Skip to main content

New Mexico installs its first adaptive signal system

Work has begun on a US$343,000 project to install the first adaptive signal control system in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, to improve traffic flow along Alameda Boulevard, which has one of the highest traffic flows in the county. The system is a designated set of traffic signals that effectively communicate with each other and adapt to the traffic flow, reducing the frequency of red lights when traffic volume is high to improve overall traffic flow. County commissioner Lonnie Talbert said: “Up to 50,000 v
May 24, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Work has begun on a US$343,000 project to install the first adaptive signal control system in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, to improve traffic flow along Alameda Boulevard, which has one of the highest traffic flows in the county.

The system is a designated set of traffic signals that effectively communicate with each other and adapt to the traffic flow, reducing the frequency of red lights when traffic volume is high to improve overall traffic flow.

County commissioner Lonnie Talbert said: “Up to 50,000 vehicles per day travel along Alameda.  This system will improve their overall travel time on a daily basis.”

The county will install video detection cameras and the program software for the adaptive signal control system at seven major intersections to collect real-time traffic flow information. The information will be used to optimise the signal timing based on real-time traffic conditions throughout the day. Peak hour traffic flow will be improved by adjusting the green times to improve overall traffic flow while not significantly increasing the wait times on the side streets.

The recent installation of thousands of feet of fibre-optic cable helped to establish the county’s own infrastructure for voice and data communications, which will allow the county to remotely operate and monitor the system from its traffic operations office.

The system is expected to be fully activated by the beginning of September.

Related Content

  • March 9, 2016
    Adaptive Signal Control – More Than Meets the Eye
    Planned roadway improvements prompted the use of Adaptive Signal Control around Madison – a move that has proved successful as Scott Langer explains. Madison, Wisconsin’s state capital and second largest city (after Milwaukee), is the county seat of Dane County and home of the University of Wisconsin. With affordable housing, nationally ranked schools, one of the best healthcare systems, low unemployment and thriving cultural and community events, last year Madison topped Money magazine’s ‘Best Places to Li
  • 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.
  • August 23, 2021
    Shorter queues with SRL’s Multiphase ADS 
    Multiphase ADS – adaptive detection system - was independently modelled by Ian Routledge Consultancy.
  • August 1, 2017
    Miami-Dade selects Econolite to upgrade ITS, traffic management
    Following a successful pilot in 2016, which demonstrated significant mobility improvements, including a reduction in travel time and traffic congestion hours, Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) in Florida has selected Econolite’s intelligent transportation system (ITS) to upgrade the County’s traffic signals. As part of the County’s ongoing infrastructure modernisation program, Econolite will install technology and solutions, including adaptive signal control technology