Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Boston's Gridlock Breakthrough
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Boston Transportation Department.
A web of red lines spread across the dashboard like bulging veins, filling the entire wall. Central Artery, Storrow Drive, Massachusetts Avenue Interchange—every single section was jammed solid.
Deputy Director Alan rested his chin on his hand, glaring at the screen.
"The metrics are busted again."
Senior Analyst Jamie approached with a troubled look.
"Even after the morning rush should be over, the PCI—Percent Congestion Index—is holding steady at 78. What's going on?"
Alan shook his head.
There were countless reasons.
The irregular urban layout, pedestrian-first signal philosophy, sluggish sensor quality, unpredictable events...
Even accounting for all of it, Alan felt a deep sense of helplessness.
"Probably because I'm incompetent."
Jamie stared at him in surprise.
"Don't say that! The city has changed dramatically since you came on board."
Alan Smith, a traffic systems engineer from MIT, was one of the industry's heavyweights. He'd gained attention during undergrad for mathematically analyzing human movement patterns, then earned his PhD in grad school with a thesis on 'Dynamic Signal Optimization Algorithms for Irregular Cities.'
He'd spent a decade at the MIT Urban Studies Lab, contributing to traffic AI projects in Singapore, Amsterdam, and Tokyo. His papers were so highly regarded they were referenced by top organizations worldwide, including the TRB—Transportation Research Board.
Once, tech giants and megacities fought to recruit him. But Alan turned them all down.
'I have no interest in re-solving equations that are already cracked.'
That same mindset led him to leave his senior engineer role at the New York DOT and come to Boston. The city was launching a full overhaul of its signal system, and Alan was their top choice.
"It has improved a bit."
Alan reminisced about the past.
The city transformed overnight when he arrived. Sensor databases were standardized, and intersection signal logs integrated in real-time. The BITN—Boston Intelligent Traffic Network—that he spearheaded once slashed average downtown commute times by 13%.
But that was history.
The screen was filled with red lines once more. A single new hospital or construction zone could trigger cascading overloads, as if the city rejected his control and reverted to its old rhythms. In the end, they had no choice but to fall back on the previous system.
"Maybe your standards are just too high, sir? What you're doing already feels like a miracle to me."
"How long have you worked here?"
"A little over 15 years."
"This department is a relic. Everyone here probably thinks the same as you: 'Isn't this good enough?' Even while the whole city is screaming in agony."
He walked to the window and pulled back the curtain.
Boston's afternoon streets stretched out below the glass.
'Like the arteries of a patient dying from hyperlipidemia.'
He could see it clearly.
Blood might flow slowly at first without much issue. But stagnant flow creates the perfect breeding ground for plaque and waste buildup. Congestion becomes chronic.
"Is that why you shared the data with the MIT students?"
Alan turned around.
"They're not asking for budget. No reason not to. We need fresh eyes right now."
That wasn't the only reason, though.
When he got the report about MIT requesting data, it took him back to his undergrad days.
Back when he dreamed of decoding the massive organism of traffic with math.
Time had dulled that passion, leaving him jaded and accustomed to compromises and efficiency hacks.
Still, it warmed him that someone out there was still asking, 'Why does it jam?'
'Go ahead, give it a shot. If undergrad grit uncovers a better answer than mine, I'll applaud gladly.'
It was a quiet cheer from one researcher who'd once believed he could change the world to his juniors who still held onto that faith.
The morning air was icy cold.
Screee—
Taxis and buses zipped intermittently along the roads of the Longwood Medical Area.
Ellie and Jason were out at dawn again, collecting data on-site.
"Ready?"
Jason carefully unfolded the drone's wings.
Nod.
Whirrrrrrrrr!
The rotors spun up, whipping the air. Ellie tapped the touchpad, and the drone hummed softly as it lifted into the sky.
"Satellite signal locked! Climbing altitude."
The drone shot upward, beaming down on its target.
"Vehicle occupancy 92%, queue length 178 meters."
A satisfied smile tugged at Ellie's lips.
Data collection had been far more grueling than they'd anticipated.
For days, Ellie and Jason shuttled between the DOT and hospital zones, gathering signal data and intersection footage. But the real struggle was confidence in the work.
"Seo-ha, do you really think this data can map out Boston's entire traffic?"
Ellie's eyes scanned the numbers on the laptop screen. What they'd collected was a drop in the ocean compared to the whole city—maybe a few percent of total volume at best.
But Seo-ha replied calmly, as if it were no issue.
"We've got the DOT data. Nail the patterns in key sections, and we can reconstruct the rest by cross-referencing."
Ellie shook her head. It still felt woefully insufficient.
"Is that even possible?"
"Source material's a bit light, but doable."
Instead of explaining, Seo-ha turned the laptop toward her.
"Extract signal patterns from camera footage, merge with DOT congestion and volume data."
Seo-ha's fingers flew across the keyboard.
"Organize by time-of-day phases, calculate average delays, and predict unseen sections. All traffic flows boil down to one interconnected equation anyway."
Jason grinned in admiration.
