The INFORM (INformation FOR Motorists) system is one of the nation’s largest and most advanced traffic information systems for motorists and covers Long Island’s northern and southern corridors. The corridors extend east from the Borough of Queens in New York City, through Nassau County, and into Suffolk County, and consist of the Island’s major east-west highways and their busiest north-south connecting routes. INFORM monitors the corridor’s roadways 24 hours/day 7 days/week to detect incidents and then minimize their effects on traffic flow, both during peak and off-peak periods.
The INFORM system is both a nationally and internationally recognized ITS system and has been operating since the Spring of 1987. At the core of INFORM is the 35,000-SF Transportation Management Center (TMC) in Hauppauge, New York. GPI is a subconsultant providing personnel, in conjunction with NYSDOT staff, to operate the electronic traffic information and management systems covering over 340 center line miles of roadway (limited access and arterial).
Monitoring the roadways is achieved through various methods: vehicle detectors embedded in the roadway, including non-intrusive types; Closed-Circuit TV (CCTV); and monitoring police radios and direct reports from various sources, including the HELP Program. All of these methods aid in detecting incidents and monitoring changing traffic conditions.
Coordinators provide traffic information to the traveling public through Variable Message Signs (VMS) located above the roadway; our 511 System; and communications with media outlets such as radio stations, local televised news, and various other agencies. Information is also available through various websites such as 511NY.com. Over its 39 years of operation, INFORM has become an integral part of the day-to-day operation in the Region, managing over 5,000 incidents per year, which is an average of 14 incidents per day. The assets available to the system for monitoring, surveillance, and control are as follows:
- 205 Overhead VMS
- 383 CCTV
- Approximately 1,300 Arterial Traffic Signals
- Approximately 80 Ramp Meters
- Approximately 147 Portable VMS, Portable CCTVs, and Portable Detectors
- 514 Detector Stations comprised of Thousands of Detectors (Loops, Radar, Video Image, and Acoustic Sensors)
- 16 Over Height Vehicle Detector Systems
Project Highlights
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Owner/ClientNew York State Dept. of Transportation
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LocationQueens, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties, NY
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ServicesIntelligent Transportation Systems Engineering
Ranked #25 in the Top Transportation Firms by Engineering News Record Magazine
The ENR (Engineering News-Record) Top 100 Professional Services Firms is an annual ranking of the top firms in the professional services sector that provide design services for transportation-related projects such as highways, bridges, airports, railways, and transit systems.
