Monitoring and controlling tunnel traffic

Safety is a key priority when designing and building a tunnel. All information relating to the equipment used in the tunnel and traffic conditions converges at the tunnel control center.

From there, both the states of all technical systems in the tunnels and the traffic situation are observed and monitored.

An automatic video detection system identifies vehicles which have stopped or are traveling in the wrong direction, pedestrians, sudden vehicle speed changes, tailbacks and even foreign bodies on the roadway.

An alarm system then automatically activates the emergency signal in the control center so that appropriate action can be taken.

In addition to the video detection system, the formation of smoke or an increase in carbon monoxide levels can also be identified by an integrated detection system.

And a communication system provides drivers with safety and warning information on variable message signs. The systems automatically detect traffic volumes and weather conditions and update the electronic traffic signs to match the circumstances. Reference Number: PN 2013.09

Tunnel control technology from Siemens is used around the world

One of Siemens’ first tunnel projects was the 15-kilometer Arlberg tunnel in Tyrol some 30 years ago. Since then, Siemens has equipped so many tunnels in the world that, placed end to end, they would extend around 500 kilometers. The company also played a key role on one of Europe’s largest tunnel projects, the Bolaman-Persembe highway. The 28-kilometer four-lane road between the towns of Bolaman and Persembe, which includes 40 bridges and five tunnels with a total length of 4,600 meters, is an important connecting roadway on the Black Sea. Siemens technology ensures the efficient and safe operation of the five tunnels, one of which, the Nefise-Akcelik tunnel, is the longest in Turkey at 3,800 m. The 350-kilometer four-lane road along the Black Sea coast from Espiye to Sarp on the border with Georgia encompasses a main control center and seven control substations for a total of 29 tunnels, as well as the required technical infrastructure, including traffic management, fire protection, communication and video surveillance.

Reference number: IS04076139-01