SmartLane technology to expand I-670 capacity, relieve traffic congestion - The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio’s first “SmartLane” will use technology to ease slogging afternoon commutes on eastbound Interstate 670, but it's secret weapon will be sitting behind a desk.

When traffic gets too heavy between Downtown and Interstate 270, a person working in the Ohio Department of Transportation’s traffic-management center will decide whether to open that relief valve on the left shoulder of I-670 and reduce the speed limit on the route.

That person will rely on data transmitted by radar detectors positioned along the route and video footage from closed-circuit cameras before making the call.

“The human still has to make the judgment and confirm before we implement them,” said Toni Turowski, project manager for design of the SmartLane and new interchange between I-670 and I-270. “It’s meant to aid the human operator to make a good decision.”

The SmartLane is scheduled to go into use sometime after October.

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State legislators still are working on a final transportation budget that likely will increase the gas tax, though Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration says the 10.7-cents-per-gallon hike approved by the Ohio House won't be enough to help pay for major construction. DeWine proposed an 18-cents-per-gallon increase.

With little room and little money for major highway expansion, ODOT is increasingly looking for ways to use technology to alleviate persistent traffic problems.

The I-670 SmartLane could be the precursor to similar treatments on Interstate 70 from Downtown east to Route 256, and on Interstates 275 and 90 in Cincinnati and Cleveland, said Jim Barna, executive director of DriveOhio.

“Wholesale building (of) new highways and trying to build our way out of congestion is just not sustainable anymore,” Barna said. “Technology is the solution we’re looking to to be able to solve those challenges.”

Testing the SmartLane on I-670 is ideal because the shoulder already is wider than most, Turowski said.

Construction crews laced fiber-optic cables and electric wiring through the median barrier that separates eastbound and westbound traffic on I-670, and they will bore under the road to run those cables to automated controllers that help power and communicate with equipment that will be mounted on trusses that span the highway.

Those trusses, spaced up to a mile apart, are expected to go up in August, Turowski said, and will be large enough to hold radar detectors and eight digital screens that measure 10 feet tall by 36 to 60 feet wide. Another 39 new traffic cameras will let the traffic-management center monitor the entire route.

ODOT will use the cameras to look for obstructions in the lane before opening it to traffic. Its safety patrol also will conduct a daily physical sweep of the lane to keep it clear.

Radar detectors will relay average speeds to the traffic-management center. When multiple sensors find that traffic has slowed to less than 45 mph, someone in the traffic-management center will have the choice to open the lane. Weather, road conditions and crashes or debris also could factor into the decision to open the SmartLane.

ODOT will relay that information to drivers via the digital screens. A red X will indicate that the SmartLane is closed, and a green arrow will show that it is open. A yellow indicator will be used to show it is about to close. Some of the screens will be mounted on overhead trusses, and others will be along the side of the road.

The reduced speed limit also will be posted on those boards, which can be used to alert motorists to crashes or other problems ahead.

The lane will open mostly during the afternoon rush hour, Turowski said, but it can be used in other situations, too, such as when a crash closes other lanes. The right shoulder will remain intact for disabled vehicles and traffic enforcement.

Barna said projects such as the SmartLane help control costs and relieve congestion. The project is expected to cost about $61 million, but much of that is for the redesigned interchange with I-270.

Now, drivers exiting eastbound I-670 for northbound I-270 often are in conflict with northbound I-270 drivers as they weave to take exits for Route 161 or Easton.

The redesigned interchange will force eastbound I-670 drivers to decide sooner whether they want to exit to northbound I-270 or toward Route 161, giving both sets of drivers their own ramp. Northbound I-270 drivers will converge with traffic between those two sets of drivers.

That should cut down on sudden braking and weaving traffic that can cause crashes and traffic jams, Turowski said. Construction crews already have paved I-670, but now they must build those ramps.

Once the ramps are completed, ODOT plans to begin using the SmartLane. Interchange work is expected to be finished by October, with a noise wall still to be built in summer 2020.

rrouan@dispatch.com

@RickRouan

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