INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION: PennDOT ITS will 'learn' over time to improve traffic flow

March 28, 2017

The $1.35 million intelligent transportation system was recently installed at nine intersections along the three-mile stretch of road in McCandless

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) recently completed installation of a $1.35 million intelligent transportation system (ITS) at nine intersections along a three-mile stretch along McKnight Road between Evergreen Road in Ross and Peebles Road in McCandless.

The system will be integrated into the Western Regional Transportation Management Center to allow for “real-time monitoring, management and event decision making to improve highway efficiency, safety, mobility, and travel time reliability through the corridor,” according to a news release from the agency.

The project also includes the use of a closed-circuit TV monitoring system and dynamic-message signs at key intersections.

“Over the next several weeks, the system's software will detect and gather information about traffic patterns throughout the day,” Steve Cowan, spokesman for PennDOT's District 11 office, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Once the patterns have been identified, the timing of the signals will automatically change to help improve the flow of traffic.”