The Ohio Department of Transportation has announced the completion of its second traffic camera installation in the Zanesville area.

According to Morgan Overbey, public information officer for ODOT District 5, the camera is located along Interstate 70 near Underwood Street and was awaiting a connection by the power company when the ODOT camera on State Street went live on Wednesday, June 26.

The camera near Underwood Street, which monitors a section of I-70, went live Tuesday afternoon.

The camera system, which cost $62,000, is part of a project initiated by ODOT to implement cameras in more rural areas. The project is designed to benefit the safety of drivers and emergency personnel.

The camera module itself cost $9,000 and, according to Matt Bruning, Press Secretary for ODOT, it is expected to last for at least a decade.

The most expensive piece of the project is the concrete pole, which is over 70 feet tall and utilizes a special lowering unit that attaches to the camera. The lowering unit allows the camera to be taken down and maintained by ODOT technicians without the need for a specialized bucket truck.

The following list was provided by ODOT for an estimated price breakdown per camera site:

• Concrete pole with lowering unit: $32,000
• CCTV camera: $9,000
• Ground mounted cabinet: $6,000
• Underground work: $11,000
• Power service: $4,000

Both Zanesville cameras will be connected through the AT&T wireless network back to the ODOT traffic management center in Columbus for monitoring purposes. The cameras do not have the resolution to identify the characters on a license plate and are solely used for traffic monitoring purposes, according to a social media post by Bruning describing the equipment.

“These cameras not only allow the public to see a real-time view of traffic through our OHGO app or website but they also allow our Traffic Management Center to see when there are backups due to crashes in the area,” Overbey added.

ODOT will be providing access to the camera to both the Muskingum County and the City of Zanesville Dispatch Centers.

A public feed for both cameras are now available but is limited for bandwidth purposes.

To view the newly installed ODOT camera at Underwood Street, click here.