USA
Bridge Formula investment program of $27 billion
Traffic Technology Today
14.01.2021
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has launched its historic Bridge Formula replacement, restoration, conservation, protection and construction program, made possible by President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure law.
The program represents the largest specialized investment in bridges since the construction of the interstate highway system: $26.5 billion will be provided to the states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico over five years and $825 million for transportation facilities for tribes.
In fiscal year 2022, the program, which will be managed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), will provide $5.3 billion to the states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and $165 million to the tribes. The FHWA has also published initial guidance on the new program.
It is expected that about 15,000 automobile bridges will be repaired throughout the country as part of the Bridge Formula program.
The bipartisan infrastructure law includes an incentive for states to direct funds from the new "Bridge Formula" program to bridges owned by municipalities. While states, as a rule, must cover no more than 20% of the costs of implementing projects with federal funding, the published guide notes that federal funds can be used to cover 100% of the cost of repairing or rehabilitating bridges owned by municipalities.
The bipartisan Infrastructure Act is a unique investment in infrastructure that will contribute to the growth of the economy, increase the competitiveness of the United States in the world, create jobs and ensure the sustainability of the transport system. Specifically for FHWA, the bipartisan Infrastructure Act allocates more than $350 billion over five fiscal years to ground transportation programs.
FHWA has released the first tranche of funding for the Bridge Formula program for the states for fiscal year 2022 in addition to the program guidelines. For the bridge map, see https://infobridge.fhwa.dot.gov / and in the section "Financing and conditions of the "Bridge Formula" USDOT program by state". For BFP funding from state to state for fiscal years 2022-2026, see State-by-state BFP funding Fiscal Years 2022-2026.
New data channel on road works
Traffic Technology Today
12.01.2021
One.network, a provider of a real-time traffic management and event information platform, announced that the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has approved its Road Works Data Exchange Channel (WZDx) for use by transportation agencies and any interested parties who accurate and timely information about road works is required.
From now on, the company will create a WZDx channel for free for any American agency that asks for it.
"In traffic management, the exchange of accurate and timely information with the widest possible audience is of key importance. We have the technology to create these channels and configure them for agencies within a few days, which allows agencies to save money and time," said Adam Graham, product director of one.network.
The one.network WZDx web channel is designed to transmit as many data streams as the agency needs to complete the task.
Each WZDx channel will include comprehensive data on planned activities in the road works area, which will allow drivers to avoid hazards and agencies to contribute to the national repository of information on road works coordinated by the FHWA. GPS navigation apps including Google, Waze and TomTom, connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) apps, organizations and regional authorities will all have access to WZDx channels.
According to one.network, its commitment to providing free channels is the first and only initiative of its kind since WZDx was a concept.
According to the FHWA website, the WZDx data exchange allows infrastructure owners and operators to provide consistent road work data for use by third parties. The goal is to make travel on public roads safer and more efficient through universal access to data on ongoing work. In particular, the project aims to transmit data on road works on board vehicles in order to simplify the management of automated driving systems and drivers."
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation is transferring three toll roads to an electronic toll collection system
Traffic Technology Today
12.01.2021
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) has selected Kapsch TrafficCom (Kapsch) to convert the three remaining toll roads owned by NHDOT to a fully electronic toll collection System (AET).
This project expands the scope of Kapsch's work, originally contracted in 2015, under which Kapsch equipped the NHDOT toll booths in Hampton and Hooksett with the AET system.
The points that Kapsch will translate to AET are located in Dover, Rochester and Bedford, and each of them will have a single portal architecture containing all the charging equipment. The Kapsch nVDC stereoscopic video sensor will run License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras, supporting vehicle detection and classification. The Kapsch VRX camera will facilitate charging for vehicles that do not have a transponder.
Drivers will no longer need to stop, slow down or change lanes at any point on these five road sections to pay their tolls, which will help improve traffic congestion and vehicle emissions. As part of the project, Kapsch will also improve its existing multiprotocol reading devices (MPR2.3) at NHDOT toll collection sites, which will allow the agency to process all toll collection protocols and contribute to achieving the goal of national fee compatibility.
Kapsch is a leading provider of electronic toll collection systems worldwide and has been providing NHDOT products and services through the E-ZPass Group since 2005.
LYT reveals the results of the V2X technology research on transport prioritization
Traffic Technology Today
11.01.2021
At the TRB 2022 annual Meeting in Washington, DC, LYT, a company dedicated to solutions for smart connected transportation technologies, announced the results of a recent study on transit prioritization V2X, which made important conclusions for improving prioritization systems.
LYT gathered feedback during an online survey conducted in early December 2021, during which more than 3,000 industry representatives were asked questions about transit system networks and priority-setting technologies currently in use.
According to the survey results, the majority of respondents who use transit prioritization technologies said that they observe improvements in the timeliness of their transit network.
Many respondents who have yet to implement public transport prioritization technologies said they are considering such an opportunity, but 27% are looking for a suitable technology provider; 26% want to make sure that the budget is drawn up correctly; and 15% are looking for private partners for financial assistance.
"Finding the right partner who can implement the right system for prioritizing modes of transport is of paramount importance for the success of each transport network," says Timothy Menard, CEO and founder of LYT. "Identifying a partner who has a successful experience in implementing technologies and successfully using data exchange is in many cases even more important than finding a budget."
Those respondents who currently use public transport prioritization technologies reported experiencing a number of disappointments. Seventy-one percent of respondents stated that their current electronic data provider does not allow the integration of transit vehicle data with other systems. Perhaps this is because, according to 60% of respondents, their current suppliers of automatic vehicle location detection or other electronic data rely on hardware owned by their company and unavailable to other manufacturers.
89% of respondents are disappointed that their current providers do not allow cross-data exchange.
France
AI Optibus public transport management platform expands with new Paris office
Traffic Technology Today
11.01.2021
Optibus, an artificial intelligence-based software platform for optimizing public transport, is expanding its presence in Europe by opening its first office in Paris, France.
Optibus uses a robust combination of algorithms, artificial intelligence and distributed cloud computing. Optibus cloud system becomes faster and service efficiency increases thanks to Optibus' ability to quickly generate multiple scenarios and find optimal service offerings that also reduce emissions, costs and improve traffic safety.
The opening of the Optibus Paris office is consistent with the Macron government's call for French citizens to use more sustainable forms of mobility, including public transport, as well as with the growing need of the transport industry for flexible planning, scheduling and registry tools.
Headed by Optibus Regional Director in France, Murad Ashour, the Paris office will focus on developing solutions for clients and partners in France and French-speaking countries.
"Increasing the use of public transport is a matter of both political will and technological capabilities," says Ashur. "There is such a will in France. Now Optibus software will implement advanced processes to improve service efficiency, which will lead to an increase in the number of passengers and reduce pollution levels."
"More efficient and affordable transportation is necessary for people to transfer from cars to public transport," said Dave Joshua, Optibus General Manager for Europe, Middle East and North Africa. "We are pleased to start the new year by strengthening our work with the French public transport industry and becoming part of this important stage in the history of public transport in France."
Optibus is used by customers in more than 500 cities around the world, including global operators such as Transdev, Keolis and RATP Dev, as well as French operators Avenir Atlantique and Vectalia France. The Optibus software platform is designed for users of any degree of training, which allows all agencies and operators to quickly master the optimization capabilities of Optibus.
"The efficiency gains achieved with Optibus could revolutionize bus transportation in France," says Thomas Boudon, Director of Strategic Accounts for EMENA at Optibus. "We will work hard to ensure that the entire industry has access to advanced Optibus technologies."