With new $40 million project completed, this traffic center aims to 'keep Baton Rouge moving'

Chief Traffic Engineer Cyndi Pennington shows how quickly the traffic signal system is able to deal with crashes on Interstate 10 during a MOVEBR news conference at the Advanced Traffic Management Center on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome during a MOVEBR press conference at the Advanced Traffic Management Center on Tuesday, Aug.

27, 2024. Chief Traffic Engineer Cyndi Pennington speaks about preparing traffic signals for the start of LSU’s fall semester alongside Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome during a MOVEBR press conference at the Advanced Traffic Management Center on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.

When a load shifted on an 18-wheeler traveling through Baton Rouge in July, an emergency closure of the Mississippi River Bridge was announced, rerouting drivers from both Interstate 10 and Interstate 12 onto Airline Highway. Traffic engineers at the Advanced Traffic Management Center were quick to respond to the incident, using a new system to instantly adjust all signals on Airline Highway to keep traffic moving. The recently completed $40 million MOVEBR project uses 176 miles of fiber-optic lines to synchronize traffic lights in real time, allowing traffic engineers to swiftly adjust signals in emergencies, planned road closures and other major events.

Battery backups were also added to cameras, allowing signals to continue to run in the event of a power outage. In the past, multiple crews working hours at a time were needed to manually change the .