Update:

Cab driver Susan Ackeridge says the nearly $9 million Intelligent Transportation System will definitely be a huge help. She travels Wichita highways all day, everyday. The system set up by KDOT allows people to log onto wichway.org and click on one of the 28 cameras installed along major Wichita highways. You will then see a snapshot of the roadway, allowing drivers to see whether there's a traffic tie-up or ice and snow.
"I can get my passengers to their house or meeting faster," said Ackeridge.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

A new website using up-to-the-minute information will help travelers in Wichita efficiently navigate area highways.

WICHway.org will share travel speeds and camera views on select routes, messages posted on roadside signs and other helpful information for drivers.

The website is just one component of a Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) project that monitors 22 miles of Wichita’s highway system. ITS is the integrated application of advanced sensor and communications technologies that provide traffic information to enable efficient travel decisions by drivers.

Phase 1 of the project covers U.S. 54/400 (Kellogg Freeway) from Ridge Road to Woodlawn, I-135 from Harry Street to the North Junction (I-135/I-235/K-96/K-254), and the I-235/K-96/Meridian Avenue interchange.

This initial phase includes 28 cameras, 21 dynamic message signs and 36 traffic sensors.

A unique part of the project is the co-location of the Traffic Management Center (TMC) at the Sedgwick County 911 Communication Center. County dispatchers operate the TMC console Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. They monitor cameras, post messages to signs, alert maintenance crews of roadway problems and interact with other 911 dispatchers serving police, fire and emergency services.

The TMC is also the aggregation point for data from the field devices and transfers information to the WICHway.org website.
Partners in the ITS project include KDOT, Sedgwick County, City of Wichita, Kansas Highway Patrol, Kansas Turnpike Authority, Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Federal Highway Administration.