Highway goes high tech

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - There is more to the construction on Interstate 91 than what’s on the surface.

Fiber optic cables have been installed under 58 miles of the highway, from Northampton to Connecticut, feeding data across Massachusetts.

Richard Nangle of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation said it is part of the Interstate 91 Intelligent Transportation System Design Build Project.

It began in 2008 and includes 17 variable message signs and 34 closed circuit television cameras that can be used to monitor traffic conditions and provide traffic alerts as well as public safety messages like Amber Alerts.

The system also allows information to be shared between a new District Traffic Operations Center and three western Massachusetts State Police barracks.