Commissioner Haley will explain how NJDOT makes the summer travel season safer and easier for motorists

MEDIA ADVISORY

With the use remote cameras and overhead variable message signs (VMS) connected to the NJDOT via fiber optic cable, the NJDOT can instantaneously monitor traffic conditions and let motorists know what to expect on some of the heavily traveled routes to the shore and divert them to alternate routes if necessary.

Haley will also talk about some special efforts the department is making to ease congestion on several routes to the Shore and how the NJDOT and police are cooperating to better manage incidents on the roads that cause traffic backups.

The event will take place outside NJDOT Region South Headquarters in Mount Laurel and then will move inside to the Traffic Operations "Command Center" inside the headquarters where the Commissioner will demonstrate how a message can be programmed on a desktop computer, then appear on an overhead VMS with just the push of a key.

"The NJDOT is moving away from being just a highway system builder to that of a system operator, sharing responsibilities with State Police and local police departments," Commissioner Haley said. "We cannot build our way out of congestion, so we need to manage the roadways better. With the technology to detect conditions on the roads quicker we are able to solve the problems quicker."

NOTE: The Traffic Operations Center is located at the intersection of Church and Fellowship in Mount Laurel.