Cameras for Causeway crossovers proposed

Causeway officials plan to install a $300,000 network of motion sensitive cameras that detect stalled vehicles or distressed persons who pulled into the bridge’s crossovers.

Although proposals still need to be drafted and bids solicited, Causeway General Manager Richard Lambert called the idea “one of the most important safety measures we can do” and said he hopes for its implementation within a year.

“There’s no question this will save lives,” he said.

On average, 12 vehicles pull into a crossover per day and they “don’t just pull in to pull in,” Lambert said. Often times, a driver has a flat tire or overheated engine or worse, a health issue such as anxiety or a heart attack, he said.

“It’s really important we respond to this immediately,” he said.

The cameras work by memorizing the crossover picture every 30 seconds. When that picture changes, like when a car pulls in, a police dispatcher is immediately notified by a ding on a computer screen accompanied by an image of that particular crossover.

A red line of text across the screen reads “Vehicle in Crossover,” according to a live demonstration of a prototype.

The dispatcher can then send a police cruiser to assist or determine if its an emergency.

If it’s important, a policeman would arrive within three minutes, Lambert said.

And if bid pricing is perfect Lambert hopes to include a PA system and/or a mounted phone so the dispatcher can talk to the driver while watching he or she on the live streaming video, he said.

Once implemented, the crossover cameras will also shake Causeway police protocol up.

Officers would be required to escort drivers out of the crossover by stalling incoming traffic with their vehicles and leading the driver away, Lambert said.

The idea takes the place of acceleration and de-acceleration lanes that cost roughly $20 million each for both north and southbound spans, Lambert said.

Camera instillation will also be fairly simple, he said.

Fiber optic cables are already installed at the crossovers left over from a bridge power system upgrade years ago.