ITS-only manufacturer of electronic messaging signage, SES America (SESA), has signed a procure and installation agreement with the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) to complete new technology retrofit upgrades of 43 existing legacy dynamic message signs (DMS) along interstates I-80 and I-25 and designated state highway routes.
The SESA retrofit upgrade will update older signs whose design or functionality has decreased ability, yet are fully capable of state-of-the-art restoration with existing housings.Spread throughout Wyoming, the signs are roadside DMS with 12in (30cm) characters, as well as walk-in, over-the-road DMS signs depicting three lines of 25 characters in 18in (46cm) high character format.
SESA will also complete a technology transition, with WYDOT fully assisting in the installation and final commissioning of every sign, along with continued 24/7 support for some of the most remote DMS in the USA.
With select signs at over 8,200ft (2,500m) elevation in constant sub-zero and gale force winds for much of the winter, SESA’s web-based controller will enable WYDOT field personnel access to each sign wirelessly, reducing personnel exposure to both the elements and hazardous driving conditions.
Piloted in late summer with a 30-day observation period, all 43 signs will be installed through the remainder of the autumn, and completed before the official winter season. With the upgrade, WYDOT will save more than US$1.2m in sign replacement costs alone, and a further US$800,000 in installation costs.
SESA will also be installing new DMS and structures with the same advanced, energy-efficient LED technology through the spring of 2018 on scenic Wyoming highways in the Teton Mountains Pass region, and along I-80, the busiest roadway in the state and home to the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program; one of three in the USA where new technologies are being actively employed on a high-volume highway.
SESA and its local partner have also successfully commissioned and installed variable speed limit (VSL) signs on the I-25 south of Sheridan, which will help improve safety by adjusting the speed limit to the weather conditions, as the state receives a heavy annual snowfall. Some of the VSL signs are solar-powered, each location has two units, one on each side of the road, with one double door cabinet with a single multi-DMS controller, capable of monitoring both signs. They are equipped with heaters in the sign housing and the system is remotely controlled via NTCIP by WYDOT control software.
