Spanish transportation technology developer and consultancy Indra is to supply the traffic management and control technology that will equip the new tunnels and open-air roads of the final section of the Bogotá-Villavicencio highway corridor in Colombia.
The EUR20m (US$22m) contract has been awarded to Indra, in a consortium with Comsa Industrial, through the Andean Road Consortium (Conandino), which is responsible for the construction of the new road section between Chirajara and Fundadores of what is also known as the Los Llanos highway. Indra will renovate the Buenavista control center and it will implement its comprehensive Horus traffic and tunnel management platform, part of the company’s Mova Traffic suite, to control the new section and its seven tunnels, including the Buenavista tunnel, which at 2.8 miles (4.5km) long is one of the longest in both the country and Latin America.
The company will also implement the necessary communications systems using its Mova Comms product and the safety systems will be controlled through Mova Protect. All of the tunnel and road’s intelligent traffic systems (ITS) will be managed by the Mova Traffic platform, including the closed-circuit television systems (CCTV), traffic counters, road signs, emergency call boxes, fire detection, lightning control and PA systems, among others. The integrated Indra technology will facilitate the entire operation of the highway and tunnels, automate all control processes, and contribute to reducing the risk of incidents, while streamlining their management should they occur.
The Buenavista control center, together with the main control center in Boquerón and the local management center located in Naranjal, which were also implemented by Indra in previous projects, will monitor and control the entire complex run under a government concession in a centralized manner with a single interface for maximum efficiency. Indra’s Horus platform already covers the management of the 22 tunnels that are currently operational, and seven more will be added, completing the Bogotá-Villavicencio two-lane road. When completed, the highway will connect the two cities, reducing travel times by an estimated 45 minutes for the more than 12,000 vehicles that use the route daily.
Indra’s Horus platform is currently considered to be one of the world’s most advanced integrated traffic and tunnel management systems. It enables the combined management of several ITS and safety systems installed in tunnels, and offers the operator real-time information and a unique view of everything that happens in the tunnel, optimizing decision-making in everyday and emergency situations. Horus has an Automatic Incident Detection System (AID), which integrates information from cameras and sensors, and sends alerts automatically to the control center in the event of an incident or emergency. The platform’s air quality measurement systems and CO sensors are also able to detect high levels of toxic gases in real-time and automatically activate fans to expel noxious fumes.
The Mova suite also offers advanced communications technology through an innovative radio system that enables georeferencing of the exact location of ambulances, firefighters, police and operation and maintenance vehicles, both inside and outside the tunnels. The system also has visibility sensors and an emergency and evacuation artificial lighting system, as well as power generators and backup power plants to guarantee the supply of all safety systems.
