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Lancaster County approves $68,000 two-year contract to buy vehicle-based traffic counts from Urban SDK
Summary
The county approved a two-year, not-to-exceed $68,000 contract with Urban SDK to obtain vehicle-sourced traffic-count data covering county roads, aiming to replace labor-intensive manual counts and improve safety and accuracy, County Engineer Pam Dingman said.
Lancaster County commissioners approved a two-year contract with Urban SDK to purchase vehicle-based traffic-count data for county roads not to exceed $68,000.
Pam Dingman, Lancaster County engineer, told the board the county lacks staff capacity to perform manual counts across roughly 1,400 miles of county roads each summer. "Urban SDK is a company that gathers data from our cars," Dingman said, arguing the data will be "much more accurate" and cheaper and safer for county employees who otherwise would set and retrieve counters in traffic corridors.
Dingman described the contract as a way to acquire continuous traffic counts and to inform future projects. Commissioners voiced support for using data to identify roads with rising traffic volumes and to guide investments; one said that if the approach works in the county, they would consider applying it in Lincoln.
The board moved and seconded approval; the clerk called the roll and announced the motion carried.
What it means: The county will shift from periodic manual counts to an outsourced, data-driven approach intended to produce more complete traffic-volume information over the contract period. The contract is limited to the stated amount; the county will still need to manage data procurement, privacy considerations and how counts are integrated into planning.
Next steps: Staff will execute the contract and begin receiving traffic-count datasets; the county engineer will use that information for project prioritization and safety planning.
