The US Department of Transportation has started installing receptive acoustic traffic-detecting devices on parkways in the state of New York which capture road noise and determine the traffic status on roads.

The sensors are installed beneath solar panels and can detect high-decibel noise as well as capturing traffic-related information from different lanes and provide lane-by-lane analysis about traffic speed.

The data obtained from the sensors offers information to drivers about upcoming traffic and eases congestion.

The collected information is transmitted to the Hawthorne Hudson Valley Transportation Management Center, an administrative centre for monitoring the region’s traffic.

The sensors were installed last year and another 100 poles will be installed along the 62 miles of Westchester Parkway.

The $4.9m project is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, according to azosensors.com .