Skip to main content

VDOT to get world-class transportation operations centre

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has issued a Notice of Intent to Award to Serco to integrate and run the state’s five transportation management centres under a six-year, US$355 million contract. The Commonwealth Transportation Board will make the final decision at its June meeting. The project will operate all five centres, including managing the Safety Service Patrol, under a single advanced active traffic management system platform, providing greater consistency and efficiency and enabli
May 8, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
The 1747 Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has issued a Notice of Intent to Award  to Serco to integrate and run the state’s five transportation management centres under a six-year, US$355 million contract. The Commonwealth Transportation Board will make the final decision at its June meeting.

The project will operate all five centres, including managing the Safety Service Patrol, under a single advanced active traffic management system platform, providing greater consistency and efficiency and enabling VDOT to better manage congestion, freight movements, incidents, severe weather-related incidents and traveller information.

The system will monitor traffic through the use of nearly 900 cameras, 500 electronic message signs and more than 1,000 road sensors, enabling operators to co-ordinate signal systems, manage incidents and emergency response, provide real time travel information and manage HOV/reversible lanes.

Announcing the award, Governor McDonnell said: "The Commonwealth sought innovation from around the country to deliver the best technology solutions to maximise our transportation system. Virginia is a leader among state departments of transportation in providing real-time traffic information to motorists, and we wanted to build on that reputation."

Transportation Secretary Sean T. Connaughton added, "The result is using technology to be the eyes, ears and voice of Virginia's road transportation system, so we can go into immediate action to prevent accidents, clear incidents, make our roads safer, and immediately inform motorists so they can reach their destinations faster. Our transportation system in Virginia must be more reliable than other states' and countries in order for us to remain competitive economically."

"I am very pleased with the progress VDOT has made in collaborating with the private industry to develop the best solutions to improve transportation through technology," said VDOT Commissioner Greg Whirley. "It takes all tools and methods, including technology, operations, and first-class communication systems, in addition to maintenance and construction to make our highway system operate as smoothly as possible."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Multimodal simulation helps to improve the airport experience
    December 15, 2022
    The vision of the IMHOTEP project is a multimodal European transport system, where different modes of travel are seamlessly integrated to give passengers a great door-to-gate and gate-to-door experience. Marcel Sala, scientific researcher at Aimsun, explains how this works at airports
  • ITS Australia celebrates 2021 Awards winners 
    February 21, 2022
    Winners include Lexus, Aimsun, Bosch - and Peter Bentley wins lifetime achievement trophy
  • UK to lead the way in testing driverless cars
    July 20, 2015
    The UK government has launched a US$30 million competitive fund for collaborative research and development into driverless vehicles, along with a code of practice for testing. The measures, announced by Business Secretary Sajid Javid and Transport Minister Andrew Jones, will put the UK at the forefront of the intelligent mobility market, expected to be worth US£1.4 trillion by 2025. The government wants bidders to put forward proposals in areas such as safety, reliability, how vehicles can communicat
  • A carbon free and accident free Europe by 2015?
    February 2, 2012
    By 2050, the Europe Commission aims to make transport in Europe carbon- and accident-free. Between now and then, however, a significant technological development and deployment effort is needed. Here, Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, talks about what's being done. In many respects, COOPERS, CVIS and SAFESPOT, set up by the European Commission (EC) to explore the potential of cooperative infrastructure systems, are already legacy projects. Between them, the three devel