Dear Lane Ranger,
I know the state has a traffic control center in Northern Virginia. I know someone must be watching those cameras I see posted along the major interstate routes from Washington to the suburbs. Can you give me a better idea of what they do at the traffic center?
Rich Johnson
Nokesville
Rich,
I took your question to Jennifer McCord at the Virginia Department of Transportation, and she provided a list of things operators do at the Traffic Operations Center.
-- Place messages on electronic message signs at locations prior to the incident, advising motorists to take alternate routes — they look to post alerts at decision points where motorists can get to an alternate route.
-- Signal engineers adjust signal timing on popular alternate routes that typically become flooded with traffic diverting from the interstate (such as U.S. 1).
-- Operators send regular e-mail or text updates to media and appropriate entities with incident and traffic details, including Maryland and D.C. authorities when applicable.
-- People on scene, such as the Safety Service Patrol, coordinate with Virginia State Police, towing and recovery services.
So there you have it. They are the eyes and ears on the area’s highways.
Send your commuter questions to the Lane Ranger via e-mail at Laneranger@insidenova.com , on insidenova.com on Facebook and via Twitter @UriahKiser. You can also send your questions directly to the Lane Ranger, 14010 Smoketown Road, Woodbridge, VA 22192. Get the latest information about your commute every day on Lane Ranger Live at insidenova.com and click on Lane Ranger Live. You can also get more traffic news on insidenova.com by clicking on News and then selecting “traffic” from the drop down menu.
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