Politics & Government

Selectmen See New ITS Program in Action

Town has spent nearly a decade working on project to improve traffic, emergency responses.

A wide-ranging, technology-driven Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) is operating throughout Salem right now, and selectmen got a taste of its capabilities Monday night.

Community Development Director Bill Scott and project manager Chris Bobay of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc., gave selectmen the presentation for ITS, which aims to create better traffic flow and assist public safety.

Information and documents related to the Salem ITS project, which dates back to 2004, can be accessed on the Salem Town Projects website.

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According to the site, when completed ITS "will integrate coordinated traffic signal control, video traffic monitoring, emergency and incident response support, and communications to allow local, state, and regional agencies to better manage the transportation network in a seamless fashion."

Two phases of ITS have been completed and Town Manager Keith Hickey said he hopes the third phase will be complete by Thanksgiving.

Find out what's happening in Salemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The first phase of the project was funded by federal highway grants totaling $750,000 and matching local impact fees while Scott said the second phase has been paid for by $260,000 in energy grants.

Bobay said as of Monday pan, tilt and zoom cameras monitoring local traffic were operating at 11 intersections in Salem, mostly on Route 28 between the Depot and the line with Methuen. Cameras are also out near Interstate 93 and along Pelham Road.

Cameras at the Hampshire/Lawrence Road intersection and at the Lowe's plaza intersection will be operating this week, according to Bobay.

"ITS gives us the ability to communicate, share video monitoring and traffic information," Scott said.

Scott said the state Department of Transportation is working with the town on Phase III of the project, which includes Rockingham Park Boulevard intersections, Exit 2 and the Policy/Pelham intersection. 

Working on timing plans for traffic and intersections are also part of the implementation of ITS. That will include looking at key congestion areas, emergency scenarios and training and protocols for staff.

On Monday night, selectmen got a look at what the cameras are able to do with live looks at traffic throughout town. 

Selectmen tried to make clear the ITS cameras will only be used for monitoring.

"We're not going to use this thing to give people tickets or take plate numbers down," Selectman Everett McBride said. "It's just used for traffic managment, period. That was the intent when we started this project."

Selectman Stephen Campbell said he'd heard concerns from people that ITS would be Salem's "Big Brother," and said he expects "explicit" procedures for usage by town staff.

Scott said the cameras don't have recording capability. 

Assistant Fire Chief Paul Parisi said his department so far has only made use of the camera that points out to I-93. Parisi said many calls for emergencies along the interstate report an incorrect location, causing fire apparatus to go to the wrong place and take longer to respond. 

"This will direct companies to the best response pattern to get to that incident in an efficient way," Parisi said.

Selectmen lauded Scott and other staff for their efforts in making the ITS project reality.

"It's a great project and we didn't have to go ask the taxpayers for this $1 million-plus," McBride said.


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