Delaware’s Department of Transportation is getting a boost from the federal government to upgrade its Artificial Intelligence Transportation Management System.
DelDOT has been developing this system with light sensors and cameras since 1997.
Officials say the nearly $5 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation will go towards bolstering DelDOT’s digital infrastructure and running pilot programs to test it out.
“It will mean being able to change out some of the signal controllers to higher-type controllers, it will involve some installation of some cameras as well as installation of some of the communication systems needed to support this,” said Don Weber, DelDOT’s Assistant Director of Traffic Operations and Management.
Weber adds his agency is trying to develop a system capable of detecting problems on the roadway before a human operator can.
“The current format of it is essentially a map of the state. If it detects an anomaly, an icon on that screen pops up and currently flashes red. Operators are able to click on that. When they click on that, all of the surrounding traffic cameras that we own will come up on their screen so they can start seeing visually what is happening,” he said.
Weber adds as a traffic incident occurs the new system will inform motorists via the DelDOT app and other media platforms.
“I think it’s key to our ability to detect and respond to incidents is our ability to broadcast our information as quickly out to the motoring public,” he said.
Weber says the new system will also be able to predict the flow of traffic and use traffic volume algorithms to set the timing of traffic lights.
He says the current prototype version of DelDOT’s Artificial Intelligence Enhanced Integrated Transportation Management System, or AIITMS, will go live soon and grant-funded improvements will take place over the next three years.
Pilot projects to test the digital infrastructure are planned for the I-95 corridor and at Delaware’s beaches.
