The latest webcam installed by the Regional Traveler Information Center at the University of Massachusetts is at the Look Park roundabout on Route 9 in Northampton.
A screen grab from a University of Massachusetts Regional Traveler Information Center webcam at the Look Park entrance roundabout on Route 9 in Northampton.NORTHAMPTON – The Regional Traveler Information Center at the University of Massachusetts first installed webcams in 2001 during the reconstruction of Coolidge Bridge to help motorists keep apprised of the traffic.
Now there are 24 such cameras monitoring intersections in the Amherst-Hadley-Northampton area, including the latest at the Look Park roundabout on Route 9.
The views at the Look Park intersection are aimed at helping motorists avoid delays. They also provide transportation officials from Northampton and the state Department of Transportation’s Highway Division a chance to monitor the operation and check for traffic problems, according to a press release from the travel information center.
Cameras still help motorists monitor traffic on the Coolidge Bridge as well as other Route 9 intersections plus several sites on the UMass campus, including the new roundabout at Governors Drive and North Pleasant Street.
The system tracks the UMass Amherst bus system, and provides travel advisories, current traffic speed on Routes 9 and 116, and construction information for Interstate 91.
Besides motorists, the webcams provide learning and research opportunities for the UMass-Amherst transportation engineering program.