Seattle's 'Smarter Highways' recognised by ITS America

The Seattle Smarter Highways initiative has been recognised by ITS America with a Smart Solution Spotlight award for using innovative technology to create a safer, cleaner, more efficient and sustainable transportation system.
January 31, 2012 Read time: 3 mins

The Seattle Smarter Highways initiative has been recognised by 560 ITS America with a Smart Solution Spotlight award for using innovative technology to create a safer, cleaner, more efficient and sustainable transportation system. Last week, 451 Washington State Department of Transportation  (WSDOT) unveiled new high-tech message signs on Interstate 5 that deliver real-time traffic information to drivers and adjust speeds based on traffic conditions. 

“As public agencies are being asked to do more with less, the Smarter Highways initiative is a great example of how technology can improve highway efficiency, reduce crashes and ease frustration for area commuters without having to build costly new infrastructure,” said ITS America President and CEO Scott Belcher.

Similar initiatives in Europe have resulted in 30 per cent fewer injury collisions, and this project is one of the first deployments in the United States. Using real-time traffic speed and volume data gathered from pavement sensors, WSDOT has deployed 97 electronic overhead signs stationed every half-mile along I-5.  Depending on traffic conditions, drivers will see variable speed limits, lane status alerts, and real-time information about traffic incidents, backups and alternate routes.  Future plans call for ITS technology to be installed on other major travel corridors in the congested Seattle region, including I-90, SR 520 and I-405.

The system automatically adjusts speed limits based on real-world traffic conditions, with staff at WSDOT’s traffic management centre continuously monitoring traffic conditions and making necessary adjustments, including closing lanes as needed to help emergency personnel respond quickly to crashes and other incidents.  In additional, the signs provide advance notice of lane mergers and closures, allowing drivers to change lanes ahead of time or exit the highway to avoid traffic jams.  By knowing in advance about lane closures and traffic back-ups, drivers have more time to adjust their speed and reduce the risk of rear-end collisions.

From 2005 to 2009, there were an average of 434 collisions each year on the seven-mile stretch of northbound I-5 between Boeing Access Road and I-90.  Two-thirds (or 287) of these collisions were rear-end crashes typically caused by congestion that could potentially be avoided by alerting drivers in advance about traffic back-ups.

“It’s exciting to see this leading edge technology in place and watch it respond dynamically to traffic on one of our busiest corridors” said WSDOT Division Director Craig Stone. “Drivers are paying attention to the information displayed on the signs and are following the directions.  The system has only been active a few days but so far, we are pleased with it.”

The new technology is a key element of WSDOT’s congestion relief programme, Moving Washington, and will help manage traffic during major construction on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, one of the most heavily travelled north-south routes for freight and commuters through the Seattle area.

Air Quality & Weather Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Data holds the key to combating VRU casualties
    May 8, 2015
    Accident analysis software can help authorities identify common causes and make best use of their budgets, as Will Baron explains. More than 1.2 million people die on the world’s roads each year and according to the World Health Organisation, half of these are pedestrians and vulnerable road users (those whose vehicle does not have a protective shell, such as motorcyclists and cyclists). While much has been done to improve road safety and cut the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads, a great d
    Read More
  • TM 2.0 boost TMC data feed and driver influence
    November 15, 2017
    TM 2.0 views connected vehicles and V2I as two-way communications channels, benefitting traffic management and drivers, as Alan Dron discovers. As connected vehicles are progressively rolled out there will come a point at which traffic managers and traffic management centres (TMCs) will have to gear up to cope with a rapidly-evolving road scenario. The TM 2.0 Platform (see box) is promoting a concept of new-generation traffic management (which carries the same TM 2.0 title) and is studying how future T
    Read More
  • Latest ITS technology upgrades India's toll systems
    November 13, 2012
    An ambitious programme of new and upgraded interoperable toll systems has been launched in India, featuring far-reaching technology developments. David Crawford reports. In April this year, Indian Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways CP Joshi inaugurated a new era of electronic toll collection (ETC) in India when he unveiled the country’s first RFID-based tolling installation. This was at a recently-completed plaza at Chandimandir, near the city of Panchkula in the northern state of Haryana. The sys
    Read More
  • Kapsch TrafficCom: 'The city is not made for cars'
    October 22, 2018
    Traffic can be a really big challenge. When you’re stuck, you’re stuck. Everything comes to a standstill. But Alexander Lewald describes how existing infrastructures can be used more efficiently and how demand can be managed. A few figures to start with: in Los Angeles, the average driver spends 102 hours a year in traffic – that’s more than four days. This figure is 91 hours in Moscow and New York, 74 in London, 69 in Paris, 51 hours in Munich and still 40 hours in Vienna. Traffic is what causes
    Read More

Highlighted Content