Arlington is preparing for both an influx of people and a major increase in traffic during the FIFA World Cup by increasing police resources and launching a new traffic management center designed to monitor roads, improve coordination and speed up response times. City officials expect the tournam ent to bring thousands of visitors to North Texas in the coming months, adding pressure to crowded Arlington streets. The new center is set to go online in time for the World Cup and will monitor and control more than 375 traffic signals and intersections across the city. Chris Funches, an Arlington traffic engineer, said the goal is to keep traffic moving efficiently during the busiest parts of the day. “We’re looking at intersections. We’re making sure that people have efficient travel in their mornings and their evenings,” said Funches. The new facility will include updated screens and servers, along with more space for additional personnel. Funches said that could include staff from TxDOT or the federal Department of Transportation during the tournament. Funches said the city wants the right people in place to respond quickly and help provide a smooth experience for residents and visitors. “We want to make sure that we’re doing the things that have our traffic management plans in place and have the right people being able to see what’s going on out there to provide an excellent experience for everybody,” Funches said. An artist’s rendering of the traffic control center in Arlington. One of the biggest changes, Funches said, is that the new center will bring together a traffic management team that is currently split between City Hall and the public safety center. He said having everyone in one place should make communication faster and improve response times when issues arise. “So it’s a little different now, we might have to communicate through email or through phone, but being able to, you know, get out of your desk and walk over to a traffic management center and let somebody know that we’ve received a complaint … kind of gives us that faster response that we’re looking for,” Funches said. Arlington Police are also making plans for the massive event. Tim Ciesco, a spokesperson for the Arlington Police Department, said the department is working with other cities in the region for staffing support, as it already does for other major events. “This is a really big undertaking,” said Ciesco. “We certainly need all the help that we can get.” He said people may have already seen officers from neighboring departments helping with traffic or pedestrian control at Cowboys games or concerts at ATT Stadium or Globe Life Field. Construction is underway on Arlington’s traffic control center ahead of the FIFA World Cup. “So, you might have been at a Cowboys game or a concert and seen somebody directing traffic or helping pedestrians get across the street wearing a different patch,” said Ciesco. Ciesco said officers who work Arlington events are generally off duty in their respective cities, but the department is making changes for World Cup match days due to staffing demands. “Now we are making some adjustments with the World Cup just because of the staffing it will require,” Ciesco said. “We will be temporarily reassigning folks, especially from specialized units, to be out there working maybe a couple of the matches.” Together, the new traffic center and added police staffing are part of Arlington’s effort to prepare for what officials describe as the largest, longest-running event in the city’s history. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less