Help Plan the Future of Washtenaw County's Transportation System
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DOT Launches Largest-Ever Road Test of Connected Vehicle Crash Avoidance Technology
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Nearly 3,000 cars, trucks and buses equipped with “connected” Wi-Fi technology to enable vehicles and infrastructure to “talk” to each other in real time to help avoid crashes and improve traffic flow will begin traversing Ann Arbor’s streets as part of a year-long safety pilot project by the U.S. Department of Transportation. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined elected officials and industry and community leaders on the University of Michigan campus to launch the second phase of the Safety Pilot, the largest road test to date of connected vehicle crash avoidance technology. “Today is a big moment for automotive safety,” said Secretary LaHood. “This cutting-edge technology offers real promise for improving both the safety and efficiency of our roads. That is a winning combination for drivers across America.”
Conducted by University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), the road test, or model deployment, is a first-of-its-kind test of connected vehicle technology in the real world. The test cars, trucks and buses, most of which have been supplied by volunteer participants, are equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication devices that will gather extensive data about system operability and its effectiveness at reducing crashes.
According to DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), V2V safety technology could help drivers avoid or reduce the severity of four out of five unimpaired vehicle crashes. To accomplish this, the model deployment vehicles will send electronic data messages, receive messages from other equipped vehicles, and translate the data into a warning to the driver during specific hazardous traffic scenarios. Such hazards include an impending collision at a blind intersection, a vehicle changing lanes in another vehicle’s blind spot, or a rear collision with a vehicle stopped ahead, among others.
“Vehicle-to-vehicle communication has the potential to be the ultimate game-changer in roadway safety – but we need to understand how to apply the technology in an effective way in the real world,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “NHTSA will use the valuable data from the ‘model deployment’ as it decides if and when these connected vehicle safety technologies should be incorporated into the fleet.”
The model deployment is the second phase of DOT’s connected vehicle Safety Pilot, a major research initiative managed by NHTSA and the Research and Innovative Technologies Administration (RITA) Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office. Earlier this year, DOT released data from a series of “driver acceptance clinics” conducted during the first phase of the Safety Pilot. The study revealed that an overwhelming majority of drivers (9 out of 10) who have experienced V2V technology have a highly favorable opinion of its safety benefits and would like to have V2V safety features on their personal vehicle.
“Many significant advances in roadway safety resulted from the collaborations between government, industry, and academia,” said Gregory D. Winfree, RITA Deputy Administrator. “The deployment today is the culmination of years of cooperative research on forward-thinking technology designed to save lives and prevent injuries on America’s roads.”
The information collected from both phases of the Safety Pilot, and other key research projects, will be used by NHTSA to determine by 2013 whether to proceed with additional activities involving connected vehicle technology, including possible rulemaking.
South State Street Construction (Stadium Bridges)
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Notice of Temporary Traffic Control Plan
E. Stadium Boulevard Bridges Replacement Project
August 18-19, 2012
Location and Limits of Affected Area:
E. Stadium Boulevard from Kipke Drive to S. Industrial Highway
S. State Street from Stimson Street to Granger Avenue
Description of Work:
Hot mix asphalt paving on S. State Street (this work is highly weather dependent and will be performed if conditions allow.)
Temporary Construction Traffic Control Plan:
Northbound S. State Street will be temporarily closed to vehicular traffic from Stimson Street to Granger Avenue. A detour route will be posted.
Southbound S. State Street vehicular traffic will be maintained at all times.
All vehicular traffic on S. State Street will return to its normal configuration at the end of the work day on August 19, 2012.
E. Stadium Boulevard between Kipke Drive and S. Industrial Highway will remain closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic until November 14, 2012 to allow for the removal and replacement of the E. Stadium Boulevard bridges over the Ann Arbor Railroad and S. State Street. Vehicular and pedestrian detour routes are in place.
E. Stadium Boulevard Bridges Replacement Project
August 18-19, 2012
Location and Limits of Affected Area:
E. Stadium Boulevard from Kipke Drive to S. Industrial Highway
S. State Street from Stimson Street to Granger Avenue
Description of Work:
Hot mix asphalt paving on S. State Street (this work is highly weather dependent and will be performed if conditions allow.)
Temporary Construction Traffic Control Plan:
Northbound S. State Street will be temporarily closed to vehicular traffic from Stimson Street to Granger Avenue. A detour route will be posted.
Southbound S. State Street vehicular traffic will be maintained at all times.
All vehicular traffic on S. State Street will return to its normal configuration at the end of the work day on August 19, 2012.
