Navigating Atlanta out of Congestion

Atlanta’s regional Intelligent Transportation System is a dream that is becoming a reality.  In the mid-1990s, the City of Atlanta, the Federal Highway Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation launched a $145 million project to build a state-of-the-art regional transportation management system upgrading the existing Traffic Control System (TCS).  The City of Atlanta’s TCS began three decades ago, growing from a few dozen signals to the new Advanced Transportation Management System (ATMS) system that will ultimately include all of the City’s 890 traffic signals.  As Mayor, I am proud that Atlanta is at the forefront of technology implementation to meet our future transportation challenges.

During the first phase of this project, we rebuilt field equipment infrastructure such as traffic signal controllers, poles, heads, and communications hardware.  Almost 500 traffic signal intersections were modernized during this phase.  These systems (now called NaviGator) have laid the foundation for a comprehensive multi-modal network, and will provide support for many City functions such as public safety, planning, and emergency operations.  The new ATMS puts numerous technologies into service, including video surveillance, ramp metering, High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane operations, and the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Currently, the Atlanta Transportation Control Center (ATCC) has central system control for over 600 traffic signals.  The system monitors traffic signal locations for proper timing and synchronization, and reports problems with traffic signal controllers.  Incident detection and management technologies are used for freeway operation.  Vehicle sensors imbedded in the freeway pavement can monitor the flow of traffic and any unusual vehicle activity is reported to central operators.  Using video surveillance, an operator can verify incidents, and can select the appropriate system management strategy.  They can alert drivers of conditions downstream and display alternative routing using changeable message signs.  This system also benefits surface street operation.  When freeway congestion occurs, drivers tend to use surface streets as alternate routes.  With better incident detection and management, these technologies can help minimize this spillover effect.

The second phase of the NaviGator project is now under way.  This phase includes further integration of ITS technologies into all modes, expanding the current system with more devices, extending the communications network, enhancing current systems to provide more information and including more transportation and governmental agencies in the system.  For example, the Metropolitan ITS Integration Project (MITSI) integrates data from the NaviGator ATMS, the City of Atlanta 911 Center, and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).

Though predicting future transportation trends is a challenge, we do know that traffic demands will increase.  Our job is to prepare for this by building smart, flexible systems that can accommodate these dramatic changes.

Mayor Bill Campbell is an acknowledged expert on transportation issues, and serves as chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Transportation and Communications Committee, as well as Chair of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Environment and Land Use Committee.