![]() “Now we're seeing a big effort to pull it all together to provide wireless communication between the vehicle and infrastructure,” he said. “Michigan DOT has been a leader among these systems nationally,” said Peter Sweatman, director of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in Ann Arbor and president of the Michigan ITS chapter.Īutomakers - including the Detroit 3, several foreign manufacturers and MDOT - are testing vehicle-based sensor systems on I-96 and I-275 near Novi that would work in conjunction with other technology, Sweatman said. Members include governments, automakers, technology companies, universities and transit groups.Īn ITS trade show and conference, sponsored by the Michigan ITS chapter and MDOT, is scheduled for next month in Novi. Palombo sits on the board of the Michigan chapter of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, a nonprofit trade group that's been advocating advanced technologies for road systems since 1991. “Additional communication and coordination for traffic operations allows us to use whatever capacity we do have in a more efficient and effective way,” said Carmine Palombo, director of transportation planning for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, a regional planning agency that emphasizes transportation issues. Transportation insiders say there's not enough money to build, expand or improve Michigan roads as they need to be, but intelligent transportation systems technology helps. Federal funds specifically for intelligent transportation system infrastructure were halted in 2005. The signs and cameras are considered intelligent transportation system technology, which qualified MDOT for the congestion fund money. The project is being paid for with Federal Highway Administration funds specifically earmarked for traffic congestion mitigation, with the goal of reducing emissions to improve air quality. Local news media also have access to the cameras for traffic reports. Traffic-related 911 calls also come into the center. The Michigan State Police also staffs the facility, watching for accidents on the wall of video monitors. The signs, cameras and traffic sensors are monitored and controlled at an MDOT facility on Detroit's Howard Street. There are currently 180 cameras and 65 message boards for the 865 miles of roads that MDOT manages in metro Detroit. MDOT is upgrading its ability to use its equipment by switching to ethernet connections, which will speed up and modernize its communications systems. “We're transferring to a better technology,” said Michelle Mueller, the MDOT transportation engineer for the project. The signs will carry messages about traffic conditions, construction, weather warnings and accidents. #Mdot traffic cams flint mi upgrade#They use LED technology to display messages, an upgrade over the boards currently hung from overpasses or on posts in the region, which are 15 years old. The new signs average about two tons each and are 29 feet wide and 8 feet tall. Crane crews were installing signs on I-94 over the past few weeks. Infrastructure work for the message signs began in early 2007, and the entire project is scheduled to finish by the end of this year. The signs are going up along I-94 between Detroit and Port Huron, I-96 between Detroit and Novi and on I-69 between Port Huron and Flint. The 13 new black, billboard-like units, called dynamic message signs, are from Brookings, S.D.-based Daktronics Inc., an electronic sign manufacturer that also provided the temporary display screens inside Ford Field for the recent NCAA basketball tournament. “You can't build your way out congestion,” said Rob Morosi, MDOT's communications representative for metro Detroit. They're also part of a national trend toward what's called intelligent transportation systems, which rely on communication and other technologies to manage traffic and highway safety instead of, or in conjunction with, new construction. The permanent boards, along with 32 new traffic cameras, are part of an $11.5 million project to boost the Michigan Department of Transportation's congestion-busting efforts. Thirteen massive new electronic message boards sprouting alongside the major highways in metro Detroit are more than springtime companions to the orange barrel blossoms. ![]()
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