TV Cameras Expected to Monitor the Flow on Golden State Freeway

The California Transportation Commission is expected today to approve an $8.7-million plan to install closed-circuit television cameras that would speed up response to traffic problems along the Golden State Freeway between downtown Los Angeles and Santa Clarita.

The 47 cameras gazing upon 35 miles of freeway passing through Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale and Santa Clarita would be used to gather information about accidents, delays and weather conditions.

“By being able to get visual verification, we can get emergency crews there that much more quickly,” said Gregory B. Damico, manager of Caltrans’ camera surveillance project.

The cameras are part of a $280-million upgrade of the downtown Traffic Operations Center, a high-tech command post where Caltrans officials use electronic sensors, closed-circuit television monitors, ramp meter controls, changeable message sign operators and low-power radio transmitters to monitor traffic flow on Southern California’s freeway network.

The center is currently limited to 19 closed-circuit cameras along the Santa Monica Freeway and key interchanges downtown. Miniature cameras would be added on 400 sites along as many miles of freeway, Damico said.

Studies have indicated that the cameras, pavement sensors and other traffic monitoring systems improve traffic speeds by about 15%, he said. No tests have been done to determine how much the cameras by themselves improve traffic flow, Damico said.

But by having visual information immediately available, Caltrans officials can quickly assess the severity of a delay and decide what type of response is needed--whether to call for a tow truck, California Highway Patrol unit, ambulance or a hazardous material cleanup crew, Damico said.

The $8.7 million would also pay for cameras on two sections of the Santa Monica and the Hollywood freeways in downtown Los Angeles.

If approved, the 47 cameras will be installed and operating by late 1993.

Damico said getting cameras installed on the Golden State Freeway is a high priority because it is a major thoroughfare used by big rigs traveling between the Los Angeles Basin and Central and Northern California. It also serves as a primary commuter route for Santa Clarita Valley and Antelope Valley residents traveling to the San Fernando Valley and downtown Los Angeles, he said.

A daily average of between 93,000 and 278,000 vehicles use the Golden State Freeway along the 35-mile stretch where the cameras are proposed.

That stretch is susceptible to delays and accidents because it is crossed by other freeways at 10 points and draws traffic from events such as Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games. As a result, the average speed drops to below 35 m.p.h. during morning and evening peak periods.

John Manduca, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol station in Newhall, said a lion’s share of the delays on the Golden State Freeway north of the Simi Valley Freeway are caused by accidents involving speeding motorists and drunk drivers.

South of the Simi Valley Freeway, the delays are attributed to peak-hour commuter congestion, he said.

Manduca said anything that can help provide the CHP with more information about delays can help it respond quicker and help Caltrans reroute traffic.

“I think that time is of the essence when you are talking about clearing a collision and eliminating congestion,” he said.

The freeway stretch already has electronic sensors in the pavement, changeable message signs, ramp meters and a highway advisory radio signal that tells motorists about delays and alternate routes.

The cameras are also valuable because the traffic monitoring systems currently used on the Golden State Freeway transmit information through telephone lines, which Caltrans officials say routinely fail. The cameras would send information to the operations center via microwave signals.