LAFAYETTE, IN — An emergency vehicle preemption system at traffic signals across Lafayette and West Lafayette is expected to be fully deployed by the fall of 2027.
The two cities entered an agreement in March last year to launch an EVP system to enhance emergency response times and improve public safety, Lafayette City Engineer Jeromy Grenard said. Both cities have tested EVP systems in the past year at different intersections, which temporarily alters traffic lights for emergency vehicles as they approach an intersection.
During Tuesday morning’s Lafayette Board of Public Works meeting, Grenard said the project is partially financed by the Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program, providing about 10% of the needed funding.
West Lafayette’s portion was recently put out to bid, coming in at $962,054. That price was a bit higher than expected, Grenard said, $135,636.35 more, to be exact. That increase was because of additional technology West Lafayette opted to include in its EVP system.
“(West Lafayette) added additional detection that wasn’t necessarily emergency vehicle-related, but it is similar equipment from the same manufacturer,” Grenard said.
One of those pieces of technology is Miovision, Grenard said, which provides AI-powered video detection to analyze vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians as they cross through intersections to help improve traffic flow through signal control.
Lafayette has tested the use of Miovision, too, Grenard said, specifically at the intersection of Main Street and Wallace Avenue outside of Loeb Stadium.
“Then we can tell how many pedestrians are crossing there at the signal on an event day,” Grenard said.
Lafayette will advertise its portion of the project to bid in the fall, Grenard said.
Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. She can be reached via email at jellison@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette, West Lafayette emergency vehicle system to roll out in 2027
Reporting by Jillian Ellison, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
