City Rolls Out Traffic Operation Center To Reduce Congestion During Papal Visit And Beyond
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The city is rolling out a brand new Traffic Operation Center, which will be put to the test during the Papal visit weekend. Beyond that event, it's designed to reduce congestion on Philadelphia streets by improving traffic flow.
This $4.2 million project has been on the Streets Department's wishlist for 16-years. It will serve as a traffic control nerve center, receiving live video feeds from traffic and surveillance cameras operated by the Streets and Police Departments, SEPTA, and the University of Pennsylvania, among others.
Traffic engineers will be able to remotely change traffic signals in real time. The camera network will eventually include over 5,000 locations.
During the Pope's visit, if too many pedestrians get bottlenecked at one entrance to the "traffic box," otherwise known as the Francis Festival Grounds, Mayor Nutter says they can be re-directed.
"It's kinda like the supermarket. This line is full, but that aisle is open. You may want to go over there."
Beyond the Pope's visit, Chief Traffic Engineer Richard Montanez says they have a priority list.
"Some of the key corridors we're going to begin is Broad Street, Frankford Avenue, Ogontz, and we're also going to work on the sports complex during special events."
The mayor says, "With every possible respect to Pope Francis, this traffic ops center was going to happen, whether or not the Pope was coming," and the fact that they can use it 24/7 during his visit is a bonus.