City of Galveston receives competitive grant for new traffic system

The City of Galveston recently received a nearly $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for a new city-wide traffic light integration system.

The city applied for the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant program in July 2024 for funding to implement phase I of the Galveston Rapid Evacuation and Transportation System. The transportation department awarded the grant for $1.99 million in early January, with Galveston being among the top selected among 308 applications.

The federal grant, coupled with a $16m grant from the Houston-Galveston Area Council, will cover a study to design the architecture of the system, purchasing equipment and implementation.

The city is considering a system that utilizes AI to analyze vehicular and pedestrian data, which will optimize traffic signal timing based on seasonal trends. It must also employ state-of-the-art hardware to allow for emergency vehicle preemption and allow for remote monitoring and control of all signalized intersections within the city. The system will also be designed with the ability to incorporate future data inputs and control systems to expand the systems’ capabilities and usefulness to all roadway users including the likes of school zone flashers, etc. Being able to remotely monitor and control the traffic signals helps the city respond to seasonal traffic patterns and make changes as necessary.

Later this spring, the city will seek a study to design the system. The system will first be rolled out in a pilot area of Seawall Blvd from 14th Street to 57th Street. After the pilot program, the city will expand the system to the rest of the island. This is expected to be a multi-year project.