Maharashtra: First Ever Intelligent Traffic Management System Will Be At Mumbai-Pune Expressway

The Maharashtra State Transport Department is working on a proposal to equip nine highways across the state with an Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS). Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has almost completed the work of the ITMS project on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

MSDRC official said that they implementation of ITMS will be done from October 15, 2023.

In the state, ITMS will be the first of its kind once functional on the Mumbai-Pune New Expressway. ITMS has been selected for a total of nine highways, which covers around 2,000 kms, due to their high traffic density and accident rates.

ITMS Project Highway Details

Mumbai region - 470 kms

Thane (Ghodbunder) to Achchad: 110 kms

Mumbai (Kalamboli) to Kolhapur: 360 kms

Nashik to Dhule (Hadakhed): 230 kms

Pune region - 780 kms

Pune to Solapur (Umerga): 350 kms

Pune to Aurangabad: 230 kms

Pune to Nashik: 200 kms

Nagpur region - 455 kms

Nagpur to Akola - 240 kms

Nagpur to Chandrapur: 150 kms

Nagpur to Deoli: 65 kms

The ITMS will be a safety guard on highways as it will enhance road safety and reduce violations on the highways. Under this project, the government will make use of advanced technologies and intelligent cameras.

Yadav said that more than 430 high-quality cameras have been installed at a total of 106 places throughout the highway. Artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities are built into these cameras to find infractions. The AI cameras are built to catch violations of more than 17 different kinds, including breaking traffic laws like speeding and lane violations as well as other risky driving practices.

To take charge of the ITMS operations, Kusgaon has created a Command and Control Centre (CCC). The centre will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will work with the Regional Transport Officials (RTO) and traffic police. These authorities will be given information on breaches found by the cameras so they can take additional action, such as enforcing penalties and managing traffic.

Yadav said, “On both sides of the highway, the cameras are connected via integrated optical fiber. Between the cameras and the CCC, this link guarantees smooth communication and data transfer.”

The Transportation Department is currently polishing its ITMS project proposal. When the proposal is prepared, it will be submitted for approval to the state's high-power committee. A Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach was used to complete the ITMS project for an estimated cost of about INR 60 crore.

Transport Commissioner, Maharashtra, Vivek Bhimanwar said, “The committee's recommendations and any proposal amendments will decide the project's cost, which is still to be established.”

He further added, “The state has provisioned INR 100 crore for the project, but it is quite predictable to say that additional funds will be required as the estimated project cost exceeds the initial provision.”

Bhimanwar recently traveled to Kerala to analyse and observe the functionality of the ITMS project, which makes use of AI cameras. Kerala’s system detects nine types of violations.

The ITMS initiative's overall goal is to use technology to better manage traffic, increase safety, and decrease infractions on the chosen Maharashtra highways.

In foreign countries like Singapore, such advanced technology is used for managing highways effectively without relying on human intervention.

Implementation of such technology on long stretch highways like Sammruddhi Expressway can help in saving many lives. The official said, “Maharashtra is constructing big highways like Samruddhi Mahamarg. Manning such a big stretch without using technology will be a difficult job.”