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. The technology being used can direct traffic lights to change, enhancing safety and travel time for drivers.
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. He emphasized the importance of protecting personal private information when utilizing this technology.
Utah will receive $20 million of the $60 million total grant, with the remaining $40 million going to Texas and Arizona. The grant money will fund projects in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming, each representing different population densities and transportation systems. Bhatt highlighted that basic safety messages (DSM) are exchanged between vehicles and intersections, providing anonymous data on approaching vehicles and traffic light statuses.
Bhatt emphasized that this deployment has already shown positive impacts in Salt Lake City where the technology is already in use, including improvements in travel time reliability and bus performance. He highlighted that deploying technology can reduce crashes congestion travel times greenhouse gas emissions further investments based on data collected from initial deployment are anticipated by him .