Like many metro Atlanta cities that border major arteries, Dunwoody often struggles with traffic congestion around I-285.
But the city said Thursday it can now monitor that traffic and help mitigate some of it through a new “Traffic Control Center.” The center is connected to all 60 traffic signals in Dunwoody, and staff members can control them in real time.
“These are purely used to monitor traffic conditions at each intersection. We can look at the video along with the cycle of the signal in real time to troubleshoot and make timing adjustments,” Dunwoody Public Works Director Michael Smith said in a statement.
The center also has screens that allow traffic engineers to monitor busy intersections from live cameras.
Previously, the city said, it could only control a third of its traffic signals. The Perimeter Community Improvement Districts helped fund a project to upgrade signals in Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and Brookhaven and connect more traffic signals in Dunwoody through a fiber network.
The new center will be especially helpful when major incidents affect traffic in or out of Dunwoody.
“We can’t make traffic go away entirely, but we’re doing the best we can to get people through traffic,” Dunwoody Traffic Signal Engineer Eli Veith said in a statement. “If there’s an incident on I-285, and we know a lot of people are going to be getting off and using the surface streets, we can change the plans we’re using for the traffic signals.”
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