Skip to main content

Arizona DOT upgrades camera system

Arizona’s traffic operations centre was built more than twenty years ago; the first traffic camera was installed over Interstate10 in 1990. That’s all changed now thanks to a recent US$2.1 million upgrade of the camera system by Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) which replaced cables with fibre optic lines, so the cameras now show fresh images every ten seconds rather than every five minutes. The upgrade has also replaced the 32 video screens in the traffic operations centre, enabling staff to sca
February 22, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Arizona’s traffic operations centre was built more than twenty years ago; the first traffic camera was installed over Interstate10 in 1990.

That’s all changed now thanks to a recent US$2.1 million upgrade of the camera system by 6576 Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) which replaced cables with fibre optic lines, so the cameras now show fresh images every ten seconds rather than every five minutes. The upgrade has also replaced the 32 video screens in the traffic operations centre, enabling staff to scan up to 160 images simultaneously.

Information from the cameras is used provide drivers with the most accurate travel times on the changeable signs above some freeways and to manage incidents and deploy first responders, Highway Patrol cars or tow trucks.

“Now, the system will help give users a much better, accurate story,” said Darrell Bingham, ADOT’s project manager on the upgrade. “The benefit to drivers will be more information when they need it the most to avoid congestion and make informed decisions during their commute.”

Last year, almost 9.4million visitors went to ADOT’s traffic site at az511.gov to check the cameras - nearly 26,000 visits a day from people who rely on the cameras to plan their trips. Travellers can get up-to-the-minute travel times, road conditions and alerts via the web or by calling the toll-free 511 number. The online service gives the added benefit of live traffic footage.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Intersection collision avoidance system trial
    January 31, 2012
    Although much of the emphasis of research into intersection management has tended to concentrate on the needs of urban locations, there remain specific issues pertaining to rural intersections which need to be addressed. Here, Rebecca Szymkowski and Greg Helgeson, Wisconsin DOT, Todd Szymkowski, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Craig Shankwitz and Arvind Menon, University of Minnesota detail progress on an intersection collision avoidance system for more remote locations.
  • What's next for transport communication systems?
    February 2, 2012
    Moxa Americas, Inc.'s Charles Chen ponders the way forward for transportation communications networks in the US
  • Brigade steals a march on camera market
    March 8, 2024
    AI Connected Dashcam is dual camera system using AI tech to provide event warnings
  • Bluetooth and Wi-Fi offer new options for travel time measurements
    November 20, 2013
    New trials show Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals can be reliably used for measuring travel times and at a lower cost than an ANPR system, but which is the better proposition depends on many factors. Measuring travel times has traditionally relied automatic number plate (or licence plate) recognition (ANPR/ALPR) cameras capturing the progress of vehicles travelling along a pre-defined route. Such systems also have the benefit of being able to count passing traffic and have become a vital tool in dealing with c