Young Consultants Award: Monroe County Department of Transportation ITS Camera Deployment and Systems Integration Evaluation

Institute of Transportation Engineers. ITE Journal, Dec 2007 by Croce, Michael T

In the 2007 Young Consultants Award paper, the author discusses the Monroe County, NY, USA, Department of Transportation (MCDOT) ITS Camera Deployment and Systems Integration Evaluation. In the late 1990s, MCDOT initiated a project to integrate intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies into its traffic management infrastructure to improve traffic operations throughout the city of Rochester, NY and along the County's arterial roadways. The regional traffic operations center, opened in 2002, was a direct result of that effort. Until recently, MCDOT lacked real-time visual traffic surveillance capability at that facility. That need is being addressed under the ITS Camera Deployment and Systems Integration Project. During the first phase, five closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera deployments were made. Installation began in September 2004, with construction and acceptance testing completed in February 2005. In 2006, MCDOT completed an evaluation of these initial five CCTV installations. That effort satisfied a Federal Highway Administration requirement and was necessary to receive federal funding for future phases of the project.

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

Since 1985, the Monroe County, NY, USA, Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has built upon the success of its first computerized traffic signal system. In the late 1990s, MCDOT initiated a project to integrate intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies into the traffic management infrastructure in an effort to improve operations throughout the city of Rochester, NY and along the County's arterial roadways.

As a direct result of that effort, the regional traffic operations center (RTOC) was opened in 2002. The RTOC is a joint transportation facility financed by the Monroe County Department of Aviation (MCDA), MCDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Today, RTOC tenants include MCDA, MCDOT, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and the New York State Police (NYSP).

NYSDOT, MCDOT and NYSP share a common area for dispatch and system monitoring functions. A large video display wall serves as its centerpiece. This display visually integrates each agency's respective systems.

One specialty of the RTOC is highway incident and emergency response. NYSP is the primary response unit for expressway-related incidents; NYSDOT and MCDOT each have deployable resources and remote control of traffic signals and highway message signs. Togedier, the team provides on-site investigation; maintains traffic flow both at die scene and on adjacent routes; and disseminates information as needed to ensure a high level of public safety.

Although NYSDOT had earlier deployed closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras covering major expressways throughout the Rochester region, until recently MCDOT lacked similar realtime visual capability. To address this need, MCDOT undertook the ITS Camera Deployment and Systems Integration Project.

This effort resulted in die study, selection, location and installation of various ITS devices to improve its traffic management service to the community. Communication and integration plans also were developed and implemented. Initially, five CCTV deployments were made within Monroe County:

* East Avenue/Win ton Road, University/ Winton Road and Wintoh Road/Norris Drive/Interstate 490 interchange

* Westfall Road and South Clinton Avenue

* Elmwood Avenue and Mt. Hope Avenue

* West Main Street and Brown Street/ Genesee Street/Chili Avenue

* Winton Road/Erie Canal Bridge

These five "phase 1" camera locations cover seven of 32 high priority intersections. They provide balanced coverage on die west, south and east sides of the city of Rochester and town of Brighton. They also complement existing O'Rorke Bridge cameras along with the NYSDOT CCTV system and its planned extensions.

Phase 1 was bid and awarded for $279,338.10 in summer 2004. Construction began in September 2004, followed by acceptance testing in January and February 2005. The project was complete and accepted by MCDOT in February 2005, with operation beginning shortly thereafter. A 120-day observation test period followed and concluded in August 2005.

A key element of the project involved the integration of new field devices with existing legacy systems in use by the various agencies. This was a requirement to obtain federal funding. The project supported integration goals set forth by the NYSDOT Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS). Monroe County's new field devices utilize an existing network of fiber optic lines owned by NYSDOT and Monroe County Pure Waters (MCPW) for communication to the RTOC. Because MCDOT and NYSDOT operate side by side in the RTOC, NYSDOT can easily access camera images from the county and vice versa.

The primary objectives of the initial MCDOT CCTV deployments were to;

* Facilitate incident management.

* Facilitate traffic signal management.

* Enhance intersection monitoring.

* Advance integration with other agencies.

The secondary objectives were to: