From the Director: Future of transportation moves us closer to 'Jetsons'

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

Are we ready for the "Jetsons"-style mode of transportation? Not yet. But what we in the transportation world face is the evolving use of technology in developing connected and automated vehicles.

Technological advancements in connected and automated vehicles will have the greatest impact on highway transportation while connecting people to all modes of transportation. Gone are the days when a DOT laid down an asphalt roadway and called it a day. Tomorrow’s highway infrastructure will be a combination of wireless and fiber-optic corridors supporting optimized traffic flow and safety. The challenge moving forward is to ensure there is collaboration between state DOTs, private-sector companies and taxpayers in developing automated and connected vehicle technologies. DOTs cannot afford to develop supporting infrastructure that isn’t compatible with emerging technologies.

At ADOT, we reorganized to create a new division, Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO), that optimizes infrastructure systems when it comes to connected and automated vehicles. ADOT is one of a few states that has created such a division. TSMO’s focus is on the performance of existing infrastructure and cross-jurisdictional improvements.

Technology can help increase capacity of the existing transportation system by reducing travel delays and reducing (or eliminating) secondary crashes, the significant factors in traffic capacity loss and congestion.

At ADOT, we stand ready to keep Arizona in the forefront in this new realm of transportation and all of the economic development opportunities that are coming. George, Jane, Judy and even Elroy Jetson would be amazed how far we’ve come in transportation.

This post originally appeared on ADOT Director John Halikowski's LinkedIn page. He has led the agency since 2009.