City of Manchester, NH
The City of Manchester, NH (City) is undertaking a coordinated, multitiered modernization of its transportation management infrastructure, with several projects aimed at replacing outdated systems, improving safety, and preparing the city for data‑driven mobility. These projects will upgrade decades‑old signal hardware throughout the City with next‑generation traffic controllers capable of remote communication and real‑time responsiveness. These infrastructure modernization projects target the City’s stated strategic goal of “Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation.”
One key project, spearheaded by the Manchester Fire Department in conjunction with the City’s Department of Water and Power, is to modernize the City’s Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP) system. This includes a signal preemption deployment of a new adaptive and scalable solution that will enhance emergency vehicle response times. It will also be capable of supporting priority operations for transit and public works vehicles, while improving public safety, and optimizing traffic flow at signalized intersections. Because of these new EVP requirements, the City sought out a leading-edge controller platform that could process high‑resolution data and communicate remotely.
The new controllers need to integrate with the EVP to handle complex priority requests that fully supports its Fire Department, which includes priority vehicles for its hazmat team, swift water rescue, dispatch center, Fire Prevention Bureau, Emergency Management Division, and Fleet Services. The new controllers are required to handle the various priority vehicles, including law enforcement, with minimal disruption to regular signal operations.
Econolite’s Cobalt ATC controller powered by EOS was chosen to help shift the City away from rigid, timer‑based operations toward a more adaptive signal control that leverages real-time traffic data from sensors that detect vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians, as well as support the new EVP system. Econolite will initially deliver 51 Cobalt ATC controllers with EOS to facilitate traffic signal preemption programming at 169 locations.
