Dallas presents multiyear push to modernize signals, expand radar detection and formalize traffic data policy

Gus Concarley, director of the City of Dallas Department of Transportation and Public Works, briefed the Dallas City Council on June 4 on a multiyear program to upgrade traffic signals, pavement markings and related operational systems across the city.

Concarley told the council the city’s inventory of traffic signals has increased from 1,380 in December 2019 to 1,457 as of December 2024 and that the department has reconstructed 152 existing signals since the program began. He described investments that have increased radar detection coverage from roughly 23% to about 43% of signalized locations and moved the city toward adaptive signal operations that respond to demand rather than fixed timing.

The briefing said the city has roughly 1,700 linear miles of roadway, about 8.5 million linear feet of striping, nearly 9,200 crosswalks and about 2,600 locations near schools. Concarley said pavement‑marking life for the thermoplastic the city uses is two to five years depending on traffic and that the city is budgeting on a roughly three‑year average refresh cycle for lanes and a five‑year cycle for crosswalks; he gave a current estimate of roughly $2.7 million for longitudinal lane striping, $1.4 million for crosswalks and $1 million for bike‑lane repainting per cycle.

Concarley proposed procuring a new advanced traffic management system (ATMS) to replace an Ericsson platform, saying the city intends to advertise the procurement in coming months and seek council award in the first quarter of 2026. He also said the city needs a formal, enterprise data‑governance policy before full deployment of AI and broader use of analytics for traffic and public‑safety preemption. "My recommendation to the council would be for us to have a policy that governs data and data ownership, storage, security, and usage," Concarley said.

Councilmembers asked about specific operational issues. Councilmember Danelle Willis pressed staff on whether DPD’s urban STK speeding and red‑light monitoring is integrated with transportation’s ATMS; Concarley said the departments are working together and that the ATMS procurement will include features for preemption and transit priority. Councilmember Chad West and others pressed on pavement‑marking longevity and on whether alternatives to thermoplastic (such as epoxy) had been evaluated; staff said epoxy can be longer‑lived but is more expensive and requires different application conditions. Members also asked for clearer public communication about the bike‑lane sweeping schedule and for a public resurfacing schedule; Concarley said he will follow up with memos and a quarterly infrastructure memo to the transportation committee.

Concarley outlined key constraints: supply‑chain lead times for poles and controllers (six to nine months), increased per‑signal construction costs (he cited a rise from roughly $200,000–$250,000 in 2019 to about $540,000 today), limited contractor capacity (he said contractors' combined maximum delivery capacity is about 40–45 signals per year) and internal staffing shortfalls (district engineering and signal electricians below target staffing levels). He said those constraints and rising material costs drove the department to buy inventory ahead and use on‑call contracts to speed delivery.

Nut graf: The briefing framed the upgrades as part of a planned modernization that city leaders began in 2019 and accelerated with flexible use of bond and ARPA funds. Concarley said updates have improved system resiliency during storms (only 19 signals were on flash after a severe storm) and identified next steps—procurement of a new ATMS, a citywide data‑governance policy, program management to deliver up to 200 signals, and ordinance review to address premature pavement cuts and tracking that fades striping.

Council direction and unanswered items: Councilmembers asked staff to return with a publicly available resurfacing schedule, a bike‑lane sweeping schedule (staff offered 30‑day follow‑up for sweeping), clearer communication on 3‑1‑1 status updates, and an accelerated timetable for the data‑governance work. Concarley said the city hopes to have a draft policy in early 2026 and would seek to align procurement and capital timelines to the council’s priorities.

Ending: The transportation briefing concluded with the department asking the council to continue program funding and partnerships (NCTCOG, TxDOT, Dallas County) that have been used to leverage previous bond and ARPA allocations. Staff said they will return with follow‑up memos on bike sweeping and resurfacing schedules and with procurement documents for the ATMS.