Pinellas County, FL

Pinellas County is a densely populated urban municipality in Florida encompassing 280 square miles. Because access to interstate and highways is limited within the County, vehicular traffic must travel along a densely-traveled signalized arterial, negatively impacting mobility and sustainability. All types of vehicles and roadway users, including pedestrians and bicycles, use the signalized arterial network throughout the County. To provide efficient operation, the traffic signals are currently connected to and managed by the County’s Primary Control Center (PCC), utilizing both cellular and fiber optic communications into the existing Centracs centralized Advanced Transportation Management System (ATMS) software. The existing ATMS software enables the PCC operations staff to identify traffic signal-related issues so that maintenance staff can be quickly called out to address and resolve the issue. The ATMS software also assists the operation staff in making signal timing adjustments, as needed, to help rectify any identified issues

The County contracted with ESI to simplify and consolidate various software applications currently used in Pinellas County (County), including Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) device control, signal control, and other detection reporting software. ESI is also tasked with updating the signal and ITS software so that it is applicable to today’s ITS and traffic signal technology, as well as applicable arterial management strategies.

ESI is providing Centracs ATMS for 425 intersections with Dynamic Message Signs (DMS), travel time, and Advanced Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras. Centracs is a state-of-the-art traffic management system that can easily add new detection or ITS device technology. It is also designed to produce interfaces for various arterial management strategies, such as Transit Signal Priority (TSP) and Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures (ATSPM). The enhanced ITS system is designed to eliminate potential gaps in signal operation operations for the Active Arterial Management (AAM) program for the PCC. In addition to the traffic signals, various ITS devices are also connected to the communications infrastructure to provide the PCC with traffic and incident monitoring, verification, and dissemination. The entire County ITS and signal system, including the current ATMS software, is known as Smart Tracs. Smart Tracs uses innovative technologies to monitor traffic congestion and optimize signal patterns to control traffic flow.

For this project, ESI provided a complete transportation software solution that is centrally housed in the PCC and under the supervision and control of Pinellas County Smart Tracs operation and maintenance staff. The ATMS software ESI deployed is compatible with the traffic signal controllers that are currently deployed throughout the County and consist of a server application and database software installed in a virtual server environment.