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

  • January 4, 2016
    Arizona chooses consortium for its largest-ever highway project
    The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has selected Connect 202 Partners as the preferred developer for its first highway public-private partnership, the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. The consortium includes Fluor Enterprises, Granite Construction and Ames Construction, with Parsons Brinckerhoff as the lead designer. The South Mountain Freeway will be constructed with four lanes in each direction - three general-use lanes and one HOV lane - and includes modern features including rubberised
  • March 23, 2015
    I-80 Smart Corridor sets the ITS standard for California's Bay Area
    Colin Sowman looks at California’s ‘smartest’ road which will open this spring to counter congestion and accidents on one of the Bay Area’s busiest interstates. Interstate 80 (I-80) is one of the busiest roads in the San Francisco Bay area with up to 270,000 vehicles using the corridor every day. The section between the Carquinez Bridge in Crockett and the Bay Bridge not only suffers congestion during the working week but also at weekends. Traditional remedies such as building additional lanes (there are al
  • March 23, 2015
    I-80 Smart Corridor sets the ITS standard for California's Bay Area
    Colin Sowman looks at California’s ‘smartest’ road which will open this spring to counter congestion and accidents on one of the Bay Area’s busiest interstates. Interstate 80 (I-80) is one of the busiest roads in the San Francisco Bay area with up to 270,000 vehicles using the corridor every day. The section between the Carquinez Bridge in Crockett and the Bay Bridge not only suffers congestion during the working week but also at weekends. Traditional remedies such as building additional lanes (there are al
  • May 18, 2018
    Joining the dots: four ways to help cities make the connection
    Smoothing the path to connected transportation systems in urban areas all round the world takes a lot of planning: Cisco’s Kyle Connor lays out the four key areas on which he thinks cities should focus. Forward-thinking cities around the world are exploring innovative, new ways to leverage the Internet of Things (IoT) and related technologies to create more connected and efficient transportation systems. Through greater digitisation and connectivity, cities can optimise public transit routes, reduce