UDOT

Tech increases plowing efficiency, advances safety efforts

This year, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is installing vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology in 100 more of its snowplows around the state to increase the efficiency of plowing operations.

This technology allows plows to clear the roads during major storms – including this past Tuesday’s commuter special – faster.

V2X units are small boxes of wireless sensors that connect vehicles and infrastructure and allow them to communicate with each other. Through these communication channels, the technology can send a variety of messages, including transit signal preemption. 

Transit signal preemption is currently being used by approximately 100 UDOT snowplows to extend traffic signal green times and even change the light from red to green. This year’s installations will double the total number of plows that can automatically send a request to an intersection to keep moving. 

“Preemption makes a night-and-day difference in our job,” said Brian Sommer, who drives a snow plow at UDOT’s Provo/Orem maintenance station. “If traffic is stopped, we’re stopped. And the roads stay worse the longer we’re in traffic.” 

Keeping plows moving increases efficiency, but also makes it safer for everyone on the roads. Having to stop suddenly at a red light on slick roads is difficult for snowplows and drivers, and may delay progress on clearing the roads. But with transit signal preemption, everyone driving near a plow has more time to make safe driving decisions.

“The safety aspect of it – being able to flow through an intersection without impeding traffic has been great,” UDOT Provo/Orem Station Supervisor Chad Gasser said. “It’s making it safer for us, the public and commuters.” 

In the future, V2X technology will be able to send safety messages to drivers, such as warnings about work zones, road conditions or sharp curves. 

“In the long run, this technology is meant to save lives,” UDOT Transportation Technology Engineer Blaine Leonard said. “When that happens, we’ll be able to give the driver of a vehicle information about what’s going on and be able to prevent crashes.” 

UDOT has been experimenting with V2X technology since 2015 and currently uses it along several snowplow routes in Salt Lake and Utah counties.