Pete Buttigieg Secretary of Transportation | Facebook Website
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced the allocation of $60 million in grants under the Saving Lives with Connectivity: Accelerating V2X Deployment program. The initiative aims to advance connected and interoperable vehicle technologies, with recipients in Arizona, Texas, and Utah serving as national models.
“As this Department explores every measure that can help reduce roadway fatalities, connected vehicle technology—like V2X—has potential to make roads safer and save lives,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “The grants we’re announcing today are helping accelerate the development and adoption of potentially life-saving V2X technology nationwide.”
The program focuses on enhancing road safety, mobility, and efficiency through technology that enables vehicles and wireless devices to communicate with each other and roadside infrastructure. This communication provides warnings and improves traffic management.
“These grants are leading the way in promoting and deploying V2X technologies to explore the potential to save lives on our nation’s highways,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “The funding provided today will help accelerate the technology so that we can deploy it on a national scale and provide new tools to reduce deaths on our nation’s roads and highways.”
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology Dr. Robert C. Hampshire emphasized the importance of collaboration: “I’m proud of the partnerships between Federal, State, local, and tribal government agencies for coordinating all of these technologies to improve safety.”
The grant allocations are as follows:
Arizona: The Maricopa County DOT will receive $19.6 million for a large-scale deployment of V2X technologies using 5.9 GHz communications. This project will connect 750 physical roadside units and virtual roadside units to approximately 400 vehicle onboard units targeting transit, emergency, and freight fleets across Phoenix, Tolleson, Avondale, unincorporated Maricopa County, as well as along ADOT’s US 60.
Texas: Texas A&M Transportation Institute will receive $19.2 million for deploying V2X technology in Greater Houston area, College Station near Texas A&M University (TAMU), and corridors connecting these metropolitan areas. The project aims to enhance safety, efficiency, and mobility for vulnerable road users at signalized intersections, emergency responders navigating traffic scenarios, transit operators seeking efficient routes within construction zones.
Utah: The Utah DOT will receive $20 million toward V2X deployment sites spanning Utah, Colorado, Wyoming—covering various population densities and transportation facilities including I-80 through Wyoming's length; major portions of Colorado like Denver Metro Area; I-70 from Denver-Utah border; I-25 through Colorado focusing on safety applications like connected intersection weather impact curve speed warning traveler information vulnerable road user alerts.
More information on the V2X grants is available here: FHWA Operations - Improving Day-to-Day Operations (dot.gov)
