By Sadie Brown

Few things are more depressing than enduring a morning commute — nothing but commercials on the radio, the smell of coffee with an undertone of exhaust, the endless stop-go-stop is the bass line of the soundtrack to insanity. If only the light would just. turn. green.

By the end of September, the City of Fort Worth linked more than 700 traffic signals within a new communication network that enables greater traffic control, according to the Department of Transportation and Public Works.

The Traffic Signal Communication Network project upgrades aging timed clocks in traffic signals to a modem-based system combating traffic congestion, emissions, and the cost of manpower. Transportation and Public Works staff say the project will update the remaining signals in Fort Worth by the end of the year.

“Our overall vision is to ensure safety by taking advantage of any technology that improves the safety of all users,” says Tanya Brooks, assistant director of traffic management.

The technology has been around since the late 90s, according to UTA Transportation Engineering expert Taylor Li, PhD. Still, he doesn’t discount the city’s efforts to modernize.

“If this is the first ATMS (Advanced Traffic Management System) from Fort Worth, it will be a big leap for the traffic signal operations,” Li says. “It also opens doors to state-of-the-art traffic signal strategies to further improve the arterial traffic performance in Fort Worth.”

The average commuter in US urban areas wasted around $1,000 in 2017 on extra gas and time due to traffic congestion, according to the 2019 Urban Mobility Report published by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

The centralized control system aims to reduce this cost by more efficiently managing the needs of commuters in real time, lowering the number of stops and delays. The system will also reduce the number of traffic officers required to manage congestion, saving the city money and preserving officer safety.

“We will be able to be fully connected to our intersections without having to be onsite,” Brooks says.

Fort Worth cited a similar project in San Diego that showed a 15 percent reduction in yearly travel time, 12 percent reduction in yearly fuel costs, and CO2-emission savings of nearly $2 million yearly after the completion of phase one. Similarities between the two projects could not be compared without more details on the planning of Fort Worth’s signal communication network.

“The emissions of vehicles reach the highest level while they are idle, like waiting for the green lights,” Li says. “ With all the traffic lights are connected to the central system, it would be easier to monitor the traffic congestion and adjust the traffic signal control plan more promptly. As a result, vehicles will stop less at intersections and the emissions are reduced as well.”

Brooks says the new system will be maintained and operated by traffic engineers, assuring Fort Worth’s network will be prepared for challenges unique to the area. “

Our system fails a lot in bad weather,” Brooks says. “The system comes with backup batteries to prevent signal outages in critical areas.”

Funding for the project comes from the 2014 Bond Program Proposition 1 and carries a price tag of some $2.8 million with an additional $1.5 million allocated to “Signal System Software and Monitoring.” That project’s projected end date is November 2020 and its current status on the city’s website is listed as, “Design on hold.”

The Transportation and Public Works department responded to requests for the project’s proposal and budget by saying a review of files did not produce any information matching the request. Additional departments that also received the request have not responded.