NTTA installs LED-enhanced signs to prevent wrong way driving

So far in 2009, there have been seven incidents and eight crashes resulting in four deaths on the Dallas North Tollway. In a continued effort to advance responsible driving and address wrong-way driver prevention, the North Texas Tollway Authority installed six LED-enhanced “Wrong Way” signs Friday and Monday as part of a pilot project initiated by the NTTA’s Wrong-Way Driver Task Force.

“We have taken several countermeasures to date to combat wrong way driving on our system,” said Susan Slupecki, NTTA spokeswoman. “These lights are just the latest precautions.”

NTTA maintenance crews installed the signs at the southbound end of the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) near Harry Hines Boulevard in Dallas, at the northbound Cotton Gin Road (Main St.) ramp at the DNT and at the northbound end of the DNT at Highway 380 in Frisco.

“They flash continuously and are designed to catch the attention of a driver before that driver can enter the tollway in the wrong direction,” Slupecki said.

The LED signs were put up after a study by the NTTA Wrong-way Driver Task Force, which addresses wrong-way driver prevention. In order to continually increase safety on the entire NTTA system, the task force is working with Dallas city officials on enhancements to the Wycliff Avenue median at the southbound DNT exit ramp to make it more difficult for motorists under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs to make errant left turns onto the ramp. The task force is also conducting lane-level testing of wrong-way driver detection loops.

During the pilot project, the signs will be evaluated for reliability, impact, efficiency and maintenance operations. Should the signs prove effective, the NTTA will move forward to install the LED signs to all ramps of the NTTA system -- including the Sam Rayburn Tollway (SH-121) and President George Bush Turnpike (SH-190).

Earlier changes to deter wrong-way drivers have included installing additional “Wrong Way” and “Do Not Enter” signs, adding one-way pavement markers at the south end of DNT, installing raised reflective markers -- reflective buttons arranged in the shape of an arrow that glow red when in contact with a vehicle’s headlights -- and extra “Do Not Enter” signs. The NTTA is also conducting a study with state transportation officials to lower the height of the roadway’s signs, Slupecki said.

NTTA is also using an intelligent transportation system of more than 1,000 cameras, pavement sensors and large messaging signs to ensure motorist safety. NTTA officials continue to work closely with the Department of Public Safety and local police to increase patrols during holiday weekends or other periods when drunken driving is likely, as well as work with Mothers Against Drunk Driving in an educational campaign to help eliminate drunken driving.

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