Calvin Coolidge Bridge Information
Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS)
The Coolidge Bridge Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) is a high-technology solution designed to support emergency vehicle crossings and to keep traffic moving during the reconstruction of the Bridge. The ATMS uses advanced electronic and munications systems to monitor traffic and distribute traffic information to emergency personnel, construction managers, and the traveling public.
The primary objectives of the ATMS include:
- Enabling critical Emergency Vehicles, especially ambulances heading toward Cooley-Dickinson Hospital, to cross the Coolidge Bridge without being delayed in traffic congestion.
- Traffic Monitoring and Control, to detect and resolve traffic backups, accidents, and other problems quickly and efficiently; and
- Distributing Traveler Information, to keep motorists informed about delays, road closures, and other traffic advisories.
The Advanced Traffic Management System is controlled by trained operators from a Traffic Operations Center located in the Massachusetts Highway Department District 2 Headquarters in Northampton. The ATMS will also be controlled during off-peak times from the Northampton barracks of the Massachusetts State Police. Construction and emergency personnel have direct radio communication with the Traffic Operations Center at any time.
Reconstruction of Bridge Tower in NorthamptonTraffic Monitoring and Control
The Advanced Traffic Management System uses closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, automatic traffic detectors, and communication with personnel at the construction site to continuously monitor traffic flow on and around the bridge. This information is relayed back to the Traffic Operations Center, where operators can control traffic signals and post advisories on electronic signs to alleviate congestion or respond to traffic accidents or emergencies.
Operators can use Traffic Signal Preemption at the three key intersections (Route 9/Bay Road, Hadley; Route 9/Damon Road, Northampton, and Damon Road/King Street, Northampton) to facilitate the movement of emergency vehicles (described below) or to address a variety of construction-related congestion problems. While these solutions may alleviate some congestion problems there will realistically be some traffic delays.
Traveler Information
The traffic information collected by the ATMS system will be used to provide valuable travel information to the public. This is accomplished through Variable Message Signs (VMS) located on roadways throughout the region, and through this website.
Variable Message Signs provide travel information to drivers at key decision points in and near the Route 9 Corridor. These message signs can be used to alert drivers of heavy traffic delays, road closures, accidents, and other travel-related information. The location of the signs is designed so that drivers can seek alternate routes in case of lengthy delays or closures of the Coolidge Bridge.
Variable Message Signs are located in the following areas:
Northampton Area:
· Bridge Street eastbound before King Street
· Interstate I-91 Northbound north of Exit 18
Hadley/UMass Area:
· Route 9 Westbound before South Maple Street
· Route 9 westbound between University Drive and Route
116 north
· Rocky Hill Road westbound before Roosevelt Road
This website is useful for pre-trip planning. It provides information about ongoing and future construction activities, as well as other events that can impact travel in the region. It also provides real-time travel time estimates for the westbound segment of Route 9 between the Hampshire Mall, Hadley, and Damon Road, Northampton. The site also offers real-time traffic camera images of the Coolidge and Sunderland Bridges and of other critical locations along Route 9 and Route 116.
Emergency Vehicles
Route 9 and the Coolidge Bridge are important links for emergency vehicles, especially ambulances traveling to the Cooley-Dickinson Hospital from communities east of the Connecticut River. Because it is critical to keep this corridor open for emergency vehicles, the ATMS allows operators to clear the Bridge of stopped traffic, so that ambulances, fire trucks, and other emergency vehicles can cross the bridge without delay.
The system works as follows: personnel in the Traffic Operations Center continually monitor emergency radio frequencies and can talk directly with emergency personnel in the area and at the Bridge construction site. If an emergency vehicle needs to cross the Bridge in an urgent situation, the emergency dispatcher alerts the Traffic Operations Center by radio.
The Traffic Operations Center can then use special setting for traffic signals in the vicinity of the bridge, to temporarily clear the Bridge of any congestion, so that the emergency vehicle can cross unimpeded. When the emergency vehicle passes through, the signals are reset and traffic flow returns to normal.