Texas Department Of Transportation Officials To Launch 'Smart Work Zone' At South Austin Site

SOUTH AUSTIN, TX -- Texas Department of Transportation officials are installing a "smart work zone" as part of their Mobility35 improvement project designed to alert motorists of the scope of work ahead on their commutes.

"When drivers see barricades, orange barrels and flashing arrows, they know a highway work zone is going to affect their trip," TxDot officials explained in a news advisory. "But what they don’t know is by how much? The answer will soon be as plain as the sign in front of them."

To that end, crews will be installing a "smart work zone" on the Mobility35 initiative along Interstate 35 between Stassney Lane and William Cannon Drive in South Austin. The technological system will be fully functional on Friday (Sept. 30), officials said, adding that it will provide real-time travel information and message signs to alert drivers to be aware of the impacts of highway construction.

The "smart work zone" features side scanning microwave radar that detects vehicle movement and sends data to a central processor, officials said. The equipment then translates the information received into speeds and travel times through the work zone through changeable message signs in order to advise drivers about detours, lane conditions, delays, or other important information, officials added.

“This tool provides drivers with real-time information on traffic conditions in and around the work zone,” Austin District Engineer Terry McCoy said in a prepared statement. “Drivers can now make informed travel decisions on whether they want to proceed through the work zone, exit onto the frontage road, or choose to take an alternate route around the work zone. This helps alleviate work zone-related congestion and improves safety for motorists and workers.”

Eight portable work zone devices will be installed at various locations throughout the Stassney/William Cannon project, officials said. Each device has a high definition closed circuit camera mounted on a 30-foot mast pole to provide live views of the project and traffic conditions, they explained.

The images will be streamed for monitoring and use to TxDOT staff at the Combined Transportation Emergency Communications Center, according to TxDot officials.

Data collected from the system will allow the project team to identify and address problem areas within the work zone, such as analyzing the impact that traffic switches or construction have at different locations within the project, or enabling easier identification and clearance of incidents when they occur so emergency services can be sent to the scene faster, officials said.

The system will be active full time for the duration of the project, TxDot officials noted.

“With I-35 in central Texas being one of the most congested highways in Texas, we have to keep looking for ways to manage traffic throughout this corridor,” McCoy said. “Knowing there is no one single strategy to reduce traffic by itself, we’re taking an ‘everything including the kitchen sink’ approach to improve mobility and communication on I-35.”

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