Smart 70

Project completed

 

The Smart 70 project will establish one of the first connected vehicle environments in the United States, setting Colorado up to have the safest, most connected and reliable transportation system in the nation.



The Project

Part of CDOT’s RoadX program, the Smart 70 project will create a connected vehicle environment along the I-70 Mountain Corridor that will take human-driven cars and connect them with the most real-time data possible to allow drivers to make better decisions when traveling through the mountains. The Smart 70 project will be implemented in phases as technologies evolve that can communicate the ever-growing amount of data available to inform drivers, vehicles and eventually self-driving vehicles.

 The benefits of a connected vehicle environment include:

• Enabling more reliable trips and travel times
• Enhancing safety and mobility and helping prevent crashes
• Reducing stop-and-go traffic
• Allowing roadways to move more traffic, more efficiently

The amount of data about road conditions, crashes, weather, etc. available to drivers continues to grow. The goal of the Smart 70 project is to determine the best way to communicate this information, safely and reliably, initially to drivers, and eventually to self-driving vehicles. 


Where Do we Begin?

Imagine how your commute on I-70 could be improved if:

  • When tires slip on the road, an “icy roads” alert is immediately sent out to CDOT and vehicles traveling along the corridor — allowing CDOT to deploy plows and resolve the problem quickly.
  • You’re driving back from Vail to Denver, and a snowstorm hits the Eisenhower Tunnel. You’re alerted before you reach Silverthorne and can pull off for dinner rather than be stuck on the hill.
  • A multi-vehicle crash occurs. You get alerted to which, if any, lanes are closed, how many vehicles are involved, and where the traffic back-up begins. You receive continuous real-time updates as CDOT works to clear the highway.
  • You’re approaching Vail Pass and there’s extremely low visibility ahead. You receive a targeted alert with that info, as well as the recommended speed for the conditions of the next few miles of your drive.

Phase 1 of the SMART 70 project will establish the initial communication linkages for a connected vehicle environment by using an existing technology familiar to most drivers – a smartphone navigation app with text-to-voice alerts about road conditions. During this phase, CDOT will test how accurately and quickly information can be transferred using cellular networks.

CDOT has partnered with an international mapping firm, HERE, to establish rapid, accurate, real-time communication links, initially between other vehicles, CDOT systems and cellular phones within each vehicle. Building on this initial system, future phases will add more sources of information from CDOT, other vehicles, roadway sensors, etc. and additional options for communicating that information. The ultimate goal of this project is to establish a communication system that is accurate enough and fast enough to be used by self-driving cars.

A free pilot version of the app will initially be available for Android devices. After testing of the pilot app is complete, it will be expanded to other types of smartphones and anyone will be able to download and use the app for free.

To learn more about the Smart 70 app by reading our FAQ, or by watching this video:

Connected Vehicle Technology

The Smart 70 project explores the potential of connected vehicle technology to transform and improve mobility and reliability on the I-70 Mountain Corridor, without the need of widening the highway.

Connected vehicles can transform the way Coloradans travel by creating a safe, interoperable wireless network that allows vehicles to send and receive information from other vehicles, smartphones and road infrastructure (e.g., traffic signals, roadway sensors). A connected vehicle sends and receives important information about road conditions, delays and accidents by automatically communicating information such as the vehicle’s speed and direction. By providing real-time information, connected vehicles can prevent crashes before they happen. Eventually, connected vehicle networks will:

  • Help prevent crashes
  • Enhance safety, mobility and the overall transit environment
  • Provide ongoing, real-time information on road conditions and incidents
  • Enable more reliable trips and transit times
  • Allow roadways to move more traffic, more efficiently, without expanding

Colorado will no longer be a collection of individual roads and unanticipated events. Instead, imagine an integrated, smart transportation system.

Learn more about connected vehicle technology.

If you have questions about the Smart 70 project, please email us at [email protected]