{"id":75675,"date":"2011-04-04T14:30:52","date_gmt":"2011-04-04T14:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/article\/project-fail-safe_o"},"modified":"2011-04-04T14:30:52","modified_gmt":"2011-04-04T14:30:52","slug":"project-fail-safe_o","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/projects\/infrastructure\/project-fail-safe_o\/","title":{"rendered":"Project fail-safe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<div class=\"image-carousel\"\n\trole=\"region\"\n\taria-roledescription=\"carousel\"\n\taria-label=\"Image carousel\"\n\tdata-total-slides=\"3\"\n\t>\n\n\t<div class=\"image-carousel-top\">\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"carousel-counter\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"current-index\">1<\/span>\n\t\t\tof\t\t\t<span class=\"total-count\">3<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"image-carousel__hero-wrapper\">\n\t\t<button class=\"carousel-prev\"\n\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Previous slide\"\n\t\t\t\ttype=\"button\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"carousel-main\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"carousel-slide active\"\n\t\t\t\t\tid=\"carousel-slide-0\"\n\t\t\t\t\trole=\"tabpanel\"\n\t\t\t\t\taria-roledescription=\"slide\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Slide 1 of 3\"\n\t\t\t\t\taria-hidden=\"false\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- Load the first image immediately at full size -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1251-2etmp-tcm111-1353325.jpg?w=265\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsrcset=\"https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1251-2etmp-tcm111-1353325.jpg 400w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1251-2etmp-tcm111-1353325.jpg?resize=217,300 217w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1251-2etmp-tcm111-1353325.jpg?resize=265,367 265w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1251-2etmp-tcm111-1353325.jpg?resize=128,177 128w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1251-2etmp-tcm111-1353325.jpg?resize=82,114 82w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1251-2etmp-tcm111-1353325.jpg?resize=95,131 95w\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsizes=\"(max-width: 265px) 100vw, 265px\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\talt=\"Sugar Land&#039;s wireless \u201cbackbone.\u201d Existing water towers and buildings were used for all but one of the High Sites that make up the 11 GHz backbone. Fiber optic links connect the wireless backbone to the city&#039;s existing local area network. The backbone forms a ring so that if a link is \u201cbroken,\u201d the data can flow the other direction. Images: Civitium Inc.\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-caption=\"Sugar Land&#039;s wireless \u201cbackbone.\u201d Existing water towers and buildings were used for all but one of the High Sites that make up the 11 GHz backbone. Fiber optic links connect the wireless backbone to the city&#039;s existing local area network. The backbone forms a ring so that if a link is \u201cbroken,\u201d the data can flow the other direction. Images: Civitium Inc.\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"carousel-slide hidden\"\n\t\t\t\t\tid=\"carousel-slide-1\"\n\t\t\t\t\trole=\"tabpanel\"\n\t\t\t\t\taria-roledescription=\"slide\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Slide 2 of 3\"\n\t\t\t\t\taria-hidden=\"true\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- Lazy load other main images with data-src to be loaded only when needed -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1252-2etmp-tcm111-1353329.jpg?w=334\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsrcset=\"https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1252-2etmp-tcm111-1353329.jpg 400w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1252-2etmp-tcm111-1353329.jpg?resize=273,300 273w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1252-2etmp-tcm111-1353329.jpg?resize=334,367 334w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1252-2etmp-tcm111-1353329.jpg?resize=161,177 161w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1252-2etmp-tcm111-1353329.jpg?resize=104,114 104w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1252-2etmp-tcm111-1353329.jpg?resize=119,131 119w\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsizes=\"(max-width: 334px) 100vw, 334px\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\talt=\"Traffic signals are the yellow diamonds. Green indicates the water towers and other locations where an 11-GHz Motorola Solutions radio is installed. The red line indicates the path of the microwave point-to-point system.\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"lazy-load-image\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloading=\"lazy\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-caption=\"Traffic signals are the yellow diamonds. Green indicates the water towers and other locations where an 11-GHz Motorola Solutions radio is installed. The red line indicates the path of the microwave point-to-point system.\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"carousel-slide hidden\"\n\t\t\t\t\tid=\"carousel-slide-2\"\n\t\t\t\t\trole=\"tabpanel\"\n\t\t\t\t\taria-roledescription=\"slide\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Slide 3 of 3\"\n\t\t\t\t\taria-hidden=\"true\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- Lazy load other main images with data-src to be loaded only when needed -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1253-2etmp-tcm111-1353333.jpg?w=333\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsrcset=\"https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1253-2etmp-tcm111-1353333.jpg 400w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1253-2etmp-tcm111-1353333.jpg?resize=272,300 272w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1253-2etmp-tcm111-1353333.jpg?resize=333,367 333w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1253-2etmp-tcm111-1353333.jpg?resize=161,177 161w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1253-2etmp-tcm111-1353333.jpg?resize=103,114 103w, https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1253-2etmp-tcm111-1353333.jpg?resize=119,131 119w\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsizes=\"(max-width: 333px) 100vw, 333px\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\talt=\"Traffic signals are the yellow diamonds. Green indicates the water towers and other locations where an 11-GHz Motorola Solutions radio is installed. The red line indicates the path of the microwave point-to-point system.