UDOT Connects the West

Item #: 20260001

CONTACTS

Implementing Organization: Traffic Management Division, Operations
Implementation Lead: Blaine Leonard
Development Team:
- Blaine Leonard, UDOT
- Phillip Castro, UDOT
- Heather Pickering-Hilgers, CDOT
- Vince Garcia, WYDOT
- Russell Robertson, FHWA

Article Written By: Quinten Klingonsmith
Innovation Council Liaison: Glenn Burns
Innovation Team Coordinator: Winston Inoway

STATUS

Implementation Date: September 1, 2024
Adoption Status: Fully Implemented
Adoptability Note: How can your team prepare for the coming technologies?

APPLIES TO

Topic: Safety and Health
Organization(s): Central Admin / Senior Leaders, Data Technology & Analytics, Program Financing, Strategic Technologies, Traffic and Safety, Traffic Management Division
Job Role(s): Administrative Staff / Commissions, Executive Leadership, Information Specialist, Program Director, Program Manager, Roadway Operations / IMT
Tags: Active transportation, highway transportation, crashes, injuries, economic benefits, expenses, expenditures, urban development, value of life, value of time, standardization, communications > public relations ( PR ), information technology >> software, networks, artificial intelligence ( AI ), automated highways, connected vehicles, intelligent transport systems ( ITS ), LiDAR, civil engineering, data science, highway operations, ( traffic operations ), pedestrian safety, traffic safety > highway safety, trucking safety, vehicle safety, vulnerable road users, quality of life, user benefits, ( connected communities )

PROBLEM

Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology promises a future where vehicles “talk” with other vehicles and roadside infrastructure to avoid crashes, reduce emissions, and alleviate congestion.

V2X technologies including Traveler Information Messaging (TIM), LiDAR sensors, and signal prioritization contribute to safety for drivers, responders, and other vulnerable road users.

For this future to become a reality, car manufacturers and state DOTs will need to adopt the same standards and technologies so that a traveler’s experience will be seamless across vehicles and borders.

CHANGE

Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming have been awarded a $20M grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation for the Connect the West program. The purpose is to increase overall interoperability and connectedness of V2X technologies across state lines.

RESULT

Utah will add TIM to I-70, I-80, and I-15, resulting in 1200 miles of safety messaging across Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado. That is 475 miles in Utah alone. LiDAR will be added to help protect an additional 20 Utah intersections. And, signal priority and preemption will be implemented at 450 more intersections, representing 81% of all Utah-owned traffic signals.

With Utah’s technology leadership as a part of the Connect the West Program, a transportation system with Zero Fatalities is closer to becoming a reality.