Cell Phone technology To Improve Traffic Monitoring, Traveler Information
JEFFERSON CITY – Want to know about traffic backups developing ahead of you? How about a live Web site showing which highways are most congested? By using cell phone signals to monitor traffic flow, the Missouri Department of Transportation is bringing this state-of-the-art technology to Missouri highways.
When data starts arriving in February, MoDOT will become the nation’s leading provider of real-time traffic information on the state’s busiest highways. The service contract was approved Dec. 2 by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.
“We’re very excited to bring this technology to Missouri,” said MoDOT Director Pete Rahn. “Missouri motorists will be better informed than anyone else in the country on which roads to use and how long the drive will take.”
Through a contract with National Engineering Technology Corporation, MoDOT will get data from cell phones driving on the state’s 5,500 busiest miles of roads – generally interstates and numbered routes. Any cell phone that’s turned on is sending constant signals to the nearest cell tower. By timing how long it takes to get from one tower to the next, travel time and average speed can be determined.
Cell phone information MoDOT receives will be completely anonymous. No calls are monitored,and no phone numbers or customer names are identified. “We insisted on complete protection of the public’s privacy in our contract,” Rahn said. “MoDOT will only receive anonymous data such as average speeds and travel times, which we'll use to monitor traffic flow.”
Within six months, the traffic information will be available on a Web site that will show travelers average speeds on all major highways, and where congestion is expected. Later, the data will be put to use on electronic message boards that will display travel times to specific destinations, based on up-to-the-minute traffic information. Interstates 70 and 44 across the state, as well as locations throughout the St. Louis and Kansas City metropolitan areas, will use the message boards.
“In effect, we’re equipping Missouri travelers to do their own traffic management,” Rahn said. “They’ll have some of the same tools we have and can receive the latest traffic data either before they leave their homes or as they’re driving.”
The data will also help MoDOT pinpoint future highway improvements. Using the new data to i dentify frequently congested areas, planners and engineers will be able to put funds where they’re needed most.
The dramatic cost savings is another benefit. At $6.2 million for two years, the cell phone system provides traffic monitoring at a fraction of the price of traditional methods. “MoDOT, like any transportation agency, must monitor traffic flow to do its job well,” said traffic engineer Michelle Teel. “We currently use methods such as cameras at high-traffic areas, and sensors embedded in pavement. These methods are expensive, with new gear to buy, maintain and replace.
“But with this new technology we’ll be able to cover many more miles of highway without any new equipment. We’ll be using information that’s already out there.”
MoDOT estimates that o ver the long term, the cell phone technology will cost less than one-sixth of the cost of traditional methods of traffic detection.
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Editor’s note: Recorded comments from MoDOT Director Pete Rahn are available on MoDOT’s sound bite service at 1-866-847-7173 or at www.modot.org/newsroom.