\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"lazy-load-image\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloading=\"lazy\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-caption=\"Traffic signals are the yellow diamonds. Green indicates the water towers and other locations where an 11-GHz Motorola Solutions radio is installed. The red line indicates the path of the microwave point-to-point system.\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<button class=\"carousel-next\"\n\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Next slide\"\n\t\t\t\ttype=\"button\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"carousel-captions-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"carousel-caption active\"\n\t\t\t\t\tid=\"carousel-caption-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"carousel-caption__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"image-caption\" data-full-caption=\"Sugar Land&#039;s wireless \u201cbackbone.\u201d Existing water towers and buildings were used for all but one of the High Sites that make up the 11 GHz backbone. Fiber optic links connect the wireless backbone to the city&#039;s existing local area network. The backbone forms a ring so that if a link is \u201cbroken,\u201d the data can flow the other direction. Images: Civitium Inc.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"caption-preview\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSugar Land&#039;s wireless \u201cbackbone.\u201d Existing water towers and &#8230;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"read-more-toggle\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-expanded=\"false\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-controls=\"caption-full-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead More\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span id=\"caption-full-0\" class=\"full-caption hidden\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSugar Land&#039;s wireless \u201cbackbone.\u201d Existing water towers and buildings were used for all but one of the High Sites that make up the 11 GHz backbone. Fiber optic links connect the wireless backbone to the city&#039;s existing local area network. The backbone forms a ring so that if a link is \u201cbroken,\u201d the data can flow the other direction. Images: Civitium Inc.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"carousel-caption hidden\"\n\t\t\t\t\tid=\"carousel-caption-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"carousel-caption__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"image-caption\" data-full-caption=\"Traffic signals are the yellow diamonds. Green indicates the water towers and other locations where an 11-GHz Motorola Solutions radio is installed. The red line indicates the path of the microwave point-to-point system.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"caption-preview\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTraffic signals are the yellow diamonds. Green indicates the wat&#8230;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"read-more-toggle\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-expanded=\"false\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-controls=\"caption-full-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead More\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span id=\"caption-full-1\" class=\"full-caption hidden\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTraffic signals are the yellow diamonds. Green indicates the water towers and other locations where an 11-GHz Motorola Solutions radio is installed. The red line indicates the path of the microwave point-to-point system.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"carousel-caption hidden\"\n\t\t\t\t\tid=\"carousel-caption-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"carousel-caption__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"image-caption\" data-full-caption=\"Traffic signals are the yellow diamonds. Green indicates the water towers and other locations where an 11-GHz Motorola Solutions radio is installed. The red line indicates the path of the microwave point-to-point system.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"caption-preview\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTraffic signals are the yellow diamonds. Green indicates the wat&#8230;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"read-more-toggle\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-expanded=\"false\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-controls=\"caption-full-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead More\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span id=\"caption-full-2\" class=\"full-caption hidden\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTraffic signals are the yellow diamonds. Green indicates the water towers and other locations where an 11-GHz Motorola Solutions radio is installed. The red line indicates the path of the microwave point-to-point system.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"carousel-thumbnails-wrapper\" role=\"tablist\" aria-label=\"Thumbnail navigation\">\n\t\t<div class=\"carousel-thumbnails\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"thumbnail-wrapper active\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-index=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Go to slide 1\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\taria-controls=\"carousel-slide-1\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\taria-selected=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\trole=\"tab\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1251-2etmp-tcm111-1353325.jpg?w=150&#038;h=150&#038;crop=1\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"thumbnail-wrapper \"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-index=\"1\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Go to slide 2\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\taria-controls=\"carousel-slide-2\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\taria-selected=\"false\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\trole=\"tab\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1252-2etmp-tcm111-1353329.jpg?w=150&#038;h=150&#038;crop=1\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"thumbnail-wrapper \"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-index=\"2\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Go to slide 3\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\taria-controls=\"carousel-slide-3\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\taria-selected=\"false\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\trole=\"tab\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/zonda-develop.go-vip.net\/concrete-construction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/tmp1253-2etmp-tcm111-1353333.jpg?w=150&#038;h=150&#038;crop=1\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>OVERVIEW:<\/b><\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Who:<\/b> Sugar Land (Texas) Public Works<br><b>What:<\/b> Technology introductions and upgrades<br><b>Cost:<\/b> $9 million over roughly a decade<br><b>Funding sources:<\/b> Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grants<br><b>Engineering consultant:<\/b> Traffic Engineers Inc., Houston<br><b>Subconsultant:<\/b> Civitium LLC, Alpharetta, Ga.