Mira Mesa Phase I Adaptive Traffic Control System
Location
City of San Diego – Mira Mesa Community
City or County Responsible for Project
City of San Diego
Category
Safety or Intelligent Transportation System Projects
Author
Eddie Flores
City of San Diego
1010 Second Av, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101
619-533-3761
619-533-3131
Project Description
Mira Mesa Phase I adaptive traffic control system, activated in Summer 2016, is the City of San Diego’s most complex system deployment. Project goal is to improve traffic flow, reduce travel times, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance safety in one of the most traffic-congested communities in San Diego. To meet these goals, the City of San Diego selected the most advanced adaptive traffic control system currently on the market: InSync. Mira Mesa Phase I adaptive traffic control system deployment was designed to tie into initial InSync deployments on Lusk Boulevard, which involved nine intersections and public/private funding. Successful deployment of the Lusk Boulevard system, which reduced travel times by 24 percent, reduced stops by 61 percent, and reduced fuel consumption by 24 percent, caused the City to expand use of adaptive traffic control systems, including to other intersections in west Mira Mesa. This new effort, Mira Mesa Phase I, involves installing InSync adaptive traffic control system at 11 additional intersections, including three intersections controlled by California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Mira Mesa Phase I system initially created new challenges, including implementing a larger Ethernet network; coordinating with another agency, Caltrans; higher average daily traffic (ADT) of 42,000 vehicles (compared to Lusk Boulevard, 10,000 ADT); and installing at a high-traffic volume intersection with frequent railroad pre-emptions during the peak hours. The City of San Diego’s team designed and repurposed existing traffic signal interconnect cables to create a robust Ethernet network that could carry adaptive traffic signal system data. The two short communications gaps that existed between signals on Scranton Road were bridged using high-capacity Ethernet radios with HD video transfer capabilities. The project was completed by the City’s Special Projects team in less than two months! In an example of excellent interagency collaboration, the City of San Diego and Caltrans staff established the framework for future City of San Diego-Caltrans ITS projects, which is a streamlined permit/deployment process that will greatly benefit the San Diego region. Currently, travel times along two primary commuter routes in the area have improved by over 20 percent, with a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption. Along Mira Mesa Boulevard, rapid bus routes receive the benefit of InSync’s transit signal priority (TSP) treatment to ensure that these buses are on time. The intersection of Sorrento Valley Boulevard and Sorrento Valley Road is operating at a high-efficiency level that has never been seen before. The City of San Diego’s Mira Mesa Phase I adaptive system is leading the way in effective use of advanced real-time adaptive traffic control systems in the region and will greatly reduce travel times for thousands of commuters, resulting in positive impacts to commuters’ quality of life.
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