Virginia plans smart road tech for I-66
Sunday - 7/24/2011, 8:44am ET
Hank Silverberg, wtop.com
WASHINGTON - Building roads can be expensive and sometime within existing communities, almost impossible, but there may a solution with better management of the existing roads.
It's called an "Active Traffic Management System" that Virginia is now exploring for I-66.
Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton says the state has allocated millions of dollars that will be spent over the next few months.
"We're going to be looking at what we can do on I-66 - both inside the beltway and outside the beltway."
The Active Traffic Management System will cost about $32 million, using mostly federal funds.
The system includes more traffic cameras, display boards and even sensors to alert both drivers and road monitors of delays and bottlenecks. The monitors will provide quicker response to crashes and breakdowns.
There are also plans to open shoulders for extra lanes when needed and changing ramp meters to better deal with traffic congestion.
Supporters of the plan say success may depend mostly on how motorists respond to the changes.
A public hearing is set for Thursday, July 28 at 6 p.m. at VDOT's Northern Virginia District office on Alliance Drive in Fairfax County.
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