There might not have been a lot of snow in the valley this winter but that doesn’t mean the snowplows aren’t out on the roads, trying to make them safer for Utah drivers. They’re out treating the roads whether it’s snowing or not and in freezing temperatures with a little bit of rain, plows are out at night putting out brine or salt.  

To make things easier for snowplow drivers the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) announced the expansion of its vehicle-to-everything (V2X) smart technology across northern Utah. The technology will equip 259 snowplows and nearly 1,275 signalize intersections on essential winter routes, according to UDOT. 

Using V2X technology, snowplows get a green light at equipped intersections. This reduces wait time at intersections and helps keep them moving without delays during storms which in turn improves efficiency during winter storms.

Roadside units installed by UDOT at signalized intersections communicate with onboard units installed in snowplows, a UDOT release said. The unit enables signal preemption as well as other safety features.

“Our snowplow drivers have a really brutal job,” said Blaine Leonard, UDOT transportation technology engineer. “They're out in some of the worst conditions with a very heavy vehicle on the road trying to clear snow and ice off the road. Anything we can do to help them make their job a little easier, makes it safer for you and I on the roads.”

Signal preemption allows the snowplow when it's approaching a signalized intersection to ask it to turn green so the plow can keep moving, he said. “That gets the plow’s job done

sooner, gets the snow and ice off the road sooner and makes it safer.”

Snowplows have to navigate these complex intersections where there is traffic going with them, going opposed to them, and crossing them, said Leonard. “We’ve been equipping snowplows with what we call V2X technology, vehicle to everything communication, that allows the plow to wirelessly communicate with our traffic signals.”

 UDOT has been doing that for about six years, he said. “By this spring, we will have 100% of UDOT’s plows along the Wasatch Front equipped with this technology. At the same time, we need to equip the signalized intersections so the plow can talk to them. And by this summer, we'll have nearly every UDOT-owned traffic signal in northern Utah equipped with the technology as well. So the plows will be able to talk to the intersections as they approach them.”

 Snowplows are equipped with a wireless V2X radio system that allows it to communicate with UDOT traffic signals, Leonard said. “We've also equipped our traffic signals with a wireless radio system that can send and receive messages with vehicles.”

So as the snowplow approaches a signalized intersection and is actually plowing snow, the computer on board the snowplow allows it to send a message wirelessly to the traffic signal controller through the radio that’s mounted there, he said. “And the traffic signal controller can look at the sequence of red and green lights at that intersection and as soon as possible turn that light green so the snowplow can move through the intersection.”

“Starting and stopping is a big deal,” said UDOT snowplow driver Cody Alsop. “So being able to get where we need to go and stay moving keeps everybody else moving.”

One of the biggest things is if there is a good snowstorm, whether it's wet snow or dry snow, Alsop said they’re pushing a lot of weight. “And the weight is the hardest part, especially with trucks like these and our snowplows, you know, we're pushing 80,000 pounds plus a couple hundred pounds of snow. So when it comes time to stop, especially abruptly, it makes it really hard.”

So the bottom line of this connected vehicle or V2X technology is safety, said Leonard. “We're working with the snowplow operators to make their job and our roads safer. We're working with fire engines to make their travel faster and safer and we're working in the long term to make sure that as you and I travel, this system will help us travel more safely.”

Leonard said they view V2X as a digital seatbelt. “Physical seatbelts keep us safe if we're in a crash. V2X is a digital system that will prevent the crash. So V2X is a digital seatbelt to make our travel safer.”