Cameras to allow ODOT to keep closer eye on the roads

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will be keeping a closer electronic eye on the roads. <br><br>The Transportation Commission on Monday approved the use of 11 cameras in Oklahoma

Tuesday, December 3rd 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will be keeping a closer electronic eye on the roads.

The Transportation Commission on Monday approved the use of 11 cameras in Oklahoma City to monitor and respond to accidents and other traffic tie-ups along some heavily traveled interstates.

The commission tabled action on similar Tulsa projects pending identification of three more locations for equipment.

Video cameras and Web cameras will be placed at the interchanges of interstates 35 and 40; 40 and 44; and along I-44 between I-40 and State Highway 3.

Video cameras already have been approved for projects along I-40 outside Tinker Air Force Base. The state also has found locations for seven signs and cameras in Tulsa along U.S. 169, Interstate 244 and the Broken Arrow Expressway, said Red Miller, assistant traffic engineer at ODOT.

Operators of the video, or CCTV cameras, will be able to tilt, pan and zoom the units from remote locations.

The video feeds from the cameras will be available to Transportation Department officials and public safety officers on the state and local level.

The Web cameras won't have zoom or panning capabilities and are intended to provide viewers with a picture of what is happening in a given area.

None of the images provided by the cameras are intended to be used for law enforcement, state officials said.

Highway and public safety dispatchers will be able to get an instant view of problems in heavily congested areas whenever they happen, said Alan Stevenson, a Transportation Department engineer.

``If a motorist calls in an accident, we can use the camera and immediately look and see what is happening,'' Stevenson said. ``We can decide then whether or not a wrecker, ambulance or fire and rescue team is needed. If a hazardous material unit is needed, we can see that, too.''

The cameras and installation are expected to cost $760,000.

The equipment should be operational before the end of next year, a spokeswoman said.