Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways Computer Upgrade

Level-1 deployed modular IT enclosures with power, security, and monitoring to modernize Cook County DoTH’s district offices.

The Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways (DoTH) is responsible for more than 1,400 lane miles of pavement, 132 bridges, 360 traffic signals, and seven pumping stations, serving residents across one of the most expansive and heavily traveled county jurisdictions in the nation. With over 568 centerline miles of highways under its authority, the department relies on strong digital infrastructure to coordinate road maintenance, traffic management, and field operations. 

During a routine rollout of computer and networking upgrades at various suburban district offices, DoTH discovered that many locations lacked the basic infrastructure such as power distribution, physical security, and environmental controls. To address this gap, the County engaged Level-1 Global Solutions to design and implement a distributed technology solution that could bring each site online without requiring costly structural renovations. 

Level-1 designed a self-contained 84” x 36” glass enclosure equipped with built-in power protection, environmental monitoring, and secure access. The enclosure effectively functioned as a compact, single-rack data center tailored to the needs of each location, with room for future network growth. These intelligent enclosures included sensors to capture real-time data on temperature, humidity, power usage, and physical access, all transmitted via Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). 

To support district-level monitoring and administration, Level-1 also developed a custom, browser-based interface allowing designated officials to remotely review environmental and performance data in real time enabling preventive maintenance and operational continuity across the department’s distributed footprint. 

Our Scope Includes 

• Assessment and modernization of IT infrastructure across multiple suburban district offices 
• Design and installation of distributed 84” x 36” self-contained enclosures with secure access 
• Integrated power conditioning and environmental controls to support uninterrupted operations 
• SNMP-based environmental monitoring for temperature, humidity, power consumption, and security 
• Development of a browser-based dashboard for remote monitoring and data visualization 
• Scalable systems architecture to accommodate future expansion and evolving operational needs 

By delivering modular, intelligent, and secure computing infrastructure across the Cook County DoTH’s regional offices, Level-1 enabled a strategic upgrade without the need for major facilities renovations. The result is a network of operationally independent, environmentally controlled micro-data centers that ensure the department can manage its vital transportation systems with 24/7 digital resilience.