USDOT Awards Nearly $60 Million in Advanced Vehicle Technology Grants to Arizona, Texas, & Utah to Serve as National Models & Help Save Lives on Our Nation’s Roadways

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Division of Transportation’s Federal Freeway Administration (FHWA) at present introduced that it’s awarding $60 million in grants below the Saving Lives with Connectivity: Accelerating V2X Deployment program to advance related and interoperable automobile applied sciences. The grants to recipients in Arizona, Texas, and Utah will function nationwide fashions to speed up and spur new deployments of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) applied sciences.

“As this Department explores every measure that can help reduce roadway fatalities, connected vehicle technology—like V2X—has potential to make roads safer and save lives,” mentioned U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “The grants we’re announcing today are helping accelerate the development and adoption of potentially life-saving V2X technology nationwide.”

The Saving Lives with Connectivity: Accelerating V2X Deployment initiative is targeted on street security, mobility, and effectivity via expertise that allows autos and wi-fi gadgets to speak with one another and with roadside infrastructure and supply warnings. This implies automobiles will be capable to successfully talk with visitors gadgets and the roadside.

“These grants are leading the way in promoting and deploying V2X technologies to explore the potential to save lives on our nation’s highways,” mentioned Federal Freeway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “The funding provided today will help accelerate the technology so that we can deploy it on a national scale and provide new tools to reduce deaths on our nation’s roads and highways.”

The grants introduced at present will promote the deployment of V2X applied sciences with the aim of advancing the total lifesaving potential of V2X communication, whereas making certain related applied sciences talk securely and with out dangerous interference throughout a wide range of gadgets and platforms.

“I’m proud of the partnerships between Federal, State, local and tribal government agencies for coordinating all of these technologies to improve safety,” mentioned Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Analysis and Know-how Dr. Robert C. Hampshire.

The grants introduced at present are as follows:

Arizona: The Maricopa County DOT will obtain $19.6 million to steer a largescale deployment of V2X applied sciences, relying totally on 5.9 GHz communications, to attach 750 bodily roadside items and digital roadside items to an estimated 400 automobile onboard items concentrating on transit, emergency and freight fleets. The undertaking will deploy Emergency Automobile Preemption, Susceptible Highway Person detection, Transit Sign Precedence, and Freight Sign Precedence purposes within the Cities of Phoenix, Tolleson, Avondale and unincorporated Maricopa County, in addition to alongside ADOT’s US 60.

Texas: Texas A&M Transportation Institute will obtain $19.2 million to deploy V2X expertise within the Better Houston space, the Metropolis of Faculty Station, together with close to the campus of Texas A&M College (TAMU), and the corridors connecting these two metropolitan cities. The undertaking serves to holistically improve security, effectivity, and total mobility for susceptible street customers (VRU) located at signalized intersections, emergency responders navigating via various visitors eventualities, transit operators searching for environment friendly routes, staff working inside building zones, and on a regular basis motorists.

Utah: The Utah DOT will obtain $20 million towards V2X deployment websites in three states – Utah, Colorado and Wyoming – every representing a broad number of inhabitants densities, demographics, jurisdictions, topography, and transportation amenities. The undertaking covers all of Utah, I-80 via your entire size of Wyoming, and main parts of Colorado, together with the Denver Metro Space, I-70 from Denver to the Utah border, and I-25 via Colorado. The purposes give attention to security, mobility, and atmosphere, and help the flexibility to reveal measurable impression and deal with essential wants together with related intersection, climate impression, curve velocity warning, traveler data and susceptible street person and different security alert applied sciences.

Extra data on the V2X grants is accessible right here: FHWA Operations – Improving Day-to-Day Operations

From U.S. Department of Transportation.