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

  • September 16, 2016
    Flir's compact smart city sensor for traffic monitoring
    Flir’s new compact TrafiOne sensor for traffic monitoring and dynamic traffic signal control uses thermal imaging and optional Wi-Fi tracking to provide data on the flow of vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians at intersections and in urban environments.
  • December 8, 2021
    AWS finds new solutions
    Forward-thinking public agencies are turning to a new breed of solutions provider to address current traveller needs. They work with system integrators, independent software vendors, and consultants to innovate using Amazon Web Services (AWS) to improve traffic safety, construction project management, analytics and reporting, and secure identification. Phil Silver, a state and local government transportation leader at AWS, provides examples of how builders on AWS are transforming transport using technology
  • June 3, 2016
    Flir showcases new TrafiOne smart city wireless sensor
    Flir Systems will be launching the Flir TrafiOne Smart City Sensor, an all-round detection sensor for traffic monitoring and dynamic traffic signal control. Offered in a compact and easy-to-install package, the system uses thermal imaging and wi-fi technology to provide traffic engineers with high-resolution data on vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians at intersections and in urban environments. The Flir TrafiOne sensor uses thermal imaging to detect the presence of pedestrians and cyclists who are approac
  • March 11, 2015
    Keeping a watching brief over traffic flows
    Monitoring traffic flows is set to become an even bigger challengebut a revolution in camera technology can help, as Patrik Anderson explains. By 2025 almost 60% of the world’s population will live in urban areas and in those cities there will be an estimated 6.2 billion private motorised trips every day. In order to manage this level of traffic growth, traffic management centres (TMCs) will need to both increase their monitoring capabilities and be able to detect traffic problems quickly, efficiently and r