Skip to main content

California DOT implements smart corridor

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) recently completed a smart corridor project on State Route 12 in Solano, Sacramento and San Joaquin counties, and I-5 in San Joaquin County. The project utilises intelligent transportation system (ITS) technology for five electronic message signs and four closed-circuit TV cameras to provide drivers with up to date travel information, enabling them to choose an alternate route in the event of congestion or roadway incidents.
October 14, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
The 923 California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) recently completed a smart corridor project on State Route 12 in Solano, Sacramento and San Joaquin counties, and I-5 in San Joaquin County.

The project utilises intelligent transportation system (ITS) technology for five electronic message signs and four closed-circuit TV cameras to provide drivers with up to date travel information, enabling them to choose an alternate route in the event of congestion or roadway incidents.

"This technology will make these highways safer for everyone and provide motorists real-time information they can use to make smart choices and steer clear of traffic incidents, roadwork, and bad weather," said Caltrans director Malcolm Dougherty.

This project is not Caltrans' first use of ITS technology to create smart corridors. Recent similar projects include a US$80 million project on I-80 in the Bay Area, which will better sync traffic signals with on-ramp meters and computerised highway signs to assist with rush hour traffic once completed; the San Mateo Smart Corridor project, in which ten San Mateo cities have partnered to deliver electronic message signs to guide drivers through detour routes during incidents, sensors to provide traffic volume information, and closed-circuit TV cameras to allow users to see traffic flow; and the creation of QuickMap, an ITS innovation that allows the public to access images from about 1,000 freeway cameras and see messages posted on more than 700 electronic highway message signs.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Iteris wins $1m traffic SaaS contract in California
    March 14, 2024
    Ventura County Transportation Commission will use product to improve regional mobility
  • Making the case for ALPR in enforcement
    February 2, 2012
    Federal Signal's Brian Shockley uses examples from around the world to make the case for the greater use of automatic license plate recognition technology in the US. It is time, he says, to consider the possibilities of a national network and the use of average speed enforcement
  • Real time information delivers safer work zone
    January 31, 2012
    Beginning in June 2011, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) began replacing 14 deteriorated bridge superstructures on Interstate 93 throughout the city of Medford. The project has been called the 93 FAST 14, and because of its impact on the travelling public Mass DOT has implemented the use of Smart Work Zone technology.
  • Use of ITS technology grows more prevalent in safety applications
    January 30, 2012
    Transportation agencies and governments are using ITS technology to protect critical infrastructure from terrorist attack and other threats to economic security and public safety. Andrew Bardin Williams reports. It is no secret that we live in a potentially dangerous world. Terrorism as seen on 9/11 in the United States, subsequent attacks in London, Moscow and Madrid and other acts of violence across the developing world have made vigilance the watchword for ensuring security. Key infrastructure is now bei