A new pilot program will be live by the end of the month thanks to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). The "SMART Corridor" pilot program will improve the commute on Interstate 24 between Murfreesboro and Nashville.
This is the first time this technology is being used in Tennessee. It will gather data on traffic, relaying it to 67 structures TDOT constructed over a nearly 30-mile stretch of I-24.
The structures over the interstate will have screens hanging over each lane, informing drivers if the lane is open, if they need to prepare to merge because of an upcoming obstruction or accident, and how fast traffic is moving.
“I think this is something that we’ve really been working toward; it’s something that could really change the way we manage traffic in Tennessee,” said Rebekah Hammonds, TDOT Community Relations Officer.
According to Hammonds, the "SMART Corridor" is almost ready, and by the end of the month it will be ready to go.
Hammonds said the pilot program's goal is to improve safety.
“What our goal is, is to reduce those secondary crashes. If someone can see that something’s happening up ahead, they’re not going to be maybe focused on your phone or GPS or talking to their passenger,” said Hammonds. “They’ll see the gantry and they’ll see the variable speed limit; they’ll know that there’s already a slowdown; it’s not going to come out of the blue for them.”
The program will also make commutes more predictable.
“Let’s say it’s rush hour, you know that you’re not normally able to go 75 miles per hour, right?…But the variable speed limit will be displayed on the gantry and you can actually see the accurate representation and reflection of how fast people ahead of you are going,” Hammonds explained.
TDOT will roll out these corridors across the state if the pilot is successful.
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Source: WKRN.com
