The installation of fiber-optic conduit along I-19 in Arizona is allowing the Arizona Department of Transportation to deploy wrong-way driver detection and warning systems at multiple locations along stretches of that highway between Tucson and Nogales.
[Above photo by Arizona DOT]
The automated system uses thermal cameras that detect vehicles going in the wrong direction. When wrong-way vehicles are detected at exit ramps or on the highway, the agency said the system warns other drivers by posting warnings on overhead message boards. The system also notifies law enforcement so state troopers can plan a faster response to intercept the vehicles than if they relied only on other drivers calling 911.
On I-19, wrong-way technology will be installed at the San Xavier Road and Pima Mine Road interchanges, the agency said in a statement. It also will be placed on new overhead message boards: in Green Valley, on I-19 northbound north of Esperanza Boulevard and at I-19 southbound south of Pima Mine Road; and closer to Nogales, on I-19 northbound south of Mariposa Road and on I-19 southbound south of Rio Rico Road.
The installation of this wrong-way detection and warning system – expected to be completed in the winter of 2025/2026 – is part of a $6.2 million intelligent transportation systems project planned along I-19 between Tucson and Nogales, Arizona DOT noted; a project that includes connecting traffic signals along I-19 via fiber-optic cable to improve signal operations by allowing the timing to be monitored and controlled remotely.
Using federal funding and with a goal of helping expand broadband internet in rural Arizona, the agency said it has installed fiber-optic conduit along I-19 and I-17 and is now installing fiber-optic conduit along I-40 between Flagstaff and the California line.
States
