Electronic signage installation begins August on the I-80 corridor between Richmond and Emeryville to improve safety and reduce congestion.
Beginning in August, a very visible portion of the I-80 SMART Corridor Project (also called the Integrated Corridor Mobility Project) will begin. Eleven overhead sign frames (gantries) will be installed over the westbound lanes on I-80 from Richmond to Emeryville. The gantries will hold the variable speed messaging signs and lane use signal signs, which will provide advance warning of accidents, merges or speed changes. Installation will require full freeway closures in the westbound direction – but only during the middle of the night. Installation will be complete this summer and system integration will occur later this year. The overhead signs and other intelligent transportation system technologies throughout the corridor and connecting arterials, including smart ramp meters, will all be turned on simultaneously in mid 2015.
“Alameda CTC has been on the forefront of bringing high-tech transportation solutions to improve traffic in the region,” says Alameda CTC Executive Director Art Dao. “Not only did Alameda CTC provide local Measure B dollars for the this important project, but we were also responsible for advocating and securing more than $67 million in state funding (from voter approved Proposition 1B) in 2007 — the lion’s share of the project’s funding — to relieve traffic and reduce accidents in this heavily used and congested I-80 corridor.”
The I-80 SMART Corridor Project is a partnership between Alameda CTC, Caltrans and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, and was developed in collaboration with the nine cities and two transit agencies along the corridor.
To view a video about all of the Intelligent Transportation Technologies that will work in unison once the project is activated in mid 2015 and to learn about project benefits and construction updates, visit: http://80smartcorridor.org/
