Operation Green Light Improves Connectivity with 130 Site Upgrades

With their Operation Green Light (OGL) initiative, the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) strives to keep traffic running smoothly across city boundaries in the metro. Every year, they look to update and expand their system as part of the program, and this year was no exception.

MARC keeps a running list of potential projects, making note of existing problems and expansion opportunities. They do this to assist and support cities in coordinating signals to offer a seamless experience for drivers in Kansas City.

Having worked with MARC in the past, our Traffic Team was a natural fit for the OGL Expansion Project. For this effort, they wanted to replace outdated equipment, make upgrades, and grow their system. Specifically, we were asked to create designs for 15 locations, adding cameras and communication devices. We also designed roughly two miles of fiber traffic signal interconnect, as well as provided traffic signal controllers at an additional 114 locations.

However, before we began designing, we did field reconnaissance at each of the sites selected by OGL. While there, we determined whether or not each location could handle the equipment that would be installed. We also confirmed the locations. Then, each design was created on an aerial map. Next, we identified the quantities and prepared cost estimates for MARC.

This upfront work shed light on which improvements were viable and in budget. For example, we discovered some field locations couldn’t use the existing conduit, so we worked with OGL to find new locations.

The project spanned multiple sites and municipalities. For this effort, our team collaborated not only with MARC, but also with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), as well as 12 cities. Having worked with both DOT’s for years, we were able to navigate their requirements, while meeting OGL’s needs. To keep things on track, we developed spreadsheets of each city’s budget, as well as the overall project budget. This helped us install as many upgrades as possible while staying within the total project budget and working within each jurisdiction’s individual budget.

Due to the collaborative nature of this effort, OGL often works with cities to make additional improvements. The City of Leawood wanted to install two miles of fiber traffic signal interconnect at some of our project sites. Together, we were able to make sure these changes coincided with MARC’s updates, as well as planned roadway and traffic signal improvements for the City. This allowed Leawood to close the fiber loop and create redundancy in their system – a win-win for both entities.