Traff ic data network grows
Cameras, electronic message boards added on major New York roads
Nearly 300 electronic message boards and traffic cameras have been added along major highways statewide, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this week. They boost the total number of cameras tied to the state Department of Transportation’s management centers to 1,150 and the number of message boards to 550.
The public has access to them through the 511Ny.org website.
Many of the cameras and electronic message boards are concentrated along the New York State Thruway. Others are along the Adirondack Northway and interstates 81, 84, 86, 88 and 490. In the Capital Region, state Route 7 and interstates 787 and 890 also have them. The Thruway also has an additional 25
portable variable-message signs that can be deployed any where along its 570 miles of highway to provide fresh information to travelers about weather and other conditions.
The system enhancements, the governor said, are meant to improve communication with travelers and make their trips safer, while alerting them to such issues as heav y snowstorms and crashes.
“Severe weather events are happening with increasing frequency and these new electronic message signs and traffic cameras will give motorists the most up-to-date information on road conditions and traffic,” the governor said in a press release announcing the enhancements. “Creating a 21st-century transportation system isn’t just about building new roads and bridges; it’s about giving drivers timely information so they can make informed decisions and arrive at their destinations safely.”
The new equipment may also have law enforcement applications.
“The new electronic signs and cameras are a welcome addition that will enhance the ability of State Police and our partners at DOT and the Thruway Authority to manage traffic and weather incidents and communicate effectively with motorists,” said State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett. “This project supports our shared mission of prioritizing safety first.”
The signs and cameras are more recent tools to monitor traffic along the state’s major thoroughfares. In the 1960s, emergency phones were installed along remote sections of the Northway so that motorists could call for assistance. The phones would be answered at State Police barracks along the route.
And most travelers now have their own mobile phones, although cell signals can occasionally be spotty in rural areas.
The Thruway Authority also offered updated weather conditions on maps posted at toll plazas. But the plazas will soon be a thing of the past as electronic tolling replaces human toll collectors.