Motorists across North Texas could soon see smarter traffic signals as transportation authorities look for ways to reduce congestion without adding new roads.
Regional officials are investing more than $11 million in technology designed to make existing roads safer and more responsive. The projects are intended to address transportation problems that cannot be solved by adding new lanes or widening intersections.
The program was originally approved for $8.7 million, but the Regional Transportation Council authorized an additional $2,543,400 on Aug.13, bringing the total funding to $11,243,400.
Proposed technology improvements include systems that allow emergency vehicles to receive signal priority as they cross city boundaries.
“When traffic signals provide priority for emergency vehicles, these requests are short and traffic signals along a primary corridor can get back into coordination with a few traffic signal cycles to not cause a major delay in traffic while ensuring a patient gets transported quickly and safely to a hospital,” said Natalie Bettger, senior program manager for the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
Other technology improvements include advanced signals that adjust timing based on incoming traffic and railroad-crossing systems that alert motorists when a train is blocking a crossing.
Bettger said qualifying cities would receive different systems depending on their eligibility, considering things such as the city’s technology readiness level and willingness to share performance data with the council. Primary criteria items included innovative approaches to solving transportation needs, regional investments and public/private partnerships.
The cities that met these requirements are Frisco, McKinney, Allen, DeSoto, Duncanville, Cedar Hill, Denton, Arlington, Fort Worth and Southlake.
Frisco, McKinney, Allen, DeSoto, Duncanville and Cedar Hill will receive emergency vehicle preemption, while Southlake will upgrade traffic signals to use smart intersection technology.
Denton plans to deploy traffic-monitoring and traffic-calming technology along roads identified as having high concentrations of collisions.
Arlington will deploy smart rail technology and traffic sensors along its high injury roadways.
Fort Worth plans to make safety improvements as part of the city’s project on East Berry Street from Interstate 35W to Miller Avenue through smart traffic signals and detection technology.
Implementation is set to begin in 2027, with no defined end date. Bettger said local jurisdictions would be in charge of maintaining the equipment once it is installed.