UDOT details "Connecting the West" V2X rollout: LiDAR detection, signal units and onboard devices expand statewide

Blaine Leonard, UDOT transportation technology engineer, briefed the committee on the state's connected‑vehicle program under the "Connecting the West" federal grant and described deployments aimed at improving safety and mobility.

Leonard explained the technology architecture: short‑range roadside units (RSUs) mounted at signals, a signal‑cabinet command module, and onboard units (OBUs) in vehicles exchanging low‑latency messages multiple times per second. He said the low latency is essential to safety: the system must deliver warnings in fractions of a second to enable evasive action. "We sometimes call this technology a 'digital seat belt,'" Leonard said, describing the aim of preventing crashes by giving drivers or automated systems information they cannot see.

Key deployment figures Leonard provided: the Connecting the West grant will add about 480 RSUs (bringing UDOT's total to over 1,200 intersections and approximately 91% of UDOT‑owned signals), add 215 onboard units to reach a total of about 740 OBUs in the pilot fleet, and has equipped 100% of UTA buses and nearly all UDOT snow‑plow trucks. He described operational uses already in demonstration: transit signal priority to help on‑time bus operations; emergency‑vehicle preemption for ambulances and fire apparatus; snow‑plow coordination; and vulnerable‑road‑user warnings using LiDAR (referred to in the meeting as LAR) to detect pedestrians and bicyclists.

Leonard said the system also supports traveler messages on freeways and interoperable messaging across Utah, Colorado and Wyoming for truck alerts and work‑zone warnings. He encouraged municipal participation and said UDOT staff would meet with cities that want to join the deployment. "We've equipped all of UTA's buses and 100% of UDOT plows; if a municipality is interested, please reach out," Leonard said.

Committee members raised integration questions (how priority works at intersections, legal agreements with cities, whether phone displays could be used for warnings and latency/security concerns). Leonard said direct V2X is the low‑latency approach UDOT is using now and that cell‑network approaches (network V2X) are being explored but face latency and security challenges; he encouraged jurisdictions to partner with UDOT to identify corridors and routes where connected infrastructure would provide the greatest benefit.

What comes next: UDOT will continue deploying RSUs and OBUs under the grant, expand LiDAR detection at high‑risk intersections, coordinate with cities on agreements for city‑owned signals, and pursue demonstrations of driver warning interfaces and traveler messaging across states.