Frajille Ellis sat in the command center, monitoring the movement of thousands of vehicles. Seeing one in trouble, she made a quick call for backup. Surveillance cameras were operational and calls for assistance went out along several lines of communication. ?Every call we get we?re supposed to treat it like it has some importance,? Ellis said.
It sounds like a military base, but Ellis? office at 1426 Columbia Pike, across from the Navy Annex and down the street from the Pentagon, is actually the nerve center of the Virginia Department of Transportation.
High tech monitoring systems and streamlined communication, along with hundreds of support personnel and thousands of vehicles have kept the Smart Traffic Center, the primary control center for VDOT in Northern Virginia, functioning this year despite $94 million dollars lost to state budget cuts.
?We?re not here just to build the roads,? said Ryan Hall, a VDOT spokesperson. ?We try to make everything a little bit better for the citizens.?
Monday, April 14, Ellis? call for backup sent police, rescue squads and Medevac helicopters to the scene of an accident on westbound I-66. Without the technology at her fingertips, routing emergency teams to the accident could have taken much longer.
But VDOT has over 1,200 traffic cameras throughout the region, which allow Ellis and the rest of the command center team to provide emergency vehicles with the fastest routes to accident scenes. In addition, each VDOT vehicle is equipped with an Automated Vehicle Location system that allows command center computers to locate the personnel closest to the scene of any accident.
IN EMERGENCIES, the technology can save lives, but it has everyday benefits to residents as well. Anyone with a computer can access VDOT?s traffic cameras for free at www.trafficland.com.
Before leaving the command center, Hall often checks the cameras to plan the least congested route home. ?You could charge a fortune for this service,? he joked, pointing out that it has saved him many hours of sitting in traffic.
Smart Traffic Center also posts messages to commuters already on the roads, advising them when traffic congestion lies ahead.
Technology isn?t without its flaws. Since the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon, VDOT has used some of its message boards to post the message, ?Report Information on Terrorism, 1-888-488-8554.?
It?s a good-faith effort to help the war on terrorism, Hall says. But VDOT has received calls from commuters who said the signs actually cause traffic jams, as drivers slow to read the messages. ?You?d be surprised how many people slow down to read one of my signs,? said Darlene Hubron, who has worked at the center for six years.
Complaints from motorists are common at the Smart Traffic Center. Last year over 100,000 calls came through. To a certain degree, that means VDOT crews are doing their job, Hall said. Few states have transportation departments as visible as Virginia?s. The more VDOT crews respond to calls for service, the more visible those orange trucks become, and the more calls the center receives.
That sometimes means residents expect VDOT crews to be able to handle anything. Ellis has taken calls requesting VDOT crews to remove dead animals from lawns, retrieve keys and children?s toys lost down storm drains and clean debris from driveways.
SOPHISTICATED COMMUNICATION systems and advanced monitoring systems at the Smart Traffic Center haven?t taken away the hard work from VDOT crews. Recent warm weather has felt like spring, but crews are still recovering from the harsh winter. State officials allocated $48 million for snow removal this year. The final bill this year topped $100 million.
Many of those dollars went to overtime pay for snowplow drivers who worked 12-hour shifts. Hall himself put in 20-hour shifts during blizzard cleanup. ?That was a long couple of weeks,? he said. ?Those guys were run ragged this year.?
Weather-related expenses for VDOT aren?t finished yet. Temperatures are just now becoming consistently warm enough for permanent pothole repairs caused by cold, wet conditions in the winter. Residents can expect to see VDOT crews repairing area roads for a while.
Other improvements to Arlington?s roads and bridges may arrive slower, said Hall. By streamlining lines of communication and making better use of technology, the Smart Traffic Center has kept most services running despite the $94 million budget cut, but there?s not much room for extra programs.
?It?s money,? said Hall. ?It?s not that VDOT isn?t willing to do it.? While some Arlington?s bridges and overpasses could use repairs, he added, none present immediate safety hazards.