Reducing Workzone Congestion for Auckland's Eastern Busway Project

End-to-end solution integrates roadside sensors with edge computing power and cloud -based software

Overview

The Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative (AMETI) Eastern Busway is a group of projects in south -east Auckland which will improve transport choices and connections in the area – valued at $1.6b New Zealand Dollars. The Eastern Busway Alliance (EBA) was contracted to construct a new busway between two major suburbs that see high volumes of traffic congestion in Eastern Auckland. The project will grow the region's rapid transit network and will provide more reliable bus and train travel, including 5km of busway and 5 new bus stations, as well as 12km of separated walking and cycling routes. By 2028, it is estimated the busway will carry 30,000 passengers a day and will significantly improve bus and train services for East Auckland.

The Eastern Busway Alliance (EBA) is comprised of Fletcher Construction, ACCIONA, AECOM and Jacobs, they are tasked to design, consent and build the Pakuranga to Botany section of the busway. Their mana whenua partners and specialists in safety, community engagement, design and construction are working together, sharing their skills and knowledge to deliver this large and complex infrastructure project. They are responsible for ensuring a smooth construction process, minimising environmental and community disruptions and impacts.

The Challenge

Since the EBP (Eastern Busway Project) stretches over a long period of time and runs along a main arterial route to the Centre Business District (CBD), minimising motorist disruptions and delays is paramount. To this end, the EBA needs a way to monitor the traffic flow, congestion, and network performance in real-time to gain a holistic understanding of the impact of the construction on the work zones.However, there is no existing data collection infrastructure surrounding the project area that meets this need.

The Solution

Through Smart City, an Auckland-based innovative Smart City Technology provider, the EBA is introduced to SMATS’ TrafficXHub and smartmicro radar sensors to monitor the project area in real -time. The solution combines the strengths of SMATS’ TrafficXhub with smartmicro’s radar sensors to offer transportation officials in New Zealand unmatched data collection capabilities by any single product on the market.

SMATS’ TrafficXhub sensors measure travel time by detecting MAC addresses from smart devices via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals. Complementarily, smartmicro’s sensors detect traffic count, speed, and object classification metrics, with superior technology that features high-definition detection, 4D measurement, easy installation, maintenance-free usage, and significant cost-savings, compared to common under-ground or camera detection solutions.

With its powerful computing capabilities, TrafficXhub is paired with smartmicro radar sensors to edge-aggregate the data and transmit it to SMATS’ analytics powerhouse iNode. This end-to-end solution combines the two companies’ strengths in data fusion, edge computing and analytics to offer the unique capability of measuring travel time and a suite of spot traffic data – all in real-time – through a single solution.

For the EBP, Smart City deployed 13 SMATS' TrafficXHub and 6 smartmicro radar sensors before construction began to collect data to establish a baseline of vehicle volume and travel time through the project area.

During construction, the TrafficXHub and smartmicro solution continues to capture travel-time across pre-established routes, the volume of multi-modal traffic, vehicle volume by lane, vehicle classification, point speeds by lane, turning movement volumes, and headway and gap data.

Both historical and real-time data can be accessed on SMATS' data analytics platform, iNode, which not only processes and displays the data but also provides visualizations for before and after comparisons, real-time alerts, as well as customizable dashboards and report templates.

Results

An additional project is in progress to implement advanced SmartVMS (Variable Message Signs) which aim to complement the services available to drivers. These dynamic signs will offer real-time information regarding expected wait times and suggest alternative, more efficient travel routes that circumvent the ongoing construction zone. This initiative, driven from the real-time data already being collected, is designed to provide drivers with options for alternative paths, thereby alleviating traffic build-up and enhancing the overall driving experience. In addition, the EBA is actively employing this technology to address and mitigate traffic congestions, to reduce the impact of construction activities on travel, and to establish solid metrics for assessing system performance.

"Our feedback from our client was very positive, the system was delivered efficiently, effectively, and is performing incredibly well. The transport engineers use iNode every day to assist with daily performance reviews, congestion analysis, baseline comparisons and help support them to their KPIs.”