Carmel Tunnels, Haifa (Israel)
Motorway Management System (MMS)
A new 6.5km urban road tunnel system has been built between Hof HaCarmel, Rupin Interchange and Kryaot in Haifa, Israel. It features a traffic management system (TMS) designed by VIA Beratende Ingenieure. The TMS controls: lane control signals, barriers, variable message signs (VMS), interaction with traffic lights on adjacent junctions, interaction with toll plazas, integration of facility management system (FMS), connection to external municipal VMS and connection to radio station. Design for the MMS control system was also part of the project: this included TMS and FMS in an integrated GUI. Being the first tunnel project of that kind in Israel, VIA also shared its experience for testing and training of operations.
The location of Haifa, around the Carmel Mountain, generated its own problems in the city because all traffic heading north had to pass through Haifa via a small corridor between the coast and the mountain. Consequently, this coastal road was usually congested during peak hours. The Carmel mountain features both residential and commercial districts, including Haifa University, shopping malls and hotels. Hitherto, these places could only be reached on smaller roads winding up the hill. Therefore the idea to build a tunnel not only through the mountain but also uphill is not new. After a long period of planning and various drawbacks, construction finally started in 2006 as a privately financed BOT (build-operate-transfer) project, and it opened for traffic on December 1, 2010.
The tunnel system consists of four tubes, each with two lanes and is made up of two sections: two 3.2km-long dual lane tunnels stretching from the Carmel Beach to the Rupin Junction down to the checkpost in Krayot. The Rupin interchange with six exits and entries is located near Haifa's Grand Canyon shopping mall in a natural canyon previously used as an illegal landfill site, the removal of which, together with other measures, has reduced the environmental impact of the new junction. There are toll plazas at both ends with both ALPR systems and tag readers, collecting tolls for individual sections used by the driver.
Tunnel Equipment follows European guidelines and common practice for tunnel safety with some specific solutions due to Isreali legal and operational framework conditions, such as the use of all-in-one lane control signals, showing both lane control arrows and crosses as well as speeds and warnings. This combination of signs in one display device created the need to completely re-design rules and priorities known from European tunnels.
Operators at the tunnel control center at Krayot are monitoring the system 24/7. The TMS automatically activates measures for speed harmonization and congestion control. More than 5,000 types of FMS data (for example: fire alarms, toxic gases, visibility, video detection alarms, congestion alarms) are connected to the TMS for semi-automatic triggering (to be confirmed by the operator) or automatic reactions, including: closures of tunnels, displays on VMS, and messages to toll plazas, municipal traffic control center or Haifa radio. In addition to these pre-defined reactions, which are defined in a matrix according to individual conditions of the various elements, there are spcial programs that allow the operator to create and activate tailor-made reactions - or save the for later use. But these programs are also automatically checked agains any violation of rules and priorities, giving the operator efficient support for a safe reaction at any time.
VIA Beratende Ingenieure services included: Design of the traffic management system (TMS) and active involvement in the approval process with the authorities during the stages SFAT and SSAT. Support for all testing and training procedures prior to the opening.
more: project videos
Opening: 01.12.2010
for: Carmel Tunnels Joint Venture (CTJV) and Menorah Izu Aharon, Haifa; Realization of MMS: Swarco STS
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