a website (www.riverline.com) to be followed by a mailing, including cards offering a free ride, the Times, Trenton, reported.
The $1.1 billion line runs for 34 miles along the Delaware River through 19 municipalities and three counties. About 3,000 riders per day are expected to ride the line’s diesel-powered, trolley-like trains.
The marketing campaign focuses on leisure travel, with advertisements on the trains for destinations along the line, such as the Old Barracks Museum and the Trenton Titans minor league hockey team.
Supporters argue that the line will spur economic development in southern New Jersey. Critics say the line is expensive and unneeded and will not attract many riders.
Transit grants
The U.S. DOT has made several recent grants through the Federal Transit Administration to state transportation agencies for transit projects.
Tennessee residents will benefit from transit enhancements and improved bus services as a result of two grants totaling $3.4 million.
The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority will use a $1.6 million grant to buy seven replacement buses.
A second grant for $1.8 million will be used by Knoxville Area Transit to buy nine new 30-ft transit buses.
During a visit to the construction site for an expanded Delray Beach, Fla., commuter rail station, Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta delivered a $28.8 million federal grant to pay for a massive expansion of the South Florida rail corridor.
The money will help fund the final phase of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority’s Double Track Corridor Improvement program, which is building a second set of rail tracks, expanding rail stations, building 11 new bridges and five replacement bridges and modernizing grade crossing and signal systems. TME
Pennsylvania residents will benefit from four transit grants totaling $13.3 million to support the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s North Shore Connector Light Rail Transit Project and its Job Access and Reverse Commute projects in southwestern Pennsylvania; the Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s purchase of three under-30-ft buses and four commuter buses; and the city of Williamsport’s purchase of two replacement buses and associated capital maintenance items and renovation and expansion of the administrative and maintenance facility.
WSDOT launches travelerinformation website
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has launched a new tool on its award-winning website to help motorists avoid trouble spots and quickly access streamlined, real-time traveler information. The new site can be found at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic.
For the first time, accidents, warnings, weather-related problems and construction zones can all be found in one place at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/trafficalerts. Customers can zoom into an area by clicking on the state map or select a specific highway from the route numbers listed to view everything affecting travel on the roads.
The most frequently viewed mountain passes, such as Snoqualmie Pass, now have their own page that offers camera images, roadway restrictions, weather information and highway advisory radio messages all in one place.
The WSDOT website received a record-breaking number of page views on Jan. 6: 12 million.
“We are already looking into ways to improve this site,” said Laura Merritt, WSDOT Web manager, “by adding more information for portable devices such as cell phones, setting up e-mail alerts for customers on specific routes and utilizing new technology to continually deliver more information to customers.” TME
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