Wrong-way detection technology aims to make Tampa Bay area highways safer
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Florida Highway Patrol said 27-year-old Cynthia Serrano Roncal’s blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit as she drove the wrong way on I-275 early Tuesday morning.
She passed a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, who was in the right place at the right time, and had to use two PIT maneuvers to stop her.
Kristen Carson, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Transportation, said Roncal’s story unfortunately isn’t rare. In fact, the frequency of wrong-way drunk driving crashes led FDOT and FHP to come up with wrong-way detection devices and deterrents in 2019.
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"Unfortunately, we've had a series of drunk driving crashes and wrong-way crashes in the Tampa Bay Area," Carson said.
They developed flashing signs with radar detection.
"If motorists were to go up the ramp the wrong way back in our traffic management center, which is a building we share with the Florida Highway Patrol, we'll get notified right away and FHP is notified immediately as well," Carson said.
A trooper is dispatched immediately and FDOT puts a message on the digital signs on the interstate warning other drivers. Right now, there are 53 wrong-way vehicle detection systems along interstate ramps in the Tampa Bay area.
Transportation officials said 21 total wrong-way vehicle detection systems were installed prior to 2022 in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Hernando counties. In 2022, 21 total new ones were installed in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Eleven were installed in 2023 in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
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"We do feel like it's making a difference," Carson said. "We have some cameras that are detecting where people are actually self-correcting and turning around. Something we always ask in the community is we need community partnership."
More are on the way with 10 scheduled to be completed this summer, 31 in the design process, six scheduled for 2025 and 13 scheduled for 2026.
Carson said they currently cost about $200,000. The price-tag is up from $90,000 in 2015 and $185,000 in 2022, she said, because of the improvements made to the technology, including the detection and verification accuracy.
The system includes more advanced CCTV cameras, infrared cameras, LED flashing signs, reporting systems and fiber optic communication networks to enable their Traffic Management System to monitor and respond to wrong-way drivers more effectively.
"The goal in the Tampa Bay area is really to get all of our interstates exits covered with the radar, with the detection, with cameras," Carson said. "I know that is spreading out across the state as well. All of our sister districts are very concerned about the wrong-way driving, and unfortunately, the wrong-way driving really goes hand in hand with the DUIs. So, we kind of look at things from our perspective of engineering, education and enforcement."
She said they’ve also added large pavement markings to help drivers see which way to enter the interstate. Carson said it sounds simple, but does make a difference.
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