FHWA targets border congestion with technology

To reduce delays at US border crossings in New York, Michigan and Washington, the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has awarded US$256,470 for the use of innovative new technology that will provide information on wait times at border crossings and help manage delay by giving truckers advance notice of crossing conditions. FHWA’s Border Wait Time Deployment Initiative is designed to accelerate the adoption of innovative technology, such as sensors, to measure delay an
June 6, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
To reduce delays at US border crossings in New York, Michigan and Washington, the 324 US Department of Transportation’s 831 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has awarded US$256,470 for the use of innovative new technology that will provide information on wait times at border crossings and help manage delay by giving truckers advance notice of crossing conditions.

FHWA’s Border Wait Time Deployment Initiative is designed to accelerate the adoption of innovative technology, such as sensors, to measure delay and wait times at land border ports of entry. The program supports the collection and dissemination of real-time traveller information to improve the reliability of goods movement across these borders.  

Under the initiative, FHWA will provide US$100,000 to the 1780 New York State Department of Transportation for its Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge, along with funding of US$95,920 to the 1688 Michigan Department of Transportation for technology at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel Crossing with a grant. FHWA will also award US$60,550 to the Whatcom Council of Governments (WCOG) in Whatcom County, Washington, for the Booth Integration project. All of these research projects will use dynamic message signs and advance traveller information systems to convey the border wait times.

In recent years, trucker wait time and unexpected delays have been identified as an impediment to the free flow across the border, and the FHWA has undertaken several research initiatives aimed at measuring border delays at major land-border crossings.
Urban Traffic Control Air Quality & Weather Systems

Related Content

  • Figures show Express Lanes bring wider benefits
    August 12, 2015
    Drivers in the Washington DC area are realising time savings following the opening of Express Lanes on the I-95 - and not only those paying to use the new facility. Washington is ranked as being the worst gridlocked city in the United States. Every day its drivers face an average commute time of 39.5 minutes and they waste an average of 67 hours every year just sitting in traffic. In a move to counter these problems, late last December new Express Lanes were opened along 46.6km (29 miles) of the I-95 betwee
    Read More
  • Section speed enforcements gains global converts
    October 26, 2017
    As the benefits of section speed enforcement are becoming clearer, the technology is gaining converts worldwide. Colin Sowman reports. America’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for urgent action from both road authorities and the federal government to combat speeding which has been identified as one of the most common factors in motor vehicle crashes in the United States. This new call follows the publication of a safety study which found that between 2005 through 2014, 31% of all
    Read More
  • Professional training key to the future of ITS
    May 21, 2012
    A substantial portfolio of resources is available and expanding, to help employers and professionals build essential skills for current and future needs – the ITS Professional Capacity Building Program. Pete Goldin reports. The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) views ITS as key to the future of transportation, as is evident from the department’s ITS Professional Capacity Building (PCB) program. This is a further manifestation of USDOT’s commitment to ITS. The PCB program provides anyone in the transpo
    Read More
  • Satellite based goods vehicle tracking comes a step closer
    March 15, 2012
    A project aimed at proving the viability of satellite-based goods tracking in Europe has come to a close – establishing everything necessary for commercial services to flourish. A landmark stage was reached in tracking of goods across Europe in December last year, with conclusion of the Scutum project – ‘Securing the EU GNSS adoption in transport of dangerous materials’. This has validated the accuracy and reliability of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) for goods tracking and se
    Read More

Highlighted Content