As part of our mission to ensure the safety of our customers, the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) began work on its Wrong-Way Driving Prevention Program in 2012 in partnership with the University of Central Florida. The program was broken out into three phases.
Phase 1 – Completed in May 2013, extensive research was conducted to determine the extent of the wrong-way driving problem and examine potential solutions. It was determined that no technology currently in use adequately addresses wrong-way driving. Texas had the best approach available.
Phase 2 – Completed in January 2016, Phase 2 included the development of technology to help detect wrong-way drivers and take appropriate action. During this phase:
- Different technologies were evaluated.
- The manufacturer added a confirmation camera.
- Feasibility tests were conducted to determine the best technologies to implement.
- Testing began in January 2015 at the State Road 528 / State Road 520 Interchange. Additional testing sites were added at the State Road 408 / Hiawassee Road Interchange and the State Road 408/Kirkman Road Interchange for a total of 5 WWD pilot locations. Data from the test sites will be collected for the duration of the study.
- During the testing period, the system will be active and will alert the Regional Traffic Management Center (RTMC) if a wrong-way driver is detected.
- RTMC has a standard procedure that includes notifications to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Phase 3 – CFX installed our first wrong-way driving detection system in 2015 at the State Road 528/State Road 520 Interchange. Currently we have 55 wrong-way driving detection systems deployed on ramps throughout our 125 mile expressway system and 10 detection systems installed on our mainline.
To learn more, click here for the Fact Sheet.