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TAC hears VTrans update: Bluetooth sensor pilot to be phased out as better traffic-data tools emerge
Summary
CCRPC Transportation Advisory Committee was told VTrans will not keep maintaining a 2015 Bluetooth sensor pilot after repeated failures; VTrans is moving to other traffic-data products, launching a Thin Client ATMS and an updated 511 traveler-information site, and exploring improved walk/bike data options.
Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission’s Transportation Advisory Committee on March 8 heard a multi-agency update on regional intelligent transportation system (ITS) efforts and the future of a Bluetooth-based traffic monitoring pilot.
Sai Sarepalli of CCRPC and VTrans staff described an Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) FHWA project begun in 2015 that installed 33 BlueTOAD Spectra Bluetooth sensors across five corridors in Chittenden County to test real-time travel-time monitoring. Officials said the pilot produced useful research but proved unreliable in routine operations: some sensors failed to collect data consistently, Vermont winters reduced reliability, and systems powered via Power over Ethernet (PoE) performed better than solar-plus-battery retrofits. CCRPC and VTrans told the TAC they will not maintain the Bluetooth array as ongoing failures and maintenance needs outweigh value and the network will be decommissioned over time with usable parts harvested for other applications.
VTrans representatives said market alternatives and vendor analytics (examples cited include INRIX, StreetLight and RITIS) now provide robust travel-time and origin-destination capabilities, and VTrans is implementing Thin Client ATMS enhancements that can publish travel times to the public. TAC member Jonathon Weber asked how Thin Client travel times compare with Google Maps; Ryan Knapp (VTrans) said the new 511 Traveler Information site is live and that map and travel-time feeds are provided by third-party vendors and have been integrated with New England Compass enhancements. The 511 site link was shared with the committee.
Committee members pressed on operational questions. Sam Andersen asked whether the grant-funded system should be characterized as a failure; staff responded that AID projects are intended as experimentation and that this pilot produced lessons—particularly about power supply, winter durability and maintenance needs—even though it did not scale. When asked when decommissioning would occur, VTrans said sensors will be retired as they fail and parts reused where useful.
Members also raised data gaps for non-vehicle modes. Erica Quallen asked how adaptive signal work and walk/bike data collection would be integrated; VTrans staff said walk/bike data tools are less mature than vehicular data streams and the agency is exploring vendor products and modules to improve those inputs without purchasing excessive, hard-to-use datasets. Norm Baldwin emphasized the importance of common data architectures so municipalities that operate their own signals can share data effectively.
The TAC was also told VTrans will shift from temporary message boards to permanent interstate-exit message boards for traveler information, and that Survey123 and the Vermont Asset Management Information System (VAMIS) will help prioritize ITS maintenance. Sai noted available funding for signal upgrades on Dorset Street in South Burlington; South Burlington officials indicated budgeted funding could support adaptive-capable timing when appropriate.
The ITS update was provided for information; no formal action was taken by the TAC on the Bluetooth network or the Thin Client project during the meeting.
