Residents and visitors will now have a more vivid look into traffic patterns around the “Show Me City” as staff recently launched a new travel map on the City’s website: http://bit.ly/2yvl2hS.

“It’s a real-time speed map of the City’s roadways that includes vehicle travel times, the Dynamic Message Signs, and still photos of the City’s closed-circuit television cameras,” said Kevin Cummings, Traffic Operations Manager. “We can also include planned construction and/or lengthy accidents that may cause delays.”

The Travel Map is the final phase of the Intelligent Traffic Systems project that began in late 2017. The overall cost of the project was $1.2 million; the funding was 80 percent through the Texas Department of Transportation and 20 percent through the City.

The map includes all major corridors in the City, including US Highway 90A, Texas Parkway, Cartwright Road, FM 1092, Highway 6, Sienna Parkway and Fort Bend Parkway.

“State Highway 6 also serves as an evacuation route and the posting of travel times and critical messages in real-time are imperative to the community’s preparation and travel during major events,” Cummings said. “Motorists across the region can now view the new transportation map on the City’s website before travelling to see how area traffic is flowing and to prepare accordingly.”

In order to process accurate travel times, the map uses Bluetooth devices that collect Media Access Control addresses through drivers’ toll tag identifications. The ID’s are analyzed through an algorithm that is based on roadway speed limits and vehicle speed limits. This helps determine how quickly drivers get from one point to another point along a route.

City staff monitor the map and cameras throughout City limits from the Traffic Management Center located in the Public Works Service Center. If there is a major event such as a parade or construction, or an accident occurs, staff can add road closures to the map as well as to area Dynamic Message Signs.

“This public awareness informs commuters about transit patterns as they are happening in real-time and enables drivers to plan ahead, which ultimately increases traffic flow efficiency,” Cummings said. “This project was another step to keep our citizens informed and safe on the City’s main corridors.”

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