Cell Phone Traffic Data

Project Description

The objective of the Cell Phone Traffic Data Technology Demonstration is to demonstrate the capabilities of cell phone traffic data systems and to evaluate those capabilities with relation to state and county ITS and traffic management requirements.

The increasing need to manage congestion by the state, county and city officials is clear. In 2007, the Texas Transportation Institute estimated the annual cost of congestion in Minneapolis at $1.1 billion. Over 41 million gallons of fuel are wasted and over 59 million hours are lost to travel delays; the average traveler in Minneapolis loses 43 hours per year in travel delays. In addition, transportation demand is growing 45% faster than capacity.

State, County, and City officials recognized the ability to measure and monitor traffic is critical in the battle against growing congestion and demands on the transportation system.  However, traditional traffic monitoring systems are expensive to install ($25,000 to $50,000 per mile), difficult to maintain, and require years of effort to deploy. Systems that use cell phone technology to provide traffic information are a fraction of the cost, can be deployed with much shorter timeframes, and can cover many more roadway miles.