The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced a $20 million grant to the state of Utah.
Drivers of snowplows, public transit buses and other government-operated vehicles are using technology that can direct traffic light changes to improve safety and travel times.
The “Saving Lives and Connectivity: Accelerating V2X Deployment” program will award $20 million to Utah of the $60 million it has earmarked to advance vehicle technology. The remaining $40 million will go to Texas and Arizona.
“Connecting vehicles and infrastructure is a great way to leverage technology to improve safety and other outcomes, and the Utah Department of Transportation has long been a leader in this area,” said U.S. Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt.
UDOT plans to allocate the $20 million to projects in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming, which have different population densities and transportation facilities.
Butt said one of the challenges of using this type of technology is protecting individuals’ private information.
“So we want people to understand that what’s being exchanged is what we call DSM Basic Safety Messages. The vehicle reports that it’s approaching an intersection, the intersection reports, ‘Oh, the light is about to turn red, or my light is red,’ and it’s all anonymous data,” Bhatt said.
The technology has been used in Salt Lake City and has improved travel time reliability and bus performance.
“We know that deploying this technology will reduce crashes, ease congestion, reduce the time people spend in traffic and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the system, and we hope that the data we get from this initial deployment will lead to further investment,” Bhatt said.
