Modernizing State Highway System Monitoring and Decision Support Capabilities

Wrong-way driving, sudden speed changes, traffic backups, stopped traffic, and other unusual roadway conditions continue to create safety and operational concerns on California’s State Highway System. Caltrans has existing Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras and traffic management tools in place; however, it can be difficult to actively monitor all roadway conditions in real time and quickly identify issues before they become larger incidents.

Transportation Management Center (TMC) operators are responsible for monitoring roadway conditions and responding to incidents across large areas of the State Highway System. However, operators do not have the bandwidth to proactively monitor every CCTV feed at all times, as much of their work is focused on responding to incidents that are already occurring. This limits the Department’s ability to identify developing issues early and take action before they become more serious.

Caltrans seeks innovative, AI-enabled solutions that leverage existing CCTV infrastructure and operational data to proactively monitor roadway conditions, detect abnormalities, and alert TMC operators in real time. Proposed solutions should help identify issues related to wrong-way driving, speed, traffic flow, occupancy, congestion, stopped vehicles, and other roadway concerns while supporting existing traffic management processes and future integration with Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

Solutions may address one or more of the following objectives:

• Improve proactive roadway monitoring by using existing CCTV cameras and operational data to detect unusual or high-risk conditions across the State Highway System.
• Support TMC operators by providing real-time alerts, summaries, dashboards, or other decision-support tools that help them quickly understand and respond to potential roadway issues.
• Help identify issues earlier so operators can activate traffic management countermeasures such as changeable message signs, highway advisory radio, and other traveler information systems.
• Improve coordination by helping Caltrans notify the California Highway Patrol (CHP), maintenance crews, and other response partners sooner when a potential safety or operational issue is detected.
• Capture useful event information, alert history, and system performance data to support follow-up review, continuous improvement, and future operational planning.
• Support a scalable system that can work across different districts, roadway types, and traffic management environments while maintaining appropriate security, interoperability, and data governance.

The desired outcome is to help Caltrans identify roadway issues earlier, improve situational awareness for TMC operators, support faster decision-making, and strengthen coordination with CHP and maintenance crews. Caltrans seeks a scalable solution that uses existing CCTV infrastructure to proactively monitor roadway conditions, provide real-time alerts, support earlier activation of traffic management tools, and advance the Department’s commitment to transportation system safety.