Where the change begins
At the intersection of Duke and Van Dorn streets in Alexandria, Virginia, the scene is familiar: bumper-to-bumper traffic and frustrated commuters heading toward Washington, D. C. But this particular junction is about to make history. The city is flipping the switch on its first smart traffic light. That’ s good news for the more than 60,000 vehicles that pass through this intersection daily.
Using roadside sensors and AI, this system resets signal cycles every few minutes based on live traffic data. The result? The city estimates that drivers could save up to 10 minutes across the network. It may be a small pilot, but it signals a profound shift in how we manage mobility.
In 2024, D. C. area drivers spent an average of 62 hours stalled in traffic. In cities like New York, London, and Brisbane, the problem is worse. But the value of smart traffic systems isn’ t just measured in minutes. It’ s measured in lives improved. Less road rage. Faster emergency response. Cleaner air. Smoother flow of goods. Safer streets.
While a growing number of cities are experimenting with AI-powered traffic signals— systems that learn from traffic flow in real time, adjust lights dynamically, and can even communicate with each other— the opportunity is more than reducing congestion. We often talk about traffic in terms of frustration, but the economics are also brutal. According to the U. S. Department of Energy, inefficient traffic flow contributes to 3.3 billion gallons of wasted fuel each year in the U. S. alone. AI-optimized signals could reduce fuel consumption by as much as 20 % in urban corridors. In turn, that translates to a reduction of more than 30 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions— equivalent to taking 6.5 million cars off the road. Improvements in delivery reliability and transit efficiency can also yield billions in operational savings for fleets and agencies.
AI-optimized signals reduce fuel consumption by
20 %
translating to a reduction of
30million
metric tons of CO₂ emissions
=
6.5 million cars off the road
ABOUT
The Author
Dr. Duminda Wijesekera
Professor, Department of Computer Science at George Mason University and acting chair of Cyber Security Engineering Department
Dr. Duminda Wijesekera is a professor in the Department of Cyber Security Engineer – ing and was the inaugural department chair of the Cyber Security Engineering Department at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. He was a visiting research scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology( NIST) and leads the Mason Innovation Lab, a collaboration between academia, industry, and government, located at GMU’ s Arlington campus. Prior simultaneous appointments also include being a visiting associate professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.
His current research addresses multiple areas;( 1) 5G technology and its applications including air, ground, and satellite communications.( 2) Security and safety of cyber-physical systems. Research in this area includes the safety and security of Intelligent Transportation Systems( ITS) that include trains, aircraft, and connected / automated automobiles.( 3) Secure Manufacturing Automation and( 4) Applying formal reasoning for safety and cybersecurity.
The Kyndryl Institute Journal 23