New Traffic Operations Center opens in Philadelphia

The city of Philadelphia has another new high-tech hub that will come in handy during the papal visit in little more than a week.

Nestled in a corner of Juniata Park, the Traffic Operations Center will receive a number of different feeds, said Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter.

“It takes camera feeds from all over the place, all kinds of data going in.  It’s also connected to the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center in South Philadelphia,” Nutter said. “It’s connected to our Office of Emergency Management Center.”

The facility is coming online to help just before one of the busiest weekends in the city’s history, he said.

“It will help us tremendously with just knowing what’s going on from a congestion standpoint, whether motorist or pedestrian traffic, anywhere in the city,” Nutter said. “You can control all of the street lights, the traffic signals all over the city from this particular location.”

From their new perch, officials can remotely adjust certain traffic lights to help lessen gridlock.