<br><b>General contractor:<\/b> TransCore, Houston<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Five years ago Sugar Land, Texas, received an American Public Works Association Transportation Project of the Year award for taking a monumental technological and intergovernmental leap in less than a decade. Conceived to support development by minimizing congestion in the booming community, the city&#8217;s traffic management system has spawned a multi-agency, multicity effort.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1990, Sugar Land had 30,000 residents. By 2000, fueled by a steadily falling tax rate, restaurants, retailers, and companies like Bechtel Equipment Operations and MECO Inc. moved in and their people followed. Population was up 158%, and would grow another 33% by 2010.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Texas, communities with more than 50,000 residents must contract with the state DOT to operate and maintain state-owned traffic lights. In 1998, with the all-important population threshold closing in, the city council gave public works the OK to develop a traffic management system that would benefit surrounding communities as well as Sugar Land. At the time, Sugar Land owned and operated only one of the 65 signals in the city. An acceptable level of service was defined by whether or not it was working normally or flashing red.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Starting from virtually nothing \u2014 no equipment and almost no relationship with potential partners like the state DOT or the Houston-Galveston Area Council \u2014 public works developed a traffic management center (TMC). Eight employees work on projects that range from a three-tier wireless network to ensure police and fire communicate during emergencies to collaborating with the state and neighboring Missouri City to add fiber optic capability to the system.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Building a data management center<\/b>\r <\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By stressing that less idling would lower emissions levels, public works received a $1.4 million Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant through the local council of governments. That was enough to buy Naztec Inc. signal cabinet controllers and ATMS.now (ATMS is an acronym for Advanced Traffic Management Systems) software.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Working from the public works building on Gillingham Lane, traffic engineers monitor 11 signal subsystems with 10 broadband Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines leased from the local phone company at $100\/month for each connection. These subsystems communicate with individual traffic signals via twisted pair copper communications cable, spread spectrum radios, or fiber optic cable, but Assistant Public Works Director David Worley says the plan is to phase out ISDN entirely.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Traffic engineers installed a Cohu Inc. Electronics Division CCTV camera and Microwave Data Systems spread-spectrum radio antenna at 14 key intersections. Simtraffic Synchro 7 TrafficWare models signal timing based on vehicle counts collected by a controller in the signal cabinet, and Naztec&#8217;s software downloads revised timing plans back to the controller.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They also developed an online \u201ccongestion index interactive map\u201d based on travel time averages using the system&#8217;s loop detection and vivid systems to count vehicles in addition to detecting their presence. They wanted to make the map available to residents on the city&#8217;s Web site, but this didn&#8217;t happen.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLive traffic feeds are a nightmare,\u201d says Worley, who was hired in 2008. \u201cIt bogs the system down and is difficult to manage.\u201d<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Almost no sooner was the system up and running, however, than the local council of governments approved their $1.9 million grant request to upgrade the system to a wireless network.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Signals that weren&#8217;t on the system are being brought on board and more CCTV cameras deployed so engineers can watch traffic flow and modify timing plans based on congestion, traffic patterns, or incidents. The ability to instantaneously adjust flows maximizes current road capacity, freeing resources for other public works projects by reducing the number of required widening projects.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A wireless backbone (see image on this page) was designed using eight high sites on water towers, buildings, and one new self-supporting tower. The 11-GHz microwave point-to-point Motorola Solutions radios will tie to the city&#8217;s existing fiber network at City Hall and Fire Station #2. A ninth high site has been added to the plan to serve an area that was annexed in 2009.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The high sites will communicate with all of the city&#8217;s traffic signals via 4.9-GHz Motorola Solutions point-to-multipoint radios. Half the intersections also will be equipped with IP-addressable Axis Communication&#8217;s CCTV cameras with H.264 video encryption and 2.4-GHz Motorola Solutions Wireless Access Points (WAP) so technicians can log into the network from the field, reducing aircard expenses. The remaining intersections will have some combination of signal controller communication and, possibly, CCTV cameras.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If additional bandwidth is needed before the fiber optic system&#8217;s completed, more point-to-point and point-to-multipoint radios can be added to the network.