Iowa Department of Transportation

In early 2022, Econolite Systems, Inc. (ESI) began providing Iowa DOT the capabilities, experience, and resources required to provide maintenance, repair, growth, field asset management, and overall upkeep of its existing ITS infrastructure. Iowa DOT’s ITS consists of Motion Vehicle Detection Sensors (MVDS), Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTV), Dynamic Message Signs (DMS), Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS), Snow System Ramp Gates, Over-Height Detection Systems (OHDS), Wrong Way Detection Systems (WWDS), and Intersection Conflict Warning Systems (ICWS) located throughout the state, all connected by a combination of wireless and fiber optic communications to a central Traffic Management Center (TMC). The ITS is used to promote a safe and efficient transportation system, as well as push traveler information to drivers and the public via a cloud-based application. The ITS program began to be incrementally deployed starting in the early-2000s and continues to be implemented, city by city, throughout the State.

ESI leverages its leading-edge Centracs Maintenance Management System (MMS), as well as a comprehensive team of trained and certified ITS field technicians, to deliver a proactive construction and maintenance program, ensuring that the ITS field devices deployed throughout the state are connected and operating properly. The Econolite Systems team will also install and integrate new ITS devices as the statewide system expands. The statewide system operability and field device uptime percentage is approximately 54%. ESI was tasked to raise that rate above 98% within the first two years of the ITS Maintenance program.

At only eight months into the program, Iowa DOT was so pleased with the work and results, that it awarded ESI with an additional $4 million in add-on work orders to update the State’s highway network. The ESI team is using the Centracs Maintenance Management System (MMS) to efficiently deliver a proactive construction and maintenance program. The MMS ensures that the ITS field devices deployed throughout the state are connected and operating properly. Receiving 272 additional work orders since the beginning of the program, the ESI team is installing and repairing existing ITS field devises, as well as integrating new ITS devices as the statewide system expands. ESI provided 118 device location restorations within the first year of the contract, which reached an operational rate of 78% for ITS devices statewide.