Wireless, GPS-Enabled Data Processing Architecture for Highway Work Zones

A short-range, easily deployable data communication system enables numerous highway work zone applications. The Kansas Department of Transportation is currently funding a project to develop a delay notification system in rural construction zones. The objective of the project is to estimate the expected delay until the return of the pilot car and communicate that delay to motorists waiting in the queue. Since most rural construction zones are outside existing commercially available communications, such as cellular coverage, success of the project hinges primarily on the acquisition of a low-cost, easily deployable work zone data communication system. The prototype system relies on 900-Mhz radio transceivers integrated with GPS receivers and a microprocessor. These devices mount to signs, vehicles, and relay points and are programmed according to their function in the overall system. This low-cost approach not only enables the delay notification system, but also opens the door for other value-added applications within the work-zone. The same architecture can support construction vehicle tracking, notification of blow-bys (when vehicles fail to yield to traffic control), and field construction data reporting to centralized construction management systems. This paper reviews the communication architecture developed for the delay notification project and then casts that same communication system into scenarios to support value-added applications.