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

  • Russia 2018 World Cup: ITS can win it
    June 5, 2018
    Teams and supporters will cover vast distances in Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Stephane Clauss from Sony Europe’s Image Sensing Solutions division examines how the latest camera technologies can be deployed to help things run smoothly over the next month or so... For one month, from June 14, Russia is hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This is the largest country in the world and the distances between venues will be larger than at almost any other World Cup - bar the finals in the US and Brazil.
    Read More
  • ITS adaptions enhance cycle safety in Dublin
    December 3, 2013
    Enabled and enforced by innovative use of ITS, Dublin’s new off-road cycle route is proving a hit with commuters, leisure cyclists and walkers alike as Brendan O’Brien explains. Dublin City Council’s vision is to create a city where people of all ages and abilities have the confidence, incentive and facilities to cycle. On-road cycle lanes had already been incorporated into the Quality Bus Corridors design and there is a mix of on- and off-road cycle routes. However, in 2010 the Council began work on a new
    Read More
  • SWRI to supply regional ATMS across three states
    September 7, 2014
    Southwest Research Institute (SWRI), arrives at the ITS World Congress in celebratory mood after securing a five-year, $4.1 million contract. The deal will see SWRI develop a regional advanced transportation management system (ATMS), data hub and traveller information system (TIS) for the state transportation authorities in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. When implemented the system will upgrade the highway information infrastructure in northern New England and provide coordinated real-time traffic, safet
    Read More
  • TfL trials cyclist detection
    June 5, 2015
    New world first trials would allow TfL to better cater for cyclists at key junctions Further on-street trials will take place later this year TfL now given blanket approval from DfT to install low-level cycle signals at junctions Transport for London (TfL) is to trial a new technology that will help give cyclists more time on green lights.
    Read More

Highlighted Content