Bluetooth travel information aids waiting times at US-Mexico border

With drivers sometimes waiting up to several hours to cross the US-Mexico border, the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) is partnering with the city of El Paso to provide real-time traffic updates so drivers can plan accordingly and avoid long waits. Using Bluetooth and radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, wait times will be available to motorists and commercial shippers so they can modify travel plans as needed. As Bluetooth devices in passenger vehicles and RFID transponders in com
August 12, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

With drivers sometimes waiting up to several hours to cross the US-Mexico border, the 375 Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) is partnering with the city of El Paso to provide real-time traffic updates so drivers can plan accordingly and avoid long waits. Using Bluetooth and radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, wait times will be available to motorists and commercial shippers so they can modify travel plans as needed.

As Bluetooth devices in passenger vehicles and RFID transponders in commercial vehicles pass roadside sensors, bridge wait times are calculated and posted at the border crossing information system (BCIS) website. Drivers can access this site and make decisions on when to leave based on the real-time wait times. The data is used only temporarily and does not identify actual drivers or their vehicles.

The BCIS website was developed through research by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and partially funded by the 324 US Department of Transportation’s 831 Federal Highway Administration.

Currently, drivers can utilise the new Bluetooth-generated data for the Ysleta crossing, also known as Zaragoza and located between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. Shippers can access similar data generated via RFIDs at seven sites along the border. Bluetooth technology also is in use along I-35 in Waco and at the Port Aransas Ferry, where waiting times are posted onto digital message boards.

“Texas is proud to lead the way in transportation technology, especially when it helps relieve congestion and improve mobility at key points on our roadways,” said chairman Ted Houghton, 5427 Texas Transportation Commission. “Not only will this technology benefit travellers, but it will benefit our state’s commerce by making trade more efficient.”

“The city of El Paso’s economic security depends on the flow of goods and people across our international ports of entry,” said El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser. “In order to ensure safe and fast commute times, we must provide our commuters access to realistic wait times. The partnership between the city of El Paso and TxDOT is a significant step in helping these commuters identify the best route and provide realistic crossing times at our bridges.”

Location Based Systems Parking & Access Control Networking & Communication Systems

Related Content

  • Ending tolling on Texas roads ‘would come at a high price’
    September 12, 2016
    Eliminating tolls on state highways throughout Texas would be prohibitively expensive, state legislators who are considering such a plan have learned, says the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) undertook research how much it would take to eliminate the highways for which it is responsible. It estimates the price of removing tolls on those highways would be at least US$24.2 billion and would increase over time, TxDOT executive director James Bass
    Read More
  • IRD introduces vehicle information in motion
    June 2, 2015
    IRD, which is celebrating 35 years in business this year, is here at the ITS America Annual Meeting to introduce VI2M (Vehicle Information in Motion) enforcement systems for data collection and commercial vehicle operations. VI2M enforcement systems use the VectorSense tyre sensor suite in ramp and mainline weigh station bypass solutions as well as for advanced data collection applications. The tyre sensor suite is a new in-road sensor technology that provides vehicle position and individual tyre footprint
    Read More
  • Virginia presses ahead with tunnels upgrade despite tolls challenge
    July 30, 2013
    David Crawford reviews current developments and legal/financial issues facing tunnel management in Virginia. This autumn the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in the US will defend its plan to introduce tolling on the Elizabeth River tunnels linking the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth in the State’s Hampton Roads area. The tolling, which is due to start from February 2014, will be examined by the State’s Supreme Court later this year. The anticipated toll income, along with loans and bonds, is
    Read More
  • Ohio DoT to use Inrix data to clear roads after major storms
    July 24, 2012
    Inrix will collaborate with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODoT) to use the company’s traffic information and cloud-based analytics to further the state’s goal of clearing roads statewide within three hours after major storms. “Restoring travel to normal conditions as quickly as possible not only improves public safety but keeps people and commerce moving across the state,” said Ted Trepanier, senior director of public sector, Inrix. “We’re providing Ohio with an objective, data-driven approach for
    Read More

Highlighted Content