The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will begin work the week of October 14 on a $24 million Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) network in Northwest Florida. The network will include 183 traffic cameras, 17 overhead message signs, 135 microwave vehicle detectors, 40 travel time sensors, three road and weather information sensors and eight highway advisory radios.
Construction crews will begin with the installation of the fiber optic infrastructure for the high speed communication network along a 158-mile section of I-10 from State Road 87 in Santa Rosa County to U.S. 90 in Gadsden County. The network will also extend 56 miles along U.S. 231 from the Alabama State line to Bay County. Installation will begin at the I-10/U.S 231 interchange and proceed east and west along I-10 and north and south on U.S. 231. In addition, a new regional transportation management center will be established at the FDOT District Three headquarters in Chipley.
The ITS network will provide a platform of technologies that will greatly improve incident response times. Personnel will be better able to detect incident locations and severity and ensure all needed emergency responders and equipment are dispatched to an incident scene. The overhead message signs and highway advisory radios will alert travelers as they approach an incident and allow them time to seek an alternate route.
Most of the fiber optic infrastructure installation will take place off the roadway and impacts to traffic will be minimal. However, motorists should be alert for the presence of construction crews, vehicles and equipment. The project is scheduled for completion in spring 2015.
All planned construction activities may be rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. For Escambia County-specific news and information, follow @MyEscambia on Twitter. For more information about FDOT projects, follow the Florida Department of Transportation District Three @myfdot_nwfl.
