MDOT and Taiwan collaborate on Michigan ITS demonstration project

 August 25, 2011 -- Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) engineers are collaborating with engineers at the Institute for Information Technology in Taiwan on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) research. First announced in October 2010, the research is demonstrating new technologies for in-vehicle wireless communication systems that give drivers timing information about signalized intersections even before a signal comes into view. Drivers could use this information to adjust their speeds to pass safely through a green phase of the signal without stopping.

With system support from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and Hubbell, Roth and Clarke, Inc., Taiwanese engineers provided the software and hardware and configured a communications system. Testing equipment was installed by the Road Commission for Oakland County at two intersections: Long Lake and Telegraph roads, and Hickory Grove and Telegraph roads.

After a week-long team effort to install, calibrate and test the system, MDOT successfully demonstrated the technology in early August. The communication system - known as a Dedicated Short Range communication (DSRC) - allows almost real-time communication of signal phase and timing (SPaT) or red, green and amber phase changes directly to a vehicle approaching an intersection from up to 1,000 feet away. The demonstration also showed that signal phase and timing can be communicated at longer distances using cellular communication.

"This collaboration is only one example of the Connected Vehicle initiatives MDOT is working on to improve traffic flow and safety," said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. "We'll be showcasing Connected Vehicle technologies this fall in Detroit at the October 2011 conference of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)."

"This project is an excellent example of how MDOT can leverage global expertise to solve today's transportation problems," said Steve Cook, the MDOT operations engineer managing the project. "Our ability to form non-traditional public-private partnerships will help determine the future of Connected Vehicle initiatives here in Michigan that will make travel better, faster, cheaper, safer and smarter."

The August testing complements an earlier initiative with the U.S. Department of Transportation to place similar communication devices at 22 intersections along Telegraph Road in Oakland County from 9 Mile Road to 13 Mile Road begun in 2010 and completed in 2011.

Since 2005, MDOT has been a leader at the national and international levels in the research, development and deployment of Connected Vehicle technology, a program of the U.S. Department of Transportation to advance connectivity among vehicles and roadway infrastructure in order to significantly improve the safety and mobility of the U.S. transportation system. This includes significant investment in and support of test facilities, including Connected Vehicle test facilities in Auburn Hills, Farmington Hills, Southfield and the Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Brooklyn.

More information is online at www.michigan.gov/mdotvii.