The Wyoming Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment

To aid in the adoption of Connected Vehicle (CV) technologies, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) has spearheaded the CV Pilot Deployment Program, which supports integration of CV research into practical applications to enhance existing operations. The program encourages leveraging of current CV research, development of new applications, and partnership among multiple stakeholders, including state DOTs, private companies, commercial vehicle operators, and research institutions. Three sites were chosen: New York City, which will install CV communications in 10,000 vehicles in Midtown Manhattan to improve safety of travelers and pedestrians in a dense urban system; Tampa, which will deploy CV applications in the Lee Roy Salmon Expressway reversible express lanes to improve congestion, rear-end crashes, and issues with wrong way driving; and Wyoming, which will deploy CV communications along the I-80 corridor and leverage existing technologies such as variable speed limits and the Pikalert® system to improve safety and mobility on the corridor with an emphasis on commercial truck traffic and hazardous weather.

Multi-vehicle crashes occurring along I-80 in Wyoming have resulted in loss of life, extended road closures, and direct impacts on the nation’s economy. Blowing snow, high winds, wildfires, and poor visibility all contribute to the challenges of keeping I-80 open and safe for both passenger and commercial traffic. To address these safety and mobility concerns, the Wyoming CV Pilot Deployment team is developing a system of CV-based applications to collect, process, and disseminate vehicle and environmental data and alerts to drivers, commercial truck dispatchers, the Transportation Management Center (TMC), and other stakeholders. Data will be collected from about 400 vehicles via 75 roadside units on I-80, processed through the Pikalert Vehicle Data Translator and Road Weather Hazard module, and used by the TMC and in 5 in-vehicle applications: Forward Collision Warning, Situational Awareness, Distress Notification, Work Zone Warning, and Spot Weather Impact Warning. The pilot deployment is expected to improve situational awareness and actionable information available to WYDOT and I-80 travelers, provide WYDOT with an operational CV system that will continue beyond the timeline of the project, and is hoped to reduce the number and severity of multi-vehicle crashes on I-80. This presentation describes the challenges faced in the Wyoming environment, the CV Pilot Deployment plan, and the current status of application development.