Using GIS to Determine Fiber Optic Installation Costs of a Traffic Signal at Proposed Location of New Public

High School

David TemplarUniversity of Denver, University CollegeGIS 4520 – GIS in Telecommunications

Professor Jeffery KreegerFall Quarter 2015

Table of Contents

Introduction

HDPE Conduit Technology and GIS

Application

Data Sources

Potential Sources of Error & Ways

to Improve the Study

Conclusion

Bibliography

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IntroductionLexington, Kentucky is governed by a merged government combining the city of

Lexington with the county in which it resides, Fayette County. Together, the Lexington-Fayette

County metropolitan area creates the second-largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and

makes Lexington the 61st largest city in the United States. The city’s population, according to a

2013 U.S. Census Estimate, is 308,428 and the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) consists of

489,435 people. (See Figure #1.)

Figure #1

There are currently 380 traffic signals located in Fayette County maintained by nine

signal technicians and three traffic engineers. With the construction and installation of a single

traffic signal totaling nearly $160,000, Lexington has invested nearly $33 million in its traffic

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signal infrastructure. In 2007, the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government’s (LFUCG)

Division of Traffic Engineering initiated a 10-year plan to install fiber optic cable along the

major traffic corridors in Lexington. Fiber optic cable allows for more reliable communication

between traffic signals and the city’s Traffic Management Center (TMC) so that traffic engineers

and technicians can make almost instantaneous traffic signal timing changes for scheduled and

unexpected events that can greatly affect the efficiency of pre-determined traffic patterns. For

example, the University of Kentucky’s football stadium is located on Nicholasville Road,

probably the busiest artery running north-south through the city. With the utilization of fiber

optic cable, traffic personnel can alter the timing of the traffic signals from remote locations such

as the TMC located in the division’s downtown office in order to accommodate the change in

traffic patterns during college football games. As of today, the near end of the 9th year of the

plan, nearly 90 miles of fiber optic cable have been laid throughout Lexington.

http://blog.blackbox.com/technology/2015/04/8-advantages-to-choosing-fiber-over-copper-cable/ http://plasticpipe.org/conduit/conduit-types.html

A number of other benefits stem from the fiber optic traffic signal network. Live video

streaming can be done from the nearly 40 intersections with cameras to assist traffic engineers in

adjusting traffic operations during traffic congestion or vehicle accidents that may require

rerouting of traffic. The fiber optic communication system is bringing Lexington into the latest

telecommunication technology and will assist in the city’s continuing development of an

intelligent transportation system (ITS) with such tools as vehicle detection and surveillance. The

United States Department of Transportation’s definition of an ITS is an “ITS improves

transportation safety and mobility and enhances American productivity through the integration

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of advanced communications technologies into the transportation infrastructure and in vehicles.

Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) encompass a broad range of wireless and wire line

communications-based information and electronics technologies.” - See:

http://www.its.dot.gov/faqs.htm#sthash.KnIXj9wL.dpuf. In addition, fiber optics require less

maintenance than the aging copper wire and analog communication system derived from the

national telephone network.

Fayette County saw a 13.5% increase in its population between 2000 and 2010 according

to U.S. Census Bureau statistics. With this rate of growth, the need for new schools has been

projected by the Fayette County Public Schools administration. Of the 40,916 students enrolled

in the current 2015-2016 year, 11,351 attend high school covering grades 9-12. On June 3rd,

2015, the Fayette County Board of Education finalized its redistricting plan in order to

accommodate the building of two new elementary schools and one new high school by 2017.

The new high school is to be located on one of the city’s main arterial roads, Winchester Road.

(See Figure #2.)

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Figure #2

The proposed site currently has no traffic signal that would allow traffic in and out of the school

to safely enter the heavily-travelled Winchester Road. The purpose of this study is to determine

the most cost effective approach for the installation of fiber optic cable between the future traffic

signal at the new high school location and the current fiber optic network.

