Overview
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge, also referred to as the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bay Bridge, is a vital infrastructure connecting Maryland’s rural eastern shore region with the urban western shore. Versilis was selected by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) to implement an Automated Lane Closure System (ALCS), to replace the existing manual maintenance of traffic (MOT) operations. The innovative system is designed to improve the safety and efficiency of bridge lane closures.
Project Scope
The Bay Bridge ALCS was constructed to improve opening and closing lanes including contraflow traffic operations on the bridge. Previously, two-way traffic operations were performed manually with cones and barrels. More recently, MDTA decided to implement an automated operation allowing maintenance crews to manage traffic remotely on both sides of the bridge according to the required lane configuration.
The project includes ITS devices such as horizontal swing gates, overhead lane-use signals, dynamic message signs (DMS), and illuminated pavement markers that were integrated to the existing traffic control system. These components allow operations and maintenance staff to close lanes remotely using seven different lane closure scenarios based on pre-determined traffic patterns and conditions.