"This some movie magic? Just say the word and poof."
Ellie bit her lip.
"Got it. You're serious. We'll give it our all too."
Ellie didn't want to be a bystander on this team. After hearing Seo-ha's plan, she'd scoured campus labs for cameras, drones, scanners—whatever they could borrow.
Jason had a knack for tech. He cross-verified LiDAR distance data with thermal cameras to correct errors, fine-tuned drone altitude, GPS drift, and sensor response times.
Together, they delivered far more extensive, higher-quality data than Seo-ha had expected.
Finally, all the data was in.
The study room wall screen displayed a precise map of Boston's major road network.
Jason coiled the cables as he spoke.
"Field data input complete."
Seo-ha sat at the monitor, hands moving. LiDAR point clouds, drone and camera footage, DOT datasets—all merged one by one. Millions of data points aligned under Seo-ha's algorithm, revealing the city's full traffic flow.
Ellie swallowed hard.
"This is real-time now?"
Seo-ha nodded.
"Virtual sim from the data, but error margins should be low. Rush hour's kicking off—let's verify."
Seo-ha punched in code, and the screen responded instantly. Gray roads segmented into red, yellow, green based on congestion.
"Lemme check actual traffic real quick."
Jason fired up navigation and compared.
"Whoa!"
"Spot on!"
Seo-ha had recreated traffic with near-zero error from the given data.
"Data was solid, thanks to you two."
Seo-ha flashed them a thumbs-up.
"Now we can start the real assignment. Let's figure out the optimal flow together."
Meetings dragged on for days. After classes, they'd converge with laptops open—cafes during free periods, lounge study rooms at night. Equations piled up on the table.
Seo-ha could've finished solo but chose not to. He wanted this as a team achievement.
"We probably can't implement our optimization in the real world. Outsiders can't account for every variable. But even just conveying 'this perspective exists' has value."
The two nodded in agreement.
Seo-ha picked up a pen and scribbled equations on the board.
"Our job's simple: Mathematically classify bottlenecks, calculate phase differences between intersections, derive optimization scenarios."
With tasks assigned, progress accelerated.
Ellie cleaned the data, stripped outliers. Jason estimated queue lengths at nodes, built the graph network. Seo-ha integrated it all, tweaking the algorithm to finalize the model.
And days later, results emerged.
Alan lingered outside MIT's main gate. It had been ages since he'd visited campus.
"While I'm here, might as well drop by."
He headed to Building 2, the math department.
Spotting Whitman's name on the lecture schedule, Alan chuckled.
"Still hasn't retired, huh."
Whitman had been his mentor too. Alan owed his urban engineering fame to the mathematical mindset drilled into him during grad school.
He peeked through the classroom door, then slipped in quietly. Alan extended a hand to Whitman.
"Heard the team we shared data with is presenting today."
"Perfect timing. It'll be fascinating."
Whitman offered him a front-row seat.
Lights dimmed, projector lit up with Boston's road network. Alan's gaze locked on the East Asian boy.
'That's the project lead.'
You could tell just from the movements. Team members adjusted gear at the boy's direction.
"Hello, I'm Yoo Seo-ha.
Our team questioned if Boston's infamous traffic is truly unfixable. We recreated current conditions using real-world data."
He nodded, and colors bloomed across the roads. The screen timelapsed—red spreading through downtown, yellow bands rippling outward, fading to green. Boston's day compressed before their eyes, clock hands spinning wildly.
'They pulled this from that limited data?'
A familiar sight to him as deputy director, but classified to outsiders.
"In conclusion, Boston's signals are optimized per intersection. Efficient locally, but it bottlenecks the system overall."
He wrote equations on the board. The city's flow rendered as differential equations.
Alan pondered, eyes on the screen.
'Stings to have outsiders point it out.'
Changing cycles needed Traffic Commission approval. Budgets varied by district, so even one sensor required negotiations. Pedestrian groups pushed priority, while securing paths for police, fire, ambulances. No wonder the system was a mess.
Yet Alan clung to ideals. How satisfying would it be to clean up this filthy traffic? He dreamed of it daily.
"There's a solution."
Seo-ha filled the board with equations, starting in one corner and sprawling across. Alan watched, forgetting to breathe.
"We propose a phase synchronization model. Control the entire network with this algorithm, and Boston's bad rep could vanish someday."
Snap!
On cue, the screen applied it. Downtown red faded to yellow, then green. As one algorithm orchestrated the signals, the clogged arteries began to breathe.
Seo-ha pointed to a graph.
"This isn't mere simulation. Compared to real-time data, error rate is just 2.9%. Perfectly feasible."
Finally, every Boston road turned green.
Alan's chest swelled.
'Adult politics? Mayor's sponsors? Group interests? Who cares? A true urban engineer dreams like that kid!'
The boy had crafted this precise algorithm from scraps. With full DOT data, what heights could he reach?
Alan's heart pounded fiercely.
Clap clap clap!
Lights came up after the presentation. Students saw a middle-aged man rise with tears in his eyes, applauding passionately.