HDPE Conduit Technology and GIS Application

Much of the fiber optic cable installed along Lexington’s traffic corridors is contained

with high density polyethylene (HDPE) conduit. HDPE conduit has a longer life span than many

other cables and its durable outer shell provides extra protection to the cladding, Kevlar®

coating, and outer jacket that surrounds the glass fiber optic core. HDPE conduit is chemical and

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corrosion resistant and can withstand a wide temperature range from -20 degrees Celsius to 90

degrees Celsius. It possesses both a low level of friction and strong construction to make pulling

long lengths of conduit easier for installation.

http://www.bdiky.com/power.html https://www.thorlabs.com/newgrouppage9.cfm?objectgroup_id=2410

In addition to the development of improved cables such as fiber optics, the role of GIS in

the telecommunications industry has become a vital asset in the advancement of communication

systems and devices. A telecommunications company that does not utilize GIS in its operations

is a considerable step behind its competitors and the future of the technology. As seen in the

figure, there is currently no fiber optic cable running along Winchester Road in front of the

proposed high school site and in between Winchester Road’s intersections with Patchen Wilkes

Drive on the west and Sir Barton Way on the east. Using the Measure Tool in ArcGIS, the

total length of the segment of Winchester Road mentioned above is approximately 3,798 feet.

(See Figure #3.)

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Figure #3

According to the United States Department of Transportation Office of the Assistant

Secretary for Research and Technology, the unit costs for the installation of fiber optic cable per

mile can be seen in the following table:

Note: Equipment list adjusted to 2014 dollars. The date in parentheses under the capital cost value and Operations & Maintenance cost value represents the dollar year from which the cost value was adjusted. All costs are in $K.

*Not available for all unit cost elements

Table Source: http://www.itscosts.its.dot.gov/ITS/benecost.nsf/SubsystemCostsAdjusted?ReadForm&Subsystem=Roadside+Telecommunications+(RS-TC)

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Using the Measure Tool again, the distance to connect the existing fiber optic cable at Patchen

Wilkes Drive to the proposed location of the new traffic signal is 1,967 feet or .373 mile. (See

Figure #4.)

Figure #4

Applying both the low and high capital costs for the fiber optic installation from the table above

gives a range of $7,833 - $20,515 for this segment along Winchester Road. The stretch of needed

fiber optic cable between the proposed traffic signal and the connection just east of Sir Barton

Way equals 1,831 feet or .347 mile. (See Figure #5.)

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Figure #5

Again, using the low and high capital costs provides a range of $7,287 - $19,085. Adding the

annual operations and maintenance costs over the 20-year life of the cable between Patchen

Wilkes Drive and the proposed traffic signal equals:

($1,000 x .373) x 20 years = $7,460 for the low end of the range.

($2,600 x .373) x 20 years = $970 x 20 years = $19,400 for the high end of the range.

Similarly, performing the same calculations for the roadway segment east of the proposed traffic

signal gives:

($1,000 x .347) x 20 years = $6,940 for the low end of the range.

($2,600 x .347) x 20 years = $902 x 20 years = $18,040 for the high end of the range.

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Therefore, it is clearly evident that the segment of Winchester Road between the

proposed traffic signal and Sir Barton Way is the cheaper installation and operation/maintenance

option with a range of the grand total equaling $14,227 - $37,125 as opposed to the Patchen

Wilkes Drive side having a grand total range between $15,293 - $39,915.

Data Sources

Lexington’s census data and the traffic signal infrastructure information came

respectively from the websites of the LFUCG and the government’s Division of Traffic

Engineering, where I have been employed for almost ten years. Public school data was derived

from the Fayette County Public Schools website, including the proposed location of the sixth

high school to be constructed by 2017. The Fiber Optic Installation Plan was provided by the

LFUCG and the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. The U.S.

Department of Transportation’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office

supplied the capital and operational/maintenance costs of fiber optic installation. Finally, the GIS

map layers were provided by the LFUCG GIS Services section.

