This Tuesday, the City of Falls Church, in collaboration with Virginia Tech’s Transportation Institute (VTTI) Division for Technology Implementation, officially kicked off the first phase of the Smart Cities Program. Smart Cities will leverage advanced technologies to address the City’s and community’s transportation needs.
The $10 million technology investment for intersection modernization and smart intersection deployment will implement innovative technologies from VTTI and be administered by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the City. The grant will be strategically utilized to: Conduct a comprehensive analysis of the City’s and community’s specific needs, identify and select cutting-edge technologies that can effectively address these needs, and implement these technologies in a real-world environment within the City, to evaluate the impact of these technologies on the environment, safety, and quality of life from the residents’ perspective, and to develop foundational standards for future Smart City initiatives.
Being a testbed for Smart Cities technology is an exciting opportunity for the City of Falls Church to gain capabilities like signal timings that change based on real-time roadway conditions, smart intersections that can detect pedestrians, and adaptive street lighting that dims based on twilight hours, environmental conditions, and motion.
Falls Church Mayor Letti Hardi said, “This innovative technology will improve pedestrian safety, reduce conflicts between vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists with cars, improve traffic flow and congestion, reduce energy usage, and lower maintenance costs. Innovations like these come at a pivotal moment for Falls Church as we continue making big investments in a more walkable, bikeable, and safer City.”
Virginia Tech’s Transportation Institute is located adjacent to Falls Church near the West Falls Church Metro station. It participates in the investigation of transportation-related requirements, selection of vendor solutions, development of hardware and software solution components, systems integration, data collection, data analysis, performance analysis, and cost/benefit estimation.
F.C. City Council member David Snyder, who has represented Falls Church on regional transportation-related bodies, stated, “This is a tangible example of the commitment of the city, the region and elected officials to deploy technology to improve transportation for our residents, businesses and visitors, regionally and specifically in the City of Falls Church.”
The VTTI plan, as presented at Monday’s box unveiling at the intersection of W. Broad and Virginia Ave., was shared to a gathering of three dozen participants by project manager Reg Viray.
He spoke on behalf of the VTTI and the “unique collaboration that aims to turn Falls Church into a model for smart city development, setting an example not just for the Commonwealth of Virginia but for communities nationwide,” he said.
Viray added, “As we embark on this journey, Falls Church is positioned to become a living learning laboratory, constantly adapting to the ever-evolving technological landscape. This initiative allows us to establish a foundational infrastructure that enables rapid deployment and integration of new technologies.
“At the heart of this initiative is innovation—innovation that bridges the gap between government, academia, and industry. With VTTI serving as the leading implementor and independent evaluator, our research will critically assess whether these technologies offer improvement over the status quo, ensuring that each step is data-driven and impactful for residents.
“With this collaboration, the project promotes knowledge sharing among stakeholders, including VDOT, the City, and localities, ensuring that the lessons learned and model deployments can be applied across Virginia.
“Our Smart City program is built around the core components of: Transportation System Infrastructure Improvements, Smart Intersections, Adaptive Lighting, and Smart Parking. These components are essential in creating a city that is not only technologically advanced but also more efficient and responsive to the needs of its residents.
“Transportation System Infrastructure Improvements will upgrade existing systems to the state of the art, Smart Intersections will streamline traffic flow and make roadways safer, adaptive lighting will improve safety while conserving energy, and smart parking will make finding a parking spot easier and more efficient.
“Specific to our event today, we are introducing modern signal controllers equipped with software designed to meet both current and future roadway needs. These controllers will not only address today’s challenges but also support the integration of connected and automated vehicles, ensuring that Falls Church is prepared for the transportation technologies of tomorrow.
“All intersections will be connected through a secure communications network, allowing for real-time data exchange across multiple channels, from fiber to cellular. This network forms the backbone of our Smart City, enabling centralized control and monitoring of intersections.
“Our central signal management system will empower city staff with innovative tools that allow them to work smarter, not harder. This system provides centralized command and control capabilities, with real-time alerts prompting staff of issues while providing information on the current health of intersection equipment. This proactive approach enables quick resolutions, streamlines operations, and ensures that our traffic signals are always operating at peak efficiency.
“The smart intersection equipment we’re deploying will lead to improved traffic flow, with coordinated and adaptive intersections working seamlessly across the roadway network. More importantly, we are committed to enhancing safety as we work towards Vision Zero. With smart intersection data, we will have the tools to understand the factors that precipitate conflicts between vulnerable road users and vehicles. Empowered with this data, we can make informed design decisions to implement countermeasures that result in safer intersections for everyone.
“This project will be rolled out in three phases: Phase 1 began this summer and will be completed by early Fall 2024. This includes the setup of our signal control shop test bench and nine intersections. Phase 2 goes from Fall 2024 through Spring 2025, we will continue upgrading intersections along the remaining portions of Broad Street. Phase 3, finally, goes from Spring 2025 to Fall 2025, as we will extend these upgrades to the remaining intersections on Washington Street.”
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Nicholas F. Benton
Quelle/Source: Falls Church News-Press, 15.08.2024
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