Illinois DOT deploys BlueTOAD to monitor road speeds on Eisenhower Expressway

Illinois DOT (IDOT) has deployed BlueTOAD by TrafficCast to monitor travel times and road speeds during the resurfacing of the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290) through the Fall of 2010.

Delcan Corporation administers the IDOT Traffic System Center (TSC) and has integrated BlueTOAD travel times. Through the TSC, IDOT communicates directly to drivers, through postings on overhead signs and the regional traveler information website at www.gcmtravel.com (Gary-Chicago-Milwaukee Corridor Transportation Information). The TSC also supports road network management and congestion mitigation.

Chicago-area road speeds and travel times are usually derived from inductive loop sensors embedded in expressways. These are disabled for the duration of the Eisenhower resurfacing project. With its independent operation on the cellular network, BlueTOAD enables IDOT to maintain the communication of vital driver information throughout the project, when extensive congestion and delays are likely. It is anticipated that the units will be redeployed on other projects when the Eisenhower is completed.

BlueTOAD combines advanced wireless technology with sophisticated data processing to directly measure travel times and route behaviors. The roadside device detects anonymous identifications used to connect Bluetooth technologies such as hands-free headsets and audio syncing. The related BlueTOAD operating system calculates travel times by analysis of timestamps on subsequent detections in passing vehicles. The BlueTOAD name is an acronym for Bluetooth Travel-time Origination And Destination.

23 July 2010