Potential Sources of Error & Ways to Improve the Study

Upon review, it is almost certain to note that potential errors may exist within a study as

well as, viewing with hindsight, possible methods to improve the overall results. This study is a

preliminary experiment to show foremost the beneficial utilization of GIS in solving the most

cost effective installation of telecommunication cable. First, the measurements recorded with the

Measure Tool were approximate figures due to beginning and ending each measurement with the

cursor placed over the intersections of cable and street as best as possible. Likewise, the cursor

followed along Winchester Road’s path as accurately as one can by sight. All measurements

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were rounded to make cost calculations easier to compute. Although the cost analysis was

figured using both the low and high margins adjusted to 2014 price levels, the results consisted

of cost ranges of significant differences, making a final projection of installation and

operation/maintenance costs quite varied. Once the proposed high school site is pinpointed to a

more exact location, and the proposed traffic signal is mapped in relation to the entrance/exit of

the school, a more accurate distance either east or west of the traffic signal to the respective

existing cable connection can be determined.

With respect towards improving the methodologies used in the study, Network Analyst is

a potential tool to conduct spatial analysis along built networks. Again, hindsight provides a very

clear approach as to what important steps may have been underutilized or even omitted towards

obtaining accurate results. For example, a simple application of Network Analyst was attempted

in this study, however, it was recognized afterwards not enough barriers were introduced to

create a detailed analysis by the Network Analyst extension. Planar measurements were taken to

obtain distances in feet and then converted into mileage. For the short distances in this study in

relation to much lengthier distances (such as determining the distance of an airplane’s path), the

loxodromic measurement type may have provided a bit more precision than the planar method.

Geodesic measurement would most likely not improve the accuracy considering this study’s

small distances on the earth’s surface. Lastly, adding a contour layer to the map may have

provided the necessary barriers in determining the two topographic distances from each cable

connection site to the proposed traffic signal.

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Conclusion

With the accelerating advancement of telecommunication technology, fiber optic cable has been

noted to be a very promising tool to expand communication among a number of applications.

Fiber optic cable’s ability to carry a large bandwidth and capacity to send variable amounts of

data have made it an attractive resource in the field of vehicle traffic management. Its

underground installation within durable conduit and insusceptibility to electromagnetic activity

such as lightning strikes provides greater protection than aerial cables suspended on poles.

However, installation of fiber optic cable is a very expensive process. In this simple study, the

application of GIS made it easier to determine the best financial decision where the optimum

installation should occur for the connection to the existing fiber optic network of a new traffic

signal for the entrance/exit of a planned new public high school. The application of GIS in this

study will assist traffic engineers and planners in the development of a safe and efficient traffic

pattern associated with the operation of a new high school in the local community. This is just

one example of the beneficial potential a combination of GIS and a telecommunication network

can offer to modern communities, a potential that is limitless in its growth.

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Bibliography

Blue Diamond Industries, LLC. “Power”. 2015. http://www.bdiky.com/power.html

Fayette County Public Schools. “Fast Facts”. October 13, 2015.

http://www.fcps.net/about-fcps/data-central/fast-facts

Fayette County Public Schools. “New School Attendance Zones”. November 19, 2015.

http://www.fcps.net/administration/board-of-education/redistricting

Lexington Fayette Urban County Government, Division of Traffic Engineering.

“Construction and New Development”. 2011. http://www.lexingtonky.gov/index.aspx?

page=657

Lexington Fayette Urban County Government. “Census Data”. 2011.

http://www.lexingtonky.gov/index.aspx?page=2771

Lexington Fayette Urban County Government. “Division of Traffic Engineering Facts

and Information 2014”. Accessed November 21, 2015.

http://www.lexingtonky.gov/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=21225

Lexington Fayette Urban County Government. “Lexington-Fayette Urban County

Government Request for Information”. Accessed November 21, 2015.

http://www.lexingtonky.gov/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=29688

U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty (HEP). “Category: Traffic Flow Improvements, Subcategory: Traffic Signalization, CMAQ Project ID: KY20050008. July 6, 2011. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/air_quality/cmaq/research/safetea-lu_phase_1/appendix_c/traffic_flow.cfm

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U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and

Technology, Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office. “Costs Database”.

Accessed November 20, 2015.

http://www.itscosts.its.dot.gov/ITS/benecost.nsf/SubsystemCostsAdjusted?

ReadForm&Subsystem=Roadside+Telecommunications+(RS-TC)

U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and

Technology, Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office. “List of FAQs”.

October 27, 2015. http://www.its.dot.gov/faqs.htm

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