Loading...Intelligent Transportation Systems
Traffic is an increasingly complex problem in an increasingly complex world. If you’re anything like the millions of New Yorkers who drive each day, you need relief. Who can governments and owners turn to in these times? Well, New York City knows who they can trust – they’ve enlisted the help of one NECA contractor And IBEW Local 3 to install Intelligent Transportation Systems to provide that relief.
Traffic is a huge time killer – according to studies conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute, New Yorkers can waste up to 380 million hours a year in traffic – that’s 44 hours a year for each resident – resulting in lost productivity, huge gasoline costs and headaches across all five boroughs.
Christopher Erikson, BM, Local 3
“This is New York City. There’s got to be a bazillion taxi cabs and you’re not getting around that.”
But together with the New York State and New York City Departments of Transportation, NECA Contractor Hellman Electric and IBEW Local 3 are working together to get speedometers back to 55.
They’re installing Intelligent Transportation Systems – and all around NYC, they’re getting information into the hands of motorists, one sign, camera or light at a time.
Carlos Sasal, VP PROJECT Management Hellman Electric
“It is fiber optic communications, video surveillance. We have highway detection systems, variable message signs that inform the traveling public of potential traffic alerts or conditions that are associated with the city.”
Steven Lazzaro, President/CEO, Hellman Electric Corp.
“It’s a means to serve the public as best as possible. Put those taxpayers dollars to the best, where they should be used the best.”
And in these economic times – taxpayer dollars are more precious than ever. Governments know they need to make the most out of each penny – so when they rely on the NECA-IBEW team, there are going to squeeze every cent out of every buck.
Christopher Erikson, BM, Local 3
“Our members understand that productivity is the key to our success. The boss makes money on this job, he’s in the game, he’s going after the next job and we benefit by all of that.”
John Marchell, President, Local 3
“When you come to a NECA contractor who employs Local Union 3 members, they know they’re going to get a product they’re going to be able to be proud of. I built that, and that’s what they say. Even though it’s an ‘I’, it’s really a ‘we’ that gets the job done.”
The electronic signs you see on the highway are maybe the highest tech part of these installs, and have the highest degree of difficulty.
Brian McAleer, foreman, Local 3
“We’ll set up temporary power to it and then we’ll do a test in the yard. The State sees that the sign actually works before it goes up in the air. Then we’ve got to take measurements on the vertical trusses that go on the back of the sign. And then they get attached to the structure out in the field. If everything is working, the State does a thirty day test.”
Here’s how it works:
Cameras, speed monitors and other installed devices can tell if a car is broken down in the road, if there is an accident or something else is impeding the flow of traffic. Immediately, dispatchers are able to use alerts on signs, placed strategically throughout the highway system to alert motorists to use another route. The result is less bumper to bumper traffic, better reaction to adverse road conditions and less time on the road.
Installing them is a daunting challenge in and of itself.
Vincent Weichel, General Foreman
“Going up in those signs when the traffic is moving underneath you is a little hairy. The sound just bounces, the sign is bouncing up and down and it’s something to be experienced.”
Michael McGuckin, Local 3
“If it’s prepared properly, it goes in like a glove.”
The men and women of the IBEW are doing the job with a focus on the customer – and going the extra mile in an install that means less headaches for owners or government agencies down the road.
Vincent Weichel, General Foreman
“We’re detailing everything for them so when they open up something they know exactly what they got, where it goes, where it comes from – it just makes it a lot easier to trouble shoot.”
Both union and contractor know that this partnership between NECA and the IBEW is the best way to deliver what the owner wants, when the owner needs it.
Carlos Sasal, VP Project Management Hellman Electric
“It’s a big emphasis we’ve put on our management team: make sure that quality is first and with quality will come profit.”
Christopher Erikson, BM, Local 3
“We’re fortunate that we have members that are willing to share their skills with others so on the job we raise each other up.”
Steven Lazzaro, President/CEO, Hellman Electric Corp.
“That’s our end goal is to not sacrifice quality and get that job done as quickly as possible. We can save the owner money and I think we can give them a better system.”
NECA and the IBEW are making shorter commutes a reality in New York – thanks to their quality build and expertise.
Frank Sergi, general superintendent, Hellman Electric
“At times it’s the largest parking lot in the world. As a commuter myself I travel on the LIE expressway and the signs themselves are a great help.”
These ITS systems are being installed all around the country. With a little investment, states and municipalities are realizing the value of using these systems to keep the traffic moving.
If you want to know more about the these systems, and how they can ease the traffic in your area, contact your local NECA contractor.