Skip to main content

NDoT bets on AMS to help Vegas traffic flow

Nevada Department of Transportation (NDoT) has installed 42 active traffic management signs (AMS) in Las Vegas to provide real-time information to drivers on crashes.
By Ben Spencer April 21, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
Predicting journey times can be a gamble in Las Vegas (© Valentin Armianu | Dreamstime.com)

NDoT says the LED signs will also provide information about speed limit changes and lane restrictions, thereby improving safety and traffic flows by reducing differential travel speeds and the likelihood of secondary crashes.

The signs have been installed along the north and southbound Interstate 15 between Russell Road and Washington Avenue as well as along US Highway 95 between Valley View and Las Vegas Boulevards as part of Project Neon. 

Variable speed limits located on the right of the sign override the typical speed limit to improve traffic flow through congested areas. 

On the left of the lane, the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) signs can be changed and opened to general traffic when at least two lanes of traffic are closed to help traffic flow around a crash or workzone. 

In this scenario, the HOV sign will display 'Open to All', which temporarily allows all vehicles to legally cross the double white line to use the HOV lane. 

Lane control arrows and 'X's located across the top of the sign structure will be activated based upon roadway conditions and traffic demands. 

A yellow 'X' with the word 'Caution' will be posted above the lane if a driver needs to proceed carefully while also displaying 'merge' if a motorist needs to prepare to merge due to a lane closing, the department adds. 

A red 'X' saying 'Closed' will be posted above the lane if it is off-limits to traffic. Once the lanes are available to drivers, a green arrow will display 'Open' above all lanes. 

 

UTC

Related Content

  • October 19, 2016
    Illinois implements smart tollway
    The new US$2.5 billion Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) in Illinois, US, covers 62 miles and features reconstruction and expansion to eight lanes on one section along with significant improvements to seven interchanges and bus-on-shoulder service along the eastern segment. In addition, the new I-90 includes flexible infrastructure to enable the tollway to add new smart features and future transit expansion, including active traffic management (ATM) on a portion of the roadway to make I-90 safer and mo
  • February 1, 2012
    Progressing work zone safety systems
    David Crawford investigates progress in a key safety area - work zones. Highway construction zone safety is taken seriously enough in the US to merit a special spring National Work Zone Awareness Week, which in 2010 ran from 19-23 April. Headed by the US Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), this aims to reduce an annual toll of work zone deaths - 720 in 2008 (an average of one every 10 hours) with more than 40,000 traffic injuries (an average of one every 13 minutes).
  • February 6, 2012
    Progressing work zone safety systems
    David Crawford investigates progress in a key safety area - work zones
  • October 2, 2018
    Congestion pricing - no such thing as a free ride
    The widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles is likely to increase congestion, many experts believe. But Wes Guckert of Traffic Group believes that tolling could provide the answer. While it is still hard to wrap your head around the idea of getting into a vehicle without a driver, the industry is now used to hearing, reading, participating in the advancement of autonomous vehicles (AVs). Those in the industry have heard about Uber delivering a shipment of Budweiser, or the convoy of driverless trucks