ATSSA Signal July/August 2019

American Traffic Safety Services Association 18 Innovation & New Programs The queuewarning systems are beneficial all year round but we have found themto be extremely useful during construction season in the warmermonths. The more innovative traffic control devices and countermeasures are de- veloped, the stronger the communica- tion between these devices and road- way infrastructure becomes. A number of Departments of Transportation (DOT) utilize integrated systems, specifically queue warning and detection systems, to make roadways safer. In Alabama, a project involving the road widening of I-20/I-59 in Tuscaloosa was causing incidents on the roadway such as traf fic congestion, delays, and crashes. The Alabama Department of Transportation (ADOT) responded by installing a queue warning and detec- tion system using cameras, radar, Blue- tooth detection devices, and message boards. “The great benefit of the system is that it reduces the amount of rear-end crash- es and gets information to motorists immediately,” ADOT Public Information Officer John McWilliams said. “The data gathered also enables adjustments to traffic control plans and provides a saf- er work zone for workers and the trav- eling public.” In Iowa, Tim Simodynes of the Iowa De- partment of Transportation’s (Iowa DOT) Office of Traffic Operations, said the state has a statewide work zone Intelli- gent Transportation System (ITS) pro- gram, in which all devices are connected to the state’s Traffic Management Cen- ter (TMC), where center managers can view and control all of Iowa’s intelligent work zones. “From the transportation department side, it has been an advantage to know what is going on in our work zones so we can prepare motorists to use extra caution,” Simodynes said. “If there is an incident or delay, the TMC is made aware and will notify the DOT and dis- trict staff, allowing the DOT to address those situations more quickly than waiting for a police report or to hear from the public.” Warning How DOTs are using queue warning and detection systems to help motorists