Skip to main content

Atkins to aid transformation of Colorado’s transportation system

UK-based design, engineering and project management consultancy Atkins is to assist the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) in transforming the state’s aging transportation system into one of the safest and most reliable in the US. CDOT has selected the company to provide program support for the RoadX Program, its commitment to rapid and aggressive implementation of innovative technology to revolutionise the state’s transportation system within the next ten years. CDOT is investing US$20 m
June 27, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
UK-based design, engineering and project management consultancy 1677 Atkins is to assist the 5701 Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) in transforming the state’s aging transportation system into one of the safest and most reliable in the US.

CDOT has selected the company to provide program support for the RoadX Program, its commitment to rapid and aggressive implementation of innovative technology to revolutionise the state’s transportation system within the next ten years.  
 
CDOT is investing US$20 million in the next year to combat congestion and improve safety through the use of technology. During the three-year contract period, Atkins and two other consulting firms will be advisors for all RoadX program activities, serving as an extension of staff and helping to move projects from conception through procurement to construction.

Colorado currently ranks 32nd out of 50 states in the quality of its roads, while the metro areas in Denver and Colorado Springs are some of the most congested cities in the country. Metro Denver ranks as 19th worst in congestion and 16th worst in trip reliability; congestion in Denver/Aurora costs US$1,101 per commuter per year.

The state’s population grew by 50 per cent in the last 20 years and is predicted to grow by another 50 per cent in the next 20 years. In 2014, 488 people died in traffic related crashes using Colorado’s transportation system and another 3,219 were seriously injured; in that year, the cost of all crashes in Colorado was US$13.27 billion, or approximately US$2,500 per person.

The RoadX program aims to tackle these issues, employing a multipronged DO-IT (deployment, operations, innovation, technology) approach with the objective of being the most efficient, agile and flexible system for delivering transportation technology. From 2016 to 2018, the program is slated to deploy technology that will reduce the cost of transporting goods by 25 per cent, turn a rural state highway into a zero death road and improve congestion on Colorado’s critical corridors.
UTC

Related Content

  • June 4, 2015
    IAM calls on government to increase targeted enforcement
    The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is urging the new government to increase its efforts in promoting road safety by giving targeted enforcement a higher priority. With the yet-to-be-revealed figures for 2014 shaping up to show an increase in deaths and injuries on UK roads, the IAM believes the new government must make road traffic policing a core priority function for police forces and commissioners in England and Wales. The call comes following a survey conducted by the IAM throughout April 2
  • August 19, 2022
    Safety first in the Big Apple
    For a variety of reasons, seniors are particularly vulnerable to traffic violence – but better road design can help. Adam Hill examines New York City’s new plan to keep older people from becoming collision statistics
  • September 7, 2021
    How ITS weathers the storm on I-80
    Weather-related closures on Wyoming’s I-80 can cost as much as $11.7m each. But a new initiative is harnessing V2X technology to prevent snow shutting things down
  • June 5, 2013
    Colorado statewide transit integration plan gets rolling
    Hoping to lay the groundwork for a future integrated system across the state, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) officials launched its first comprehensive transit plan that will attempt to create a complete picture of existing local systems, future needs and gaps in service. With no funding available to create a complete statewide transit system, transportation leaders are instead working towards integration among the existing local and regional systems, possibly with a CDