Along a 112-mile stretch, from Key Largo to Key West, contractors with the Florida Department of Transportation have been busy installing a combination of 51 road side unit sensors and cameras.
The work is part of a $5-million pilot project that started in 2021 called the Florida Keys Connecting Overseas to Advance Safe Travel – or Keys COAST for short.
If all goes as planned, by the end of the year, information collected in real time will be shared among 250 vehicles countywide equipped with on-board units. These vehicles will be emergency response vehicles and volunteer agency fleets.
“We have vehicles from the Department (FDOT), Monroe County, City of Key West, City of Marathon, Islamorada and Florida Highway Patrol too,” said Carmen Negron, engineer and project manager for Keys COAST.
“They are going to receive messages like potential red light, you are going to approach a school or work zone, excessive speed, pedestrian in the roadway and also potential vehicle collisions,” added Negron.
FDOT will monitor the success of the Keys COAST project with the ultimate goal being to develop a smartphone application that would be accessible to the general public, including motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
A representative for FDOT said the program is still a few years away from being offered to the general public.
“The pilot project is going to last about two years. We’ll go back and see what the results were and move forward from there,” said FDOT spokeswoman Cynthia Turcios.
The new cameras and sensors will be used to gather information about conditions on the road, not for traffic enforcement purposes.
“So we’re hoping that helps with traffic flow, so if you know certain areas are clogged up you maybe want to wait a few minutes before heading out,” said Turcios.
Negron said similar pilot programs are underway in Tallahassee, Gainesville and Ocala.
“We’re excited to try this new technology down in the Keys. We think it’s going to be very beneficial for the Keys, for the residents and tourists alike,” added Turcios.