E. Stadium Boulevard between Kipke Drive and S. Industrial Highway will remain closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic until November 14, 2012 to allow for the removal and replacement of the E. Stadium Boulevard bridges over the Ann Arbor Railroad and S. State Street. Vehicular and pedestrian detour routes are in place.
Labor Day Transit Schedule Announced
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TheRide’s administrative offices at 2700 South Industrial Highway will be closed in observance of the holiday. The offices will reopen on Tuesday, September 4 on their regular 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. schedule. The Blake and Ypsilanti Transit Centers also will be closed on September 3 and reopen during their regular hours on September 4.
Passengers may take advantage of HolidayRide shared-ride taxi service on Monday for just $5 a person. Seniors and persons with disabilities with an identification card issued by TheRide may ride for $2.50. Individuals with a go!pass may ride for $3.00 with the balance covered by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.
The HolidayRide taxi service operates within the city limits of Ann Arbor and east to downtown Ypsilanti between Clark Road/Huron River Drive on the north and Ellsworth Road/Michigan Avenue on the south. To schedule a HolidayRide trip, call 734.528.5432.
Bus route and schedule information is available on TheRide’s website at www.TheRide.org, or by phone at 734.996.0400
E Stadium Construction
/Notice of Temporary Traffic Control Plan
E. Stadium Improvement Project
From Packard St to Brockman Blvd
August 21-29, 2012
Description of Work:
The installation of a new 8-inch water main on the north side of the street and a second new 8-inch water main on the south side of the street is completed. The road reconstruction on the south side of the E. Stadium Blvd. between Packard St and Brockman Blvd is underway.
Weather permitting; on Tuesday August 21, 2012 contractors will begin the reconstruction of the north side of E. Stadium Blvd. from Packard St. through the intersection of Brockman Blvd. This phase of the construction is expected to be completed on August 29.
The remaining work that will follow will include the road construction at the intersection of E. Stadium Blvd and Packard St and the road construction at E. Stadium Blvd between Brockman Blvd and Washtenaw Ave. There will be a final layer of the asphalt pavement that will be placed over the entire length of the street in the construction area, before the street is completely opened to traffic.
Temporary Construction Traffic Control Plan:
Beginning on Tuesday, August 21, 2012 and for the duration of this phase of the road construction, one lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained at E. Stadium Blvd. between Packard St and Brockman Blvd. During this phase of the road construction at the intersection of E. Stadium Blvd and Brockman Blvd, the through traffic on Brockman Blvd will be detoured through E. Stadium Blvd, Harding Rd., and Shadford Rd. Pedestrian traffic will be maintained on both sides of E. Stadium Blvd during this phase of construction.
What Goes Into Timing Traffic Lights? (NPR)
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What goes into timing traffic lights? Find out from NPR's All Things Considered. In this segment Melissa Block talks to Gideon Berger, Fellowship Director for the Urban Land Institute, on the street in Washington, D.C.'s Chinatown. They talk about the trickiness of timing traffic lights.
Listen here
Listen here
People are walking more
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This post is adapted from the CDC's Vital Signs Blog. Check out the original post here.
People are walking more, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than 145 million adults now include walking as part of a physically active lifestyle. More than 6 in 10 people walk for transportation or for fun, relaxation, or exercise, or for activities such as walking the dog. The percentage of people who report walking at least once for 10 minutes or more in the previous week rose from 56% (2005) to 62% (2010).
Some highlights from the study:
Less than half of all adults get the recommended amount of physical activity.
- Adults need at least 2 and 1/2 hours (150 minutes) a week of aerobic physical activity. This should be at a moderate level, such as a fast-paced walk for no less than 10 minutes at a time.
- Women and older adults are not as likely to get the recommended level of weekly physical activity.
- Inactive adults have higher risk for early death, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, and some cancers.
- Regular physical activity helps people get and keep a healthy weight.
- Walkable communities result in more physical activity.
More people are walking, but just how many depends on where they live, their health, and their age.
- The West and Northeast regions have the highest percentage of adults who walk in the country, but the South showed the largest percent increase of adults who walk compared to the other regions.
- More adults with arthritis or high blood pressure are now walking, but not those with type 2 diabetes.
- Walking increased among adults 65 or older, but less than in other age groups.
People need safe, convenient places to walk.
- People are more likely to walk and move about more when they feel protected from traffic and safe from crime and hazards.
- Maintaining surfaces can keep people who walk from falling and getting hurt. This also helps wheelchairs and strollers and is safer for people with poor vision.
- People need to know where places to walk in their communities exist that are safe and convenient.
- Walking routes in and near neighborhoods encourage people to walk to stops for buses, trains, and trolleys.
Traffic Control Plan and Update for E. Stadium Bridges and State St.
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E. Stadium Boulevard Bridges Replacement Project
August 11, 2012
Location and Limits of Affected Area:
E. Stadium Boulevard from Kipke Drive to S. Industrial Highway
S. State Street from Stimson to Granger Avenue
Description of Work:
Hot mix asphalt paving on S. State Street.
Temporary Construction Traffic Control Plan:
August 11, 2012 – August 12, 2012 (Northbound S. State Street)
Northbound S. State Street will be temporarily closed to vehicular traffic from Stimson to Granger Avenue. A detour route will be posted.
Southbound S. State Street vehicular traffic will be maintained at all times.
All vehicular traffic on S. State Street will return to its normal configuration at the end of the work day on August 12, 2012.
E. Stadium Boulevard between Kipke Drive and S. Industrial Highway will remain closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic until November 14, 2012 to allow for the removal and replacement of the E. Stadium Boulevard bridges over the Ann Arbor Railroad and S. State Street. Vehicular and pedestrian detour routes are in place.
We thank you in advance for your patience as these necessary public infrastructure improvements are completed.
August 11, 2012
Location and Limits of Affected Area:
E. Stadium Boulevard from Kipke Drive to S. Industrial Highway
S. State Street from Stimson to Granger Avenue
Description of Work:
Hot mix asphalt paving on S. State Street.
Temporary Construction Traffic Control Plan:
August 11, 2012 – August 12, 2012 (Northbound S. State Street)
Northbound S. State Street will be temporarily closed to vehicular traffic from Stimson to Granger Avenue. A detour route will be posted.
Southbound S. State Street vehicular traffic will be maintained at all times.
All vehicular traffic on S. State Street will return to its normal configuration at the end of the work day on August 12, 2012.
E. Stadium Boulevard between Kipke Drive and S. Industrial Highway will remain closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic until November 14, 2012 to allow for the removal and replacement of the E. Stadium Boulevard bridges over the Ann Arbor Railroad and S. State Street. Vehicular and pedestrian detour routes are in place.
We thank you in advance for your patience as these necessary public infrastructure improvements are completed.
E. Stadium Road Work
/Notice of Temporary Traffic Control Plan
E. Stadium Improvement Project
(Packard St
to Brockman Blvd)
August 13 - 20, 2012
Location and Limits of Affected Area:
E.
Stadium Blvd. between Packard Road and Brockman Blvd.
Description of Work:
The
E. Stadium Improvement Project included the installation of a new 8-inch water
main on the north side of the street and another new 8-inch water main on the south
side of the street, between Packard and Brockman. Now it is time for the reconstruction
and resurfacing of the street which will be completed during several phasing.
In the week of August 13, 2012, contractors will reconstruct the south side of
E. Stadium Blvd, from Packard through the intersection of Brockman.
The remaining work that will follow
this construction phase of construction will include the road construction on
the north side, road construction at the intersection of E. Stadium Blvd and
Packard St, road construction at E. Stadium Blvd between Brockman Blvd and
Washtenaw Ave, and at the end the final layer of the asphalt pavement over the
entire length of the construction area.
Updated Temporary Construction Traffic Control Plan:
Beginning on Monday August 13, 2012 and for the
duration of this phase of the road construction, one lane of traffic in each
direction will be maintained at E. Stadium Blvd. between Packard St and
Brockman Blvd.
During the road construction at the south side of the intersection
of E. Stadium Blvd and Brockman Blvd, the through traffic on Brockman Blvd will
be detoured through E. Stadium Blvd, St Francis Dr, and Winchell Dr. Pedestrian
traffic will be maintained on both sides of E. Stadium Blvd during this phase
of construction.
Project Information:
To maintain the safety of all, please reduce speeds
and drive cautiously through work zones. We thank you in advance for your
patience as these necessary public infrastructure improvements are completed. For
more information about the project please visit our website at www.a2gov.org
under the section for the Project Management or the
Engineering Unit.
Project Contacts:
City of Ann Arbor
Igor V. Kotlyar, P.E., Project Manager (734) 794-6410 x43634 or at
ikotlyar@ a2gov.org
Doug Egeler, Civil Engineering Specialist, (734) 476-4533
Dan’s Excavating, Inc.
Denis Rozanski, Project Manager, (810)
217-0187
Tim Forys, Construction
Supervisor, (810) 217-1012
