Posted originally: University of Wyoming News / February 23, 2016
Last April, a stretch of Interstate 80 between Cheyenne and Rawlins was the scene of two major pile-up crashes that involved 135 vehicles, resulted in two fatalities, and had an economic impact of roughly $23 million.
The state’s critical economic transportation corridor — sections of which are often subject to bad weather and numerous closings during the state’s long, harsh winters — will soon receive assistance, in part, from the University of Wyoming, which is participating in a portion of a pilot project funded by a U.S. Department of Transportation grant.
UW — in concert with the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) and ICF International, the pilot project’s prime consultant — is part of a Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program. The pilot program, in its first phase, is intended to reduce the number and severity of adverse weather-related incidents with a focus on the needs of commercial vehicle operators in Wyoming. Sub-consultants include Trihydro Corp., an environmental consulting firm based in Laramie; the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR); University of Maryland Catt Laboratory; and McFarland Management LLC.
In addition to Wyoming, New York City and the Tampa Hillsborough Express Authority will benefit from a $42 million U.S. DOT grant. Wyoming will receive approximately $5 million of that amount, says Vince Garcia, WYDOT’s geographic information systems/intelligent transportation system program manager.
“We’re trying to improve safety and mobility” along I-80, Garcia says. “We’ll be focusing on fewer and less severe crashes, fewer fatalities and a reduced number and duration of road closures.”