Exploring the Applicability of Commercially Available Speed and Travel Time Data around Border Crossings

Land ports of entry facilitate cross-border interactions between the people and economies of two countries, such as the United States and Mexico. Using intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and other technologies is one way to increase the capacity at and around border crossings by providing motorists with traffic congestion information. However, very few ITS deployments are in place to warn about impending traffic congestion around border crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border. The research team installed a radio frequency identification-based system in El Paso, Texas, and at the Mariposa port of entry in Arizona to measure and archive commercial vehicle crossing times. The Texas Department of Transportation deployed a similar system in Pharr, Laredo, and Brownsville. Recently, private companies (Airsage, CellInt, INRIX, and NAVTEQ) have begun offering real-time and archived data (e.g., delay, speeds, travel time, and incident information) by using various technologies and methods. Researchers contacted commercial data providers that have coverage mostly on the U.S. side of the border but not on the Mexican side. This report features snapshots of INRIX data coverage, gives an overview of the project, and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of private-sector (PS) data. Since very few state/local agencies on the U.S. side of the U.S.-Mexico border can provide congestion information on major interstates surrounding border crossings, agencies are advised to purchase and evaluate PS data but to keep various caveats in mind. Overall, PS data can be a cost-saving tool for agencies that need to provide traveler information to cross-border motorists but cannot afford the required vehicle detection equipment.