The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has launched the new transportation management center DalTrans.

The grand opening of the $10 million facility was held at on Jan. 23.

Over the past decade, the heart of traffic operations for the Dallas area, which includes monitoring more than 1,000 sq miles and more than 30 cities, was housed in a building of less than 2,200 sq ft. The new 54,000-sq-ft facility expands DalTrans’ capabilities and becomes the central traffic operations center for all highway management and intelligent transportation system integration.

DalTrans’ complete intelligent transportation system includes approximately 200 TxDOT cameras along more than 100 miles of roadway. TxDOT and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office operate courtesy patrol trucks every day on 300 miles of area roadways. Patrols on the ground and traffic monitoring cameras allow DalTrans employees to immediately dispatch emergency help when needed.

In 2006, the Dallas-area courtesy patrol responded to more than 97,000 incidents.

In addition, commuters have access to vital safety and real-time travel information through dynamic message signs, the Internet at www.daltrans.org and traffic reports heard on the radio or seen on television.