Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) in Florida has chosen one.network to provide the agency with traffic management, work zone notification and construction planning software solutions.
The collaboration will provide Florida's Tampa and Hillsborough County residents with real-time information on work zones, planned events and road disruptions, according to one.network, a road management and work zone data technology provider. The company equips road agencies, utility companies and all organisations that rely on clear roads with tools to plan, communicate and analyse activities affecting road users.
THEA is one of only 10 organisations designated a connected and autonomous vehicle test bed by the US Department of Transportation.
THEA will deploy the one.network platform in two phases to address a number of scenarios. The initial phase will provide immediate benefits from modules including one.network’s Traffic Management platform, a real-time digital mapping solution and Live Link. It allows authorised workers to update lane closures and schedules right from work zone.
In phase two, THEA will deploy Plan Share, allowing construction firms to streamline and simplify the permitting process, explained James Harris, one.network’s founder and chief executive.
THEA manages the Selmon Expressway in Tampa. But because one.network is already ingesting data from the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County, the project will provide residents with continuous regional information streams across jurisdictions. According to one.network, the agency was looking for a holistic solution and this agreement delivers on its goal to constantly improve its connected vehicle and communications strategies as new technologies emerge.
As part of the agreement, one.network will build a Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) feed for THEA, to deliver work zone data to the Federal Highway Administration’s national repository of work zone data. It will be shared with other agencies and third parties across the nation.
The Florida Department of Transportation’s state-wide Lane Closure Notification System is already powered by one.network’s Live Link software, providing GPS companies with real-time work zone data throughout the state.
Traffic Management software from one.network displays real-time work zone, planned event and incident information on an intuitive digital map. The company said that Live Link is a first of its kind programme that allows work zone crews to close lanes right from the roadway, sharing that data with GPS providers including Google, WAZE and other companies in their native formats. Plan Share provides road construction firms and utilities with a comprehensive yet simple platform to plan and permit road construction projects.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Lane Construction and Superior Construction are the preferred 50-50 joint venture partners to modernise Tampa’s Westshore Interchange, the junction of Interstate 275 and State Route 60v – a US$1 billion project. The partners already have an equal share in a $10 million contract with the Florida Department of Transportation for the planning phase of the project.
In January, the Webuild Group’s US subsidiary Lane Construction was awarded work to widen and upgrade more than 6km of highway in Orange County. The $218 million contract will help to boost capacity and improve safety for an interchange at Interstate 4 (I-4) and Sand Lake Road (State Road 482) in Florida’s Orange County. The interchange forms part of the county’s corridor connecting tourist attractions such as Universal Studios Orlando, International Drive, Sea World and Walt Disney World.
