FHWA Traffic Research Program

While highways are not always the best means to accomplish all transportation tasks, they must always be made as efficient as possible. Getting the most out of highway plant through electronics can be much more economical than physical highway expansion. Several such developments can help existing highway plant do more, do it more safely, and assist the motorist too. Intersection TV surveillance can lead to reduction of urban intersection accidents. TV surveillance is also applied to certain expressways. Merging control systems can help motorists enter expressway traffic smoothly and safely, and improve expressway efficiency. A large installation is being made in Chicago. Two types of display for merging control are being tested near Boston. Traffic sensing and control in real time by computers can improve urban traffic flow. Such a system, to be tested in downtown Washington with Urban Mass Transportation Administration cooperation, will include bus priority arrangements. Electronic route guidance can help guide drivers to their destinations, redistribute traffic over alternate routes to reduce congestion, and solve other routing problems.