It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s Transitway. In Paris, when they rolled out a new metro line, le quartorze, they called the project Meteor. That is a cool name, both retro and forward looking. Transitway, is just so paint dryingly boring. That’s not to say that the underlying premise isn’t. The City of Stamford is hoping to solve the train to the rest of Stamford commuting problems by expanding roads, and integrating real time traffic and transportation information. From the Advocate:
The city has awarded a Texas firm a $4 million contract to design and outfit the downtown Urban Transitway with a computerized network that would broadcast traffic and bus updates to commuters.
Affiliated Computer Services Transportation Management Solutions of Dallas will install technology giving bus drivers warning of traffic snarls and telling commuters when they will arrive, posting information on screens within the station and on the road, said Ann Brown, program manager for the city.
The system will make it more efficient to commute by bus, and help park-and- ride commuters make wise routing choices, Brown said.
“This is very exciting for the city and is going to help ease congestion and provide more information to commuters downtown,” said Brown. “This project will give Stamford’s downtown one of the most advanced transportation information systems in the country.”
The city broke ground last year on the Transitway, a project to expand capacity on roads leading to the Stamford train station.
The city spent about $15 million for 70 properties to clear the way for the project, Brown said.
The first stretch of the Transitway, a $25 million mile-long road running east from Atlantic Street to Elm Street, on the south side of the Metro-North Railroad tracks, is scheduled to open late next year, Brown said.
The road would allow drivers to reach the station while avoiding several turns down one-way streets in the South End and traffic lights downtown. It also would ease congestion on and near Interstate 95 as it passes through downtown, Brown said.The Transitway will include two lanes in each direction, along with bus, bicycle and turning lanes, Brown said.The road would allow drivers to reach the station while avoiding several turns down one-way streets in the South End and traffic lights downtown. It also would ease congestion on and near Interstate 95 as it passes through downtown, Brown said.
The Transitway will include two lanes in each direction, along with bus, bicycle and turning lanes, Brown said.
A second phase, costing $12 million, would link Elm Street westward to East Main Street. That project is under design, with work to begin in 2010 and take 27 months to complete.
Connecticut Transit dispatchers will be able to use traffic information to reroute buses around accidents or send out extra buses if needed, Brown said.
Commuters waiting for buses on the Transitway could see anticipated arrival times on flashing signs in each bus kiosk, according to Carrie Hyun, a spokeswoman for the Dallas firm.
Commuters driving home from the train station in the afternoon will also be able to get information about traffic problems and accidents on Interstate 95, Hyun said.
Three years ago, Bridgeport adopted a similar system allowing commuters to get real-time updates on bus arrivals on a Web site.
City officials have touted the Transitway as a gateway to a revitalized South End mixed with new housing, offices and retail within walking distance of the train station. Antares Investment Partners plans to build a 80-acre development there once the Transitway is complete.
source: Advocate, Transitway to have high-tech element, By Martin B. Cassidy, 10/12/2008
