The Federal Highway Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced a $20 million grant to Utah as part of the “Saving Lives and Connectivity: Accelerating V2X Deployment” program. This initiative aims to improve vehicle technologies, specifically for snow plows, public transportation buses, and other government-operated vehicles.
Utah will receive $20 million of the $60 million total grant, with the remaining $40 million going to Texas and Arizona. The goal is to connect vehicles and infrastructure to leverage technology for improved safety outcomes. Shailen Bhatt, the US Federal Highway Administrator, commended Utah’s Department of Transportation for being a leader in this area.
The grant money will fund projects in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming, each representing different population densities and transportation systems. Bhatt emphasized the importance of protecting personal private information when utilizing this technology. Basic safety messages (DSM) are exchanged between vehicles and intersections, providing anonymous data on approaching vehicles and traffic light statuses.
In Salt Lake City, where the technology is already in use, improvements in travel time reliability and bus performance have been observed. Bhatt highlighted the positive impact of deploying technology in reducing crashes, congestion, travel times, and greenhouse gas emissions. He expressed anticipation for further investments based on data collected from the initial deployment.
With this grant funding project proposals that will implement advanced technologies such as real-time traffic management systems that communicate with each other through wireless networks or cellular networks; autonomous vehicle communication systems that coordinate with other vehicles on the road; intelligent transportation systems that analyze real-time data to optimize traffic flow; smart lighting systems that adapt to traffic conditions; or connected vehicles equipped with sensors that collect data on their surroundings such as weather conditions or road hazards.
Bhatt also emphasized that privacy concerns should be addressed when implementing these technologies by using encryption techniques to protect personal information transmitted between vehicles and infrastructure.
Overall this initiative demonstrates how technology can be used to improve safety outcomes while reducing congestion and travel times across different population densities and transportation systems in the United States.