Located just 50 miles northeast of Colorado’s state capital in Denver, Greeley, CO is investing in a state-of-the-art fiber optic traffic system to decrease congestion and increase traffic flow.
The city received $3 million in federal funds to lay nearly 50 miles of fiber optic cables. The cables link 85 traffic signals equipped with cameras so that real-time road conditions are captured and transferred to a central management center in only seconds. This helps improve timing and coordination on major city streets.
“We’ve been making a lot of strides bringing the system up to the 21st Century,” Eric Bracke, Greeley traffic engineer told the Greeley Tribune. “The system has worked absolutely smooth as silk.”
By installing fiber optic communications, a city’s signal system and roadways benefit from added reliability and functionality. One advantage of the interconnected system is the development and optimization of peak-hour traffic timing plans.
Greeley isn’t the only city laying fiber optic cables to improve traffic conditions. In 2013 alone, St. Paul, Minnesota, Memphis, Tennessee, Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Glendale, California have laid cables so fiber optic communications serve as a backbone to a central traffic management system.
In the Florida panhandle, a design team is working on a 158-mile fiber optic network that will run from Pensacola to Tallahassee. The project will offer nearly full coverage of the interstate corridor, with connectivity between travel time sensors, highway advisory radio systems, and road and weather information sensors.
GeoTel Communications can assist cities like Greeley that are looking for ways to improve city services through broadband communications. GeoTel Communications’ fiber maps and broadband maps can be utilized to analyze existing infrastructure and make informed decisions when it comes to laying fiber optic networks. We offer custom-made fiber maps based on client requests, as well as a variety of other telecom data products. Give us a call at 407.788.8888 to learn more!
