The Georgia Department of Transportation is leading a new national research effort to expand vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, building on its own connected vehicle deployments in metro Atlanta and along Interstate 85. The pooled fund study, known as V2XPFS, brings together 21 partners, including 18 state DOTs, the Federal Highway Administration and Transport Canada, who are collectively committing more than $3 million to develop best practices for connected vehicle systems nationwide.
The group will study how vehicles communicate wirelessly with traffic signals, roadside equipment and other vehicles to improve safety and traffic flow, with Georgia’s existing real-world pilots serving as a model for broader adoption.
The idea of pooling money to tackle transportation challenges is not new; it has been part of FHWA’s toolbox since 1977, when the Transportation Pooled Fund Program was first established. The program enables states and federal partners to combine funds and expertise to study shared problems more effectively. The pooled strategy brings the coordinated ideas to the forefront, while avoiding replication of pilot programs or under-investment due to limited funds, according to federal officials.
V2XPFS members are exploring how vehicles share information wirelessly with the world around them, seeking best practices for vehicles to communicate directly with other cars, people, traffic signals, roadside equipment and even smartphones. Instead of relying only on what a driver can see or what sensors on one vehicle detect, this system constantly listens and talks to nearby devices, so vehicles and infrastructure know about speed, location, road hazards, signal timing and more in real time. The goal is to improve safety, reduce crashes and make traffic flow more smoothly by giving drivers and fleet vehicles information they otherwise would not have.
The pooled fund group, established Jan. 1, meets monthly and will gather in person in Salt Lake City in May to discuss the research. As the study progresses, Georgia and its interstate partners hope that lessons from these live deployments will help shape how connected vehicle technology is adopted across the country, promising safer and smarter travel for drivers and fleets alike.
Photo by Joey Kyber from Pexels
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