ADOT advances wrong-way detection with US$3.7 million project

A US$3.7 million project by Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to construct a thermal detection system to detect wrong-way vehicles and alert other drivers and law enforcement has been approved by the State Transportation Board. Once operational, the system will use thermal cameras, warning signs for wrong-way drivers and advisories for right-way drivers along a 15-mile stretch of I-17. In addition, the system will automatically focus highway cameras on the wrong-way vehicle and send automated aler
June 14, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
A US$3.7 million project by 6576 Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to construct a thermal detection system to detect wrong-way vehicles and alert other drivers and law enforcement has been approved by the State Transportation Board.


Once operational, the system will use thermal cameras, warning signs for wrong-way drivers and advisories for right-way drivers along a 15-mile stretch of I-17. In addition, the system will automatically focus highway cameras on the wrong-way vehicle and send automated alerts to the Highway Patrol.

On freeway ramps, wrong-way vehicles will trigger alerts, including illuminated signs with flashing lights, aimed at getting drivers to stop. The system will immediately warn other drivers through overhead message boards as well as law enforcement. Cameras in the area will automatically turn to face the wrong-way vehicle so traffic operators can better track it.

On the freeway, thermal cameras placed at one-mile intervals will signal when a wrong-way vehicle passes so State Troopers plan their response and get out in front of the wrong-way driver, providing a faster response.

Construction of the thermal camera pilot system is expected to begin this autumn and will take around seven months to complete.

Detection, Monitoring & Machine Vision Urban Traffic Control Air Quality & Weather Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Automatic signal control to prevent emergency vehicle collisions?
    March 14, 2012
    Field trials under way in Arizona promise eradication of accidents between emergency vehicles at intersections – as part of a national focus on ‘intelligent signal’ infrastructure. Collisions between police cars, ambulances and fire crews as they reach intersections at the same time, with equal priority given by all signals set on red, are as serious as they sound absurd. For emergency teams and those in need of their help, the consequences are dire. The solution could come from application of connected veh
    Read More
  • New Hampshire plans for tomorrow’s communication
    August 21, 2017
    Someone once likened predicting the future to ‘nailing a jelly to the wall’. With ITS, C-ITS and V2X technology progressing at such a pace, predicting the future is more akin to trying to nail three jellies to the wall – but only having one nail. And yet with roadways having a lifetime measured in decades, that is exactly what highway engineers and traffic planners are expected to do. Fortunately, New Hampshire DoT (NHDoT) believes its technological advances may be able to provide a solution. The Central Ne
    Read More
  • Self-driving car safety perspectives
    June 2, 2015
    At yesterday’s Opening Plenary, Chris Urmson’s keynote speech dealt with the reality of driverless cars on our roads. By far and away their greatest benefit to mankind will be the potential to achieve an incredible saving of life and injury on the roads, as Urmson, director of the Google Self-Driving Car program, revealed to delegates. In response to an Associated Press article last month disclosing that self-driving cars have been involved in four accidents in the state of California, Urmson revealed th
    Read More
  • 'Smart' motorways on their way to Greater Manchester
    November 8, 2013
    Details of a multi-million pound project have been unveiled that will cut congestion and improve journey times on parts of the M60 and M62 in Greater Manchester. The smart motorways scheme – the first of its kind in the north-west – will be introduced on a 17-mile stretch of the network between junction 8 of the M60 near Sale and junction 20 of the M62 near Rochdale. The system will use the latest technology to monitor traffic levels, provide traffic information to road users, and ease congestion by usin
    Read More

Highlighted Content