Intelligent Transportation System —
ITS coming to Lee County!

What does ITS mean to you?  ITS brings YOU up-to-the-minute travel information as you drive local streets through areas of Lee County and in the City of Fort Myers heading toward the US 41 Caloosahatchee River and Edison Bridges!  ITS is the Intelligent Transportation System and it combines state-of-the art communications technology to inform drivers about conditions on the bridges, improve emergency responses to incidents, reduce secondary crashes, and restore usual traffic flow more quickly. 

Real-time travel messages are broadcast on dynamic message signs (large electronic signs) to allow you the opportunity to alter your travel route if an incident occurs, if a lane is closed, or if there is congestion on one of the bridges.   Informed drivers are prepared for what’s ahead and can react.   And, prepared, heads-up drivers make travel more efficient and safer for everyone on the road. 

Using data collected from traffic sensors, closed-circuit TV cameras, and the weather system installed alongside roadways, staff at the local traffic operations center monitors real-time traffic and roadway conditions.   They program up-to-the-minute information for drivers on dynamic message signs about estimated travel times, slowing or stopped traffic, delays expected, and foggy or rainy conditions that could affect travel.   Staff also records and broadcasts traffic advisories and travel messages (lane closures and travel delays, for example) on radio channel 1640 AM.    

When does ITS happen?  Field work for this $5.6 million project began in March 2011.   Installation of ITS field components is designed to have minimal effect on businesses and the motoring public.   Lane closures are limited to non-peak travel periods, usually from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.   Project completion is expected in early 2012. 

Whether you’re bicycling, walking, or driving, ITS keeps you better informed about traffic incidents and congestion and allows you opportunities to make choices about your travel routes.   ITS for YOU in Lee County!