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

  • May 26, 2016
    Viaduct deck renewal creates detour dilemma for MassDOT
    As the deck renewal of the I-91 viaduct in Springfield gets underway, David Crawford looks at the preparation and planning to ease the resulting traffic congestion. Accommodating the deck renewal of a 4km-long/four-lanes in each direction viaduct in the heart of Springfield (Massachusetts’ third largest city), has involved the state’s Department of Transportation (MassDOT) in a massive exercise in transport research and ITS-based area-wide preplanning and traffic management. Supporting a workzone of well ab
    Read More
  • March 15, 2012
    Traffic signal priority initiatives aid better bus travel
    David Crawford investigates traffic signal priority initiatives developing for better bus travel on the US Pacific Coast Transit patronage rises by an average of 35% along commuter corridors equipped with bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, according to the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA). BRT as defined as bus transit enhanced with ITS systems for better services, is winning new passengers attracted by opportunity to avoid increasing fuel costs and traffic congestion.
    Read More
  • April 23, 2013
    US 511 system, the future of traveller information?
    What started out at the turn of the millenium as a simple dial-up travel information service has grown out of all recognition in the digital age. Pete Goldin surveys the development to date of the US 511 traveller information system. In a little over a decade, 511 has gone from its original intent – a collection of recorded messages accessible via phone for pre-trip planning – to a network of dynamic traveller information services provided by states and cities throughout the US, offering access to a wide v
    Read More
  • February 4, 2015
    Jacobs wins TxDOT traffic engineering contracts
    Jacobs Engineering Group has been awarded three contracts by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to provide services for various projects state-wide. The three contracts will see Jacobs provide: traffic engineering and planning studies primarily in the El Paso District; engineering services for the preparation of plans, specifications and estimates (PS&E) and related documents for various on-system and off-system bridge replacements state-wide; and professional land surveying services within
    Read More

Highlighted Content