Skip to main content

ITS upgrade for George Washington Bridge

The electronic highway signage system and field devices that provide real-time travel information for the 300,000 daily users of New York’s George Washington Bridge are to undergo a major overhaul in a US$65.1 millio0n project. The Port Authority of New York has approved the project to replace the intelligent transportation system (ITS) which includes the upgrade and replacement of 11 existing variable message signs and the installation of seven new ones; the installation of a new overhead sign structure
June 29, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The electronic highway signage system and field devices that provide real-time travel information for the 300,000 daily users of New York’s George Washington Bridge are to undergo a major overhaul in a US$65.1 million project.

The Port Authority of New York has approved the project to replace the intelligent transportation system (ITS) which includes the upgrade and replacement of 11 existing variable message signs and the installation of seven new ones; the installation of a new overhead sign structure; the upgrade and replacement of fixed message signs; the replacement of variable message signs, vehicle detectors, traffic cameras, travel time readers and a weather information station.

The bridge's ITS system feeds traffic data to TRANSCOM, a consortium that operates a regional traffic management system and provides information to all member agencies for radio reports, highway signs, traffic apps and other means of disseminating traffic information.

"Moving people and goods smoothly and safely through the region is our primary mission," said Port Authority chairman John Degnan. "Utilizing the latest technology to better manage traffic congestion at our bridges and tunnels plays an important part in that effort."

"The Port Authority's facilities are critical to moving people and goods throughout the region," said Port Authority vice chairman Scott Rechler. "Today's action to employ this intelligent transportation system will help move the 300,000 commuters that cross the world's busiest bridge everyday and reduce congestion throughout the region."

The project is due to begin in the fourth quarter of 2017 and be completed by the second quarter of 2020.

Related Content

  • Egis Projects-Sanef consortium sign second major ORT operations contract in Canada
    April 2, 2012
    A consortium composed of Egis Projects and Sanef has signed a contract for the operation of the Port Mann Bridge open road tolling (ORT) project in the Metro Vancouver Area, Canada. The largest transportation infrastructure project in British Columbia history, it includes doubling the capacity of the bridge and widening the highway from Vancouver to Langley, a distance of 37 kilometres. Once complete, it will reduce travel times by up to 30 per cent, and save drivers up to an hour a day. The new bridge will
  • Trafik Stockholm uses data gathered from Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to alleviate congestion
    November 20, 2017
    Trafik Stockholm (TS) has chosen Blip Track technology from Denmark-based Blip Systems to alleviate congestion on the city's road by providing live traffic information via real-time and historical travel flow data from road users’ Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices. Travel times are continuously updated in line with the behaviour of road users so that by considering their route and the time they depart, they can help to reduce bottlenecks and keep traffic moving. The technology provides a birds-eye view of the
  • Transurban announces preferred contractor for NorthConnex
    March 18, 2014
    Melbourne-based toll-road operator Transurban Group has announced that the consortium Lend Lease Bouygues is set to design and build the Sydney, Australia, NorthConnex tunnel link between the M1 and M2 motorways in the city’s northwest. The nine kilometre, 80 km/h tolled link involves two motorway tunnels, built with a three lane capacity for future growth but initially marked for two lanes each way. It provides the missing link in the National Highway Network and offers a safe and more efficient way of
  • Monitoring, detection and control systems inside tunnels can do much to improve traveller safety
    August 6, 2013
    ITS technology can do a great deal to improve tunnel safety, as Colin Sowman discovers. It was back in April 2004 that the European Parliament adopted the EU Directive which lays down the Minimum Safety Requirements for Tunnels in the Trans-European Road Network (2004/54/EC). This was the first unitary legislation setting minimum safety standards for European road tunnels and was designed to harmonise the management of tunnel safety at a national level. Operators of existing tunnels have until 30 April 201