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nine older signal controllers and cabinets are being replaced with TS2 Ethernet controllers and the faceplates on 35 TS2 signal controllers are being replaced to make them Ethernet controllers. This will allow the controllers to more efficiently interface with the switch and, ultimately, the 4.9-GHz radio. Half the cabinets had switches and the rest will get Cisco Systems Inc. switches.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One intersection exceeded the distance limitations for the Ethernet cable and will use multimode fiber for communication between the CCTV cameras and the switch, and from the switch to the 4.9-GHz radio. Two locations where cameras were located away from an intersection will connect the cameras directly to the radio to communicate directly to the high site, bypassing the signal controller cabinet.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Moving toward regional mobility<\/b>\r <\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the meantime, the team has been overseeing projects that facilitate traffic flow in other ways.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sugar Land built the state&#8217;s first triple-left-turn lane, from U.S. 59 to State Highway 6, which passes major retail and restaurant centers on its way to a regional airport. A dynamic message sign and LED lights installed in the pavement guide drivers more efficiently through the intersection.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About 40 trains pass through Sugar Land every day. Quiet zones and wayside horns were installed for the rail line along the US 90A corridor in 2009; and two timing operations \u2014 one for trains that cross intersections within two minutes, the other for trains that take longer \u2014 were developed to quickly transition back to normal traffic signal coordination.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other intelligent transportation projects include:<\/p>\r <li>Reconfiguring key intersections along S.H. 6 near U.S. 59 with video detection capability so signals automatically adjust in real time based on traffic demand.<\/li>\r <li>Implementing flashing yellow arrows for permitted left-turn movements at several locations to determine whether to deploy systemwide. Allowing permitted left turns reduces delay at the intersections and research has shown that the flashing yellow arrow has fewer crashes than the older, green ball signals used for left turns.<\/li>\r <li>Installing 1.25 miles of fiber optic line on SH 6 between city hall and the police and courts building that will replace an existing leased line where the lease expires in 2012 and extend into neighboring Missouri City.<\/li>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the latter project suggests, Sugar Land and its neighbors are working toward being able to offer residents and visitors multimodal transportation options. Though a long-term goal, partnerships the city&#8217;s forged over the last two decades are facilitating the coordination of related efforts in the region. For example:<\/p>\r <li>Agreements are being finalized to provide fiber optic connections to the state DOT at the intersection of US 59 at SH 6, allowing Sugar Land to become a hub of TranStar, the primary traffic management center for the Houston region.<\/li>\r <li>The fiber optic connection being installed along SH 6 will connect to an existing fiber optic line in Missouri City, enabling TMC-to-TMC communication between the two cities.<\/li>\r <li>Communication links with the Fort Bend Emergency Management Center are being developed.<\/li>\r <li>Discussions have begun with the City of Meadows Place to bring the West Airport signal into Sugar Land&#8217;s three-tier wireless system to coordinate traffic flow between the two cities.<\/li>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By leveraging existing and future equipment, the cities, county, and state will improve quality of life by reducing travel time and delay.<\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>\u2014 Staigle <a href=\"mailto:(rick@trafficengineers.com\" target=\"_blank\">(rick@trafficengineers.com)<\/a> is a principal with Traffic Engineers Inc.; Johnston is editor in chief of<\/i> PUBLIC WORK.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>WEB EXTRA<\/b>\r <\/p>\r <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To read a white paper Rick Staigle presented on how to construct a wireless communication network at ITS America 2010, Houston, and at ITS World 2010, South Korea, <a href=\"http:\/\/pwmag.com\/industry-news.asp?sectionID=760&#038;articleID=1539298\" target=\"_blank\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\r \r","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OVERVIEW: Who: Sugar Land (Texas) Public WorksWhat: Technology introductions and upgradesCost: $9 million over roughly a decadeFunding sources: Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grantsEngineering consultant: Traffic Engineers Inc., HoustonSubconsultant: Civitium LLC, Alpharetta, Ga.General contractor: TransCore, Houston Five years ago Sugar Land, Texas, received an American Public Works Association Transportation Project of the Year [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"scheduledNewsletterDates":[],"_scheduled_newsletter_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"zonda_content_type_url_append":"_o","zonda_dfp_zone":"","zonda_exclude_recommended_contents":false,"zonda_exclude_most_popular":false,"zonda_exclude_tagged_results":false,"zonda_eyebrow":"Traffic Control","zonda_last_newsletter_date":"2099-12-31T23:59:59.999-05:00","zonda_original_url":"","zonda_pdf_version":0,"zonda_print_headline":"Project fail-safe","zonda_promo_abstract":"How to develop an intelligent transportation network.","zonda_promo_headline":"","zonda_promo_image":0,"zonda_subheadline":"How to develop an intelligent transportation network."},"tags":[],"news_item_type":[780],"section_10":[83124],"subject":[1664,983,674,527],"organization":[],"award":[],"person":[],"product_type_10":[],"content-group":[],"event":[],"location":[99],"state":[234],"brand":[21460],"jlc-category":[],"year_tax":[],"sponsor":[],"coauthors":[90335],"class_list":["post-75675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","news_item_type-feature","section_10-infrastructure","subject-congestion-mitigation-and-air-quality-improvement-program","subject-traffic-control","subject-transportation-safety","subject-wiring-and-cable","location-houston-sugar-land-baytown-tx","state-texas","brand-public-works"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Project 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