When it originally opened in 1959, Boston's Central Artery carried 75,000 vehicles daily. As time passed, daily traffic swelled to an uncomfortable 200,000 vehicles. To ease congestion and reduce accident rates, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority devised the Central Artery/Tunnel (CA/T) a massive undertaking to replace the original highway. Once completed, the new CA/T will have the capacity to carry 250,000 vehicles per day.
To ensure the safety of motorists traveling the CA/T, Mass. Electric Construction Co., a subsidiary of Kiewit Corporation, was selected to install a system-wide security system. The $28 million project included installation of perimeter video surveillance, an access control system, an instruction detection system, a security operator console, motion detection and telephone communication for 17 CA/T facilities including the Leonard P. Zakim Cable Stayed Bridge. Network communications included installation of access control panels, video matrix switches, multiplexers, digital video recorders and fiber optic transmission equipment.