ADOT vehicle-to-infrastructure pilot study wins national award

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has received a national award for a pilot study that looks toward the day when additional transportation infrastructure will be able to give drivers critical information about conditions ahead.

The National Operations Center of Excellence, an organization dedicated to the management and operation of state highways, presented ADOT with its Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) Award in the Emerging Trends and Technologies category.

With funding provided through the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Emerging Technology Program, ADOT partnered with Verizon to test the viability of using sensors, cameras and wireless connectivity to deliver critical information about upcoming curves, work zones and slowing traffic.

“The purpose of the pilot project was to test and validate that critical safety notices could be sent to drivers in an efficient and timely manner,” said Susan Anderson, Systems Technology Group Manager for ADOT’s Transportation Systems Management and Operations division. “It helps position us for the day when vehicles are equipped to interact with transportation infrastructure.”

During the pilot program, as the test driver entered a segment, a safety message was sent to a cellphone app that broadcast an audio alert and notified a passenger with a visual alert of the real-time traffic conditions.

This technology, often referred to as vehicle-to-infrastructure or vehicle-to-everything, isn’t available yet for the general public. ADOT doesn’t currently use apps that broadcast traveler information on slowing for curves, work zones, traffic slowing and similar real-time conditions.

You can learn more about ADOT’s pilot study here.