Alabama's Smart Road Revolution: Data to End Gridlock Statewide

AUSTIN, TX – March 18, 2026 – The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) is embarking on a massive technological overhaul of its traffic management system, in a move set to transform the daily commute for millions of residents. The state has announced a significant expansion of its partnership with smart mobility firm Iteris, deploying the ClearGuide® Signal Trends analytics service to all 1,149 signalized intersections under its control across all five ALDOT regions.

This statewide initiative represents a monumental leap from a pilot program of just 50 signals in a single region, signaling a new, data-driven era for managing Alabama's increasingly strained roadways. The project, supported by traffic data from location technology specialist HERE Technologies, aims to proactively combat congestion, reduce travel times, and enhance safety by giving engineers an unprecedented real-time view of traffic flow across the entire state.

Confronting a Costly Congestion Crisis

The expansion comes as a direct response to Alabama's mounting traffic challenges. For years, the state has grappled with the consequences of population growth and increased vehicle travel, which has outpaced infrastructure capacity. By 2015, over a fifth of the state's interstates were already congested, with projections showing the problem spreading. This gridlock comes with a hefty price tag, costing Alabama drivers an estimated $1.2 billion annually in wasted time and fuel.

Commuters in urban centers feel the most acute pain. In the Birmingham area, drivers lose an average of 34 hours each year stuck in traffic, while those in Huntsville lose 23 hours. Beyond the economic drain and daily frustration, a more grim statistic looms: Alabama's roads have been ranked among the nation's most dangerous, with a per capita traffic fatality rate that has previously been second-highest in the country. These statistics underscore the urgent need for a more sophisticated approach to traffic management, one that can adapt to changing conditions and prevent bottlenecks before they form.

A Digital Toolkit for Smarter Streets

At the heart of ALDOT's new strategy is ClearGuide Signal Trends, a cloud-based analytics tool that functions as a digital command center for traffic engineers. The system uses anonymized probe data, gathered from vehicles and mobile devices, to monitor and analyze traffic patterns at intersections in real time. This allows ALDOT to move away from reactive, manual adjustments and embrace a proactive management style.

Critically, the technology does not require the installation of expensive new sensors or hardware at every intersection. Instead, it leverages existing data streams to provide a comprehensive picture of performance. With this statewide visibility, ALDOT staff can now quickly detect and diagnose sources of congestion, identify abnormal traffic patterns caused by accidents or special events, and prioritize intersections that require maintenance or timing improvements. This drastically reduces the time and cost associated with troubleshooting, as engineers will no longer need to physically drive to every intersection to diagnose a problem.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to continue to improve the operations of our traffic signals using ClearGuide through this investment with HERE and Iteris,” said Brett Sellers, state TSMO engineer for ALDOT. “Utilizing the available datasets to adjust timings and follow just how impactful the adjustments are in near real-time will provide us opportunities to positively impact peoples lives with improved travel times and safety through efficiency. This is a great next step for us in continuing to build on our years long relationship with HERE and Iteris, using ClearGuide to improve operations and better tell the story of TSMO investments for the people we serve.”

The Power of a Public-Private Partnership

This ambitious project is not the work of a single entity but a testament to the power of public-private collaboration. The long-standing partnership between ALDOT, Iteris, and HERE Technologies creates a synergistic ecosystem where each partner’s strengths are maximized. ALDOT provides the public infrastructure and operational mandate, Iteris delivers the specialized analytics platform and mobility expertise, and HERE Technologies supplies the foundational layer of high-quality, real-time traffic data that fuels the entire system.

This multi-year collaboration allows the partners to share insights and work in concert to enhance signal timings and facilitate smoother traffic flow. The integration of HERE's enterprise-grade maps and traffic analytics within the ClearGuide platform provides engineers with rich contextual awareness, including details on speed limits, lane configurations, and real-time incidents.

“By scaling Signal Trends statewide, ALDOT is strengthening its ability to proactively manage mobility and improve the daily travel experience across the state, while also reducing the cost to deliver these improvements,” said Scott Perley, vice president of product management at Iteris. “We’re thrilled to be building on our joint success and look forward to this statewide expansion of the benefits of our partnership.”

Real-World Benefits for Alabama's Drivers

For the average citizen, the impact of this high-tech initiative will be felt in tangible, everyday improvements. The primary goal is to create smoother, more predictable journeys. Studies of similar adaptive signal control systems in other cities have shown remarkable results, including reductions in travel times by over 25% and decreases in time spent idling at intersections by as much as 40%.

These improvements translate directly into fuel savings for drivers and a significant reduction in vehicle emissions, contributing to better air quality. By minimizing stop-and-go traffic, the system not only reduces driver frustration but also enhances safety. Smoother flow can lead to fewer intersection-related collisions, and the system’s adaptability can be used to improve safety in school zones and pedestrian-heavy areas.

As this intelligent system is deployed across Alabama, travelers can expect to experience less time waiting at red lights, more consistent travel speeds, and a safer, more efficient road network. The statewide implementation ensures that these benefits are not confined to a single city but are distributed equitably across both urban and rural communities, marking a significant step forward in modernizing the state's transportation infrastructure for everyone.