| TranStar Press Release | |
Houston TranStar Wins Award for Roadway Flood Warning System |
Nov 21st, 2018 |
|
|
|
| TranStar’s Flood Warning System Wins ITS Texas Award
Local roadway flooding tool available to travelers when next hurricane strikes Houston TranStar and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) won an ITS Texas award on November 9 for an innovative, real-time flood warning system project completed earlier this year. “The Roadway Flood Warning System enhances traveler safety in the Greater Houston region by giving motorists information to avoid roadway flooding conditions,” said Dinah Massie, Executive Director for Houston TranStar. “This tool warns people about flood risks and helps displaced individuals return to their homes following major storms by displaying highly accurate, real-time local roadway data.” During Hurricane Harvey, first responders and the public had no conclusive information about flood conditions on local streets. While the TranStar Traffic Map provides information gleaned from cameras along freeways to alert motorists to flooded locations, no such warnings existed on local roads outside the freeway camera network. To develop this tool, Houston TranStar and TTI worked with the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) to overlay rainfall sensor data on the TranStar traffic map. This information, paired with TranStar’s real-time roadway data, helps predict which areas are at risk for localized street flooding. Houston TranStar was the first center in the nation to combine transportation management and emergency management technologies, and the development of the Roadway Flood Warning System project proved once more that several heads are better than one, and that teamwork denotes strength. “We were happy to combine our expertise in measuring and publishing rainfall rates with TranStar’s map to provide better travel information to the residents of Harris County,” said Jeff Lindner, Director of Hydraulic Operations and meteorologist for HCFCD. In addition to individual traveler use, bus controllers for Houston METRO, commercial vehicle operators and emergency responders now have a reliable tool to use when determining safe routes during heavy rain events. For roadway conditions and more information about how to Travel Smart with TranStar, visit www.HoustonTranstar.org or find our Mobile App at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Houston TranStar is a unique partnership the City of Houston, Harris County, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) who share resources and exchange information under one roof to provide transportation management and emergency management to help keep motorists informed, roadways clear and lives safe in the fourth most populated city in the United States. -30- |
|
|
Powered by NewsRouter.com |
|