In a move to use advanced technology to improve highway safety, the Federal Highway Administration has released an extensive plan to implement the use of vehicle-to-everything, or V2X, connectivity by 2036.
The construction-related elements of the plan, released Aug. 16, include highway infrastructure and applications that focus on making highway work zones safer for workers and motorists.
At a briefing on the plan at the headquarters of the US Department of Transportation, Robert Hampshire, DOT’s assistant secretary for research and technology, said: “We believe that by integrating advanced technologies, we can make our highways make them safer for everyone who uses them.”
Proponents of the plan see it as an important next step for an important technology. FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt said, “These are not pilot programs.” Bhatt added, “This is proven technology that works.”
Bhatt said the infusion of highway funding in the Jobs and Infrastructure Investment Act has benefited V2X.
FHWA Scholarships
In June, FHWA awarded three grants, totaling $58.8 million, to advance V2X.
Among the recipients, Maricopa County DOT in Arizona received $19.6 million to link 750 physical road units and virtual units to 400 on-board units in transit, emergency and freight fleets.
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute received $19.2 million for a plan that addresses the needs of several groups, including workers in highway construction zones.
The Utah DOT received $20 million for a project that spanned the entire state, as well as the entire length of Interstate-80 in Wyoming and large stretches of Colorado. Applications include weather impact, high-speed curve warnings and other safety alert technologies.
Other V2X deployments are in California, Michigan and Virginia.
Cathy McGhee, chief deputy commissioner of the Virginia DOT, said the department “jumped in with both feet” with connected and automated vehicles, deploying roadside units and forming partnerships with auto companies and universities.
For example, VDOT has a long-standing joint effort with the Virginia Tech Institute to develop applications aimed at work zone safety. But he said: “Taking the next step, to full deployment, will require funding.”
McGhee said lawmakers “want more data” to quantify V2X before committing additional funds.
Asked about the need for roadside units, Bhatt said technology continues to evolve. “Today’s road unit could be replaced by a 5G cell signal in the future.” he said And keeping up with the changes “will require significant investment by the public sector,” Bhatt added.
But Bhatt stressed the importance of the investment: “I’m not aware of a more important technology deployment that we can do right now other than V2X that can help save lives and improve people’s lives.”
Multiannual objectives
Among the non-funding needs, Laura Chace, president and CEO of industry group ITS America, said technology advocates are awaiting final Federal Communications Commission regulation for the 5.9 gigahertz spectrum, so that V2X can be deployed “imminently”.
In the plan, DOT sets short-, medium-, and long-term goals at multiyear intervals from 2024 to 2036 for infrastructure deployment, spectrum, and interoperability.
For example, short-term goals include having V2X deployed on 20% of the national road system by 2028. Medium-term goals include having V2X in place on 50% of the national road system by 2031 and long-term goals include the V2X to be located at 75% of the National Road System by 2036.
The NHS includes the interstate system as well as major arteries.
