SES America Inc. (SESA), a leading manufacturer of digital, LED signage for the transportation industry, has released details of its three latest dynamic message sign (DMS) deployment projects in Virginia, Delaware and Texas.
In partnership with Kapsch TrafficCom North America, SESA has successfully completed the commissioning of its embedded M5000 DMS for use in Virginia DOT’s Truck Parking Availability System (TPAS) project.
For the first ever deployment of the technology in the state, the embedded amber M5000 DMS are mounted to static signage and placed along one of the busiest corridors in the USA, Interstate 66, near Port Royal in Northern Virginia. The signs will be used to display truck parking availability in rest areas, and alert truck drivers on the ability to find a safe location to park and rest.
If successful, this pilot project could lead to a larger DMS deployment in Virginia. SESA currently holds the contracts to manufacture and deliver TPAS signage for the Florida, Virginia, Indiana and Kansas Departments of Transportation (DOTs). Manufacturing will be completed this summer, with deployments expected later this year.
SESA has recently completed another successful DMS deployment for the Delaware DOT, with delivery of a Front-Access, Amber M6000 DMS unit on the state’s busy I-495 northbound corridor. Now fully installed and commissioned, the M6000 DMS replaces legacy equipment that had been operating on the roadway for several years.
This installation expands on existing network of SESA DMS within the state and continues the history of successful deployments with Delaware DOT under its current state contract.
The sign was constructed in accordance with Delaware DOT specifications and combines industry-leading energy efficiency with environmentally hardened components designed to require low maintenance. Each sign is controlled via SESA’s state-of-the-art SCU6 touchscreen DMS controller that is NTCIP compliant and fully integrated with the region’s traffic control center for ease of use.
SESA has also partnered with Traffic Control Devices Inc. and Texas DOT to complete retrofit upgrades of five DMS in Carrollton. The project on southbound Interstate 35E is the first of five installations to be completed by September this year, and one of over 250 installations around Texas in the last five years. The retrofitted signs depict three lines of 18 characters in an 18in (46cm) high character format, and use an energy-efficient technology of smart electrical design and surface-mounted LEDs.
Motorists in Texas will now have an improved commuting experience with more vibrant and visible DMS due to the state-of-the-art display. The retrofit can be completed without cranes, traffic control, and the extended labor costs of a typical new installation, offering cost savings of over 50%, without the disruption to the public.
The upgrade to an energy-efficient LED display will consume up to 50% less power, contributing to significantly less taxpayer money over the sign’s lifespan. Numerous retrofits have already been performed by SESA in other parts of Texas that have amounted to savings of up to US$8m.
