S.C. goes statewide with real-time traffic information system

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) recently decided to bolster its statewide traffic operations by implementing a real-time traffic speeds and travel times system. Provided by INRIX, a Washington-based provider of accurate traffic and navigation services, SCDOT officials said the deal would allow them to better monitor and manage traffic across state lines.

INRIX’s real-time traffic speed and travel time services will now be available to department personnel for 1,200 miles of South Carolina’s major roadways, including the entire Interstate network and key routes to and near the Myrtle Beach and Beaufort areas, the company said in an announcement this week.

“SCDOT is a leader in statewide traffic operations,”Rick Schuman, INRIX’s public sector vice president, said in a statement. “We are proud to supply traffic information that will help improve system management, incident response and provide better information and condition to travelers in South Carolina.”

Tony Sheppard, SCDOT’s State Traffic Operations Engineer said the department had been working with INRIX for nearly a year, in conjunction with the I-95 Corridor Coalition’s Vehicle Probe Project.

“The past year has given us the opportunity to kick the tires on INRIX’s ability to accurately monitor traffic conditions,” Mr. Sheppard said.

The I-95 Corridor Coalition is an alliance of transportation agencies, toll authorities, and related organizations, including public safety, from the State of Maine to the State of Florida, with affiliate members in Canada. By crowdsourcing real-time traffic information through the INRIX Smart Driver Network, the company is able to gather anonymous “GPS probe” data from over 1.3 million commercial and consumer vehicles and mobile devices, ranging from satellite radio to cell phones.

South Carolina joins New Jersey and North Carolina as the third state to establish a statewide coverage project, allowing agencies in seven contiguous states to see the same information on traffic conditions.

“The demonstrated quality of data, its cost-effectiveness, and the ability to join the multi-state project with the I-95 Corridor Coalition so we can more effectively monitor and manage traffic across state lines, made expanding INRIX data statewide the ideal solution,” Mr. Sheppard said.