Daily News  

Intelligent Traffic Lights will begin to work next Tuesday

The war front against dams in San Jose will begin next Tuesday November 27th , when the operational system starts in the first phase of the intelligent system of traffic lights.

Although they hoped that they were in an operation work several weeks ago, but somebody stilled two computing teams for the Traffic Control Center this caused a delay in the project.

Karla Gonzalez, Minister of Public Works and Transport (MOPT), reported that the first traffic lights will be functioning through the centralized system in the inner-city.

"We are talking about the blocks closer to the Metropolitan Cathedral and to the second avenue," explained

The radial where new traffic lights will be are in La Uruca, San Pedro and Pavas and will be incorporated into the month of December.

The total project cost is $ 4.6 million (¢ 2,396 million), was awarded to the company Traffic Lights Mexican Company (Semex)

Who do they work?

According to a report of the MOPT, with the system of intelligent traffic the timing of the green lights at each intersection will allocated according to the volumes of traffic at the time.

Under the pavement there are sensors that send information to the traffic lights and this go to the turn Control Center, located in Plaza Viquez.

When the traffic information gets to the Control, a computer program processed the plans and allocates time for the lights.

Workers at the Control will be able to adjust the decisions to the computer. These officials are computer technicians; engineers or engineering students in the transit transportation.

The system will be complemented with special cameras that will fulfill the same function of the sensors.

In addition, an enclosed-television circuit will monitor the dams in specific points as the Paseo Colon, downtown San Jose, near the bus stop of Limon and crossing Munoz & Nane in San Pedro.

To prevent vandalism the MOPT does not specify the exact sites where the cameras will be located.