HELP SECTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What information is available on this site?
  • RealTime traffic conditions – Level of congestion on local corridor streets and freeways in the East Bay.
  • Live Video streams at major intersections – Typically, four cameras (North, East, South, West) are installed at each intersection.
  • Incident and Event Information – Incident, construction and event information is provided by MTC's 511 program and is displayed on the main traffic map.
  • Traffic volume information – Historical traffic volume information is archived and available on the volume map.
  • Links to related traffic and travel information – Links to other useful Bay Area and California based sites.
What do the Traffic Congestion colors represent?
Color codes represent the average speed of vehicles traveling along a segment of roadway at that time.
  • Red – Heavy Congestion. This represents very slow to stop and go conditions. Freeways: average speeds are below 33 miles per hour (mph). Local streets: average mid-block speeds are below 18 mph.
  • Yellow – Moderate Congestion. This represents some level of congestion with potential delays to motorists. Freeways: average speeds are between 33 - 50 mph. Local streets: average mid-block speeds are between 18 - 24 mph.
  • Green – Low Congestion. This represents little or no delay to motorists. Freeways: average speeds are 50 mph or higher. Local streets: average mid-block speeds are 25 mph or higher.
  • Grey – This segment is not in the program or is not reporting information at the present time.
How do Live Video cameras work?
Fixed cameras are installed at major intersections along the project corridor. Typically, installation includes four cameras for north, south, east and west bound directions. The video signals are converted to digital using a video streaming engine, which compresses the video using Windows(R) Media Player technology, and is then distributed over the Internet to viewers.

To view the video you must have an up to date version of Windows Media Player installed on your system. Windows Media Player is available as a free download from Microsoft. Windows Media Player works on both Windows and Mac.
How current is traffic information?
Traffic information is current as of the Date & Time posted above the map. Live Video is delayed approximately 5 seconds due to stream buffering. The main traffic map page will refresh automatically every 5 minutes.
Who provides information to the site?
Information is collected from many sources. Alameda County CMA, as the lead agency, has installed monitoring stations and cameras along the project corridors to measure real-time volumes and speeds. Cameras provide real-time monitoring capability at major intersections. Incident information and freeway levels of congestion are received from MTC's 511 system.
What web browsers are best for this site?
This site is optimized for standards compliant browsers. The website has been tested and works with the following web browsers: Internet Explorer 5 and up for Windows and Mac, Mozilla based browsers - such as Navigator or Firefox, on Windows and Mac, and on Safari on Mac.
How are Current Travel Times estimated?
Travel times are estimated using realtime freeway segment average speed provided by MTC's 511 program.
Where can I send questions, comments or suggestions?
info@smartcorridors.com
East Bay SMART Corridors Program
1333 Broadway, Suite 220
Oakland, CA 94612

About Us

Overview

The East Bay SMART Corridors Program is an East Bay multi-modal advanced transportation management system, which provides real-time traffic conditions to the public. The intent of the East Bay SMART Corridors Program is to give easy access to local real-time conditions and empower users of the website to make better travel decisions. The East Bay SMART Program consists of two major arterial corridors in the east bay portion of the San Francisco Bay Area - the San Pablo Avenue (I-80) corridor and the Hesperian/International/E. 14th Boulevard (I-880) corridor.

Since its inception in 1995, the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency (CMA), the lead agency for the SMART Corridors Program, has successfully brought 25 local, regional, federal, transit, and emergency service agencies together to work cooperatively to solve regional transportation management issues at many levels. As a result of size and the number of participants, the SMART Corridors program has evolved into a multi-year, multi-phase program, implementing several major infrastructure improvements in the corridors, and has contributed to forming and strengthening interagency coordination and cooperation.

Program Goals

The goals of the East Bay SMART Corridors program are to allow the participating agencies to better manage congestion and incidents along regional routes, improve transportation mobility, efficiency and safety, and to provide timely, multi-modal local transportation information to agency transportation managers and to the public.

Program Funding

The program has been funded through grant funds and local matching funds. Funding sources include federal Congestion Management and Air Quality (CMAQ) grants, federal Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) earmark funds, State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) funds, Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) clean air funds, and Congestion Management Agency (CMA) Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) funds.

For more detailed information about the East Bay SMART Corridors Program, please visit the program website: www.smartcorridors.net.

Systems Development

Software design and development, project management, and systems integration by CoValuate of San Francisco, CA.
Hosting and networking by Novani, also of San Francisco.