Skip to main content

Remote-monitoring system helps keep Arizona city moving

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has installed a wireless communication system allowing technicians in Phoenix to monitor conditions and adjust signal timing accordingly on State Route 347 through Maricopa. The system has a series of infrared and video cameras installed at each SR 347 intersection, allowing an ADOT technician in Phoenix to see exactly what is happening and modify the length of traffic signals to improve traffic flow. Another part of the system automatically monitors tra
December 8, 2016 Read time: 1 min
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has installed a wireless communication system allowing technicians in Phoenix to monitor conditions and adjust signal timing accordingly on State Route 347 through Maricopa.

The system has a series of infrared and video cameras installed at each SR 347 intersection, allowing an ADOT technician in Phoenix to see exactly what is happening and modify the length of traffic signals to improve traffic flow.

Another part of the system automatically monitors travel times between intersections using wi-fi signals, such as those from smartphones. That anonymous information can alert ADOT technicians to delays.

Similar systems are used to remotely monitor traffic signals in Nogales, along State Route 77 in the Tucson area and in the Phoenix area.

The technology was installed this past summer in Maricopa. Over the coming months, researchers from the University of Arizona will evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the system.

Related Content

  • February 3, 2012
    Healthy prospects for floating vehicle data systems
    Elmar Brockfeld, Alexander Sohr and Peter Wagner from the German Aerospace Center's Institute of Transport Systems look at the prospects for floating vehicle data systems. Although Floating Vehicle Data (FVD) or probe vehicle fleets have been around for about a decade, the idea behind them is of course much older: from probe vehicles that flow with the traffic it should be possible to get a precise, fast and spatially near-complete picture of the prevailing traffic flow conditions in an area under surveilla
  • March 9, 2015
    Putting a stop to intersection indecision
    David Crawford takes a look at innovations to reduce crashes at rural intersections. Intersection crashes continue to represent a worryingly large share of deaths and serious injuries across US highway networks. Statistics from the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration show that an average of 21% of road traffic accident deaths occur at crossings. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) calculates that intersection crashes account for 48% of all injury-related i
  • February 3, 2012
    Reducing detection costs benefits intersection management
    The continuing, favourable performance-versus-cost situation concerning detection and monitoring technologies is driving the proliferation of intelligence across road networks. The effective and safe management of intersections is a focus for network operators and systems manufacturers alike. The most complicated of road environments, and statistically among the least safe, intersections enjoy particular emphasis in longer-term work on cooperative infrastructure solutions. However there are current developm
  • October 13, 2020
    Hikvision passes history exam
    Hikvision technology is being used in the ancient walled city of Xi’an, historical seat of the Tang Dynasty, to boost traffic flow – and it seems to be helping in China’s new high-tech hub