FDOT smart work zone event explores industry technology

FDOT smart work zone event explores industry technology

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) officials were seeking a way to explore new technologies for the industry when they decided to launch the Smart Work Zone Innovation For Today and Tomorrow (SWIFTT) Challenge this year.

They held their inaugural event in June, where entrepreneurs gathered to pitch their ideas in a competitive atmosphere.

“As we were taking a fresh look at work zone safety, and [the desire to make] a quantum leap forward, we began to see that the tools that we have been relying on are fairly static and although they work and have been very effective, [we wanted to explore] what new technologies are out there waiting to be discovered,” FDOT Chief Engineer Dan Hurtado said in his opening remarks at the SWIFTT Challenge, held June 13  at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Fla.

As the nation’s highways and roadways evolve, so do the technologies designed to enhance safety for workers and motorists. At the event, a panel of judges from FDOT and the private sector assessed a range of cutting-edge work zone safety solutions that included information technology, physical hardware and smart technologies. Six vendors presented items in five categories::

1. Connected Workers and Automated Speed Limits: A system where workers automatically appear on a map, ensuring their presence is known to all, using geo-fencing. Geofencing refers to virtual boundaries set around an area. Geofencing allows the detection and monitoring of connected devices or wearables.
2. Crowd-Sourced Data Platform for Work Zone Analysis: A process for turning large amounts of complex, transportation crowd-sourced, cloud-based, real-time data into insights for smart, data-driven operations and planning decisions in work zones.
3. Gamification to Combat Distracted Driving: A proactive approach to understanding drivers’ behavior and distraction level by geofencing work zones before they begin, using gamification. The goal is to help change drivers’ behavior and understand risk areas within a planned construction project. Gamification encourages positive behaviors by integrating game-like elements into non-game contexts.
4. Work Zone Intrusion alert systems – two products.
   1. One using LiDAR: A novel way of detecting imminent work zone intrusions using LiDAR technology. The device is designed to alert distracted drivers and workers of imminent intrusions into a work zone.
   2. One using Connected Work Zone Devices and Wearables: An ecosystem composed of connected work zone devices and personal protective equipment (PPE), using geofencing, alerting workers of work zone intrusions.
5. Barrier Systems and Sound Panels: A freestanding and flexible barrier system, equipped with a sound panel system that dampens sound from construction sites.

At the event, which was attended by industry members from the public and private sectors, the six participants were each allotted 10 minutes to present their innovation followed by a five-minute, question-and-answer session with the judges. Judges chose one winner, whose range of products fall under an ecosystem of connected work zones devices and wearables.

The outcome of this event is FDOT’s commitment to working with the winner for a widespread implementation of its product on FDOT’s interstate resurfacing program over the next year, FDOT’s Hurtado said.

ATSSA Florida Chapter President David Feise, shared information about this inaugural FDOT challenge with ATSSA members ahead of the event in hopes of encouraging participation.

“FDOT is proactively looking for work zone solutions that make our roads here in Florida safer for the motoring public and workers,” said Feise, who is president of Arrive Alive Traffic Control in Apopka, Fla.

ATSSA Innovation and Technical Services Manager Nagham “Melodie” Matout attended the event and commended FDOT for promoting work zone innovations through this initiative and for the department’s dedication to saving lives by implementing market-ready products on real projects.

“The event was highly successful, generating significant interest in participation from vendors for future rounds,” said FDOT State Construction Specialty Engineer Olivia Townsend, who led the effort. “We look forward to possibly hosting the challenge again next year.”