Real-Time Work Zone Traffic Management via Unmanned Air Vehicles

Highway work zones are prone to traffic accidents when congestion and queues develop. Vehicle queues can expand at a rate of 1 mile every 2 minutes. Back-of-queue, rear-end crashes are the most common type of work zone crash, endangering the safety of motorists, passengers, and construction workers. The dynamic nature of queueing in the proximity of highway work zones necessitates traffic management solutions that can monitor and intervene in real time. Fortunately, recent progress in sensor technology, embedded systems, and wireless communication coupled to lower costs are now enabling the development of real-time, automated, “intelligent” traffic management systems that address this problem. The goal of this project is to introduce and prototype a hybrid (fixed-wing and multi-rotor) unmanned air vehicle (UAV)-based remote sensing system that provides real-time traffic monitoring with high temporal and spatial resolution. The UAV-based system will dynamically manage work zone safety and traffic mobility challenges by interacting in real time with changeable message boards, motorist cellphones, traffic management center, and law enforcement personnel. The main tasks of the proposed system will be to collect traffic data via the UAV camera, analyze data to detect congestion and back-of-queue information, and alert motorists of stopped traffic conditions, delay times, and alternate route options.

• Record URL:
  https://transet.lsu.edu/research-in-progress/

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $161278
• Contract Numbers:

  19ITSOSU01

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Transportation Consortium of South-Central States

  Louisiana State University
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70803
• Project Managers:

  Melson, Christopher

• Performing Organizations:

  Louisiana State University and A&M College

  202 Himes Hall
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70803
• Principal Investigators:

  Malveaux, Charles

  de Queiroz, Marcio

  Li, Xin

  Hassan, Hany

• Start Date: 20190815
• Expected Completion Date: 20210215
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data collection; Drones; Image processing; Real time control; Traffic queuing; Traffic surveillance; Work zone traffic control
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01713213
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Consortium of South-Central States
• Contract Numbers: 19ITSOSU01
• Files: UTC, RiP
• Created Date: Aug 1 2019 4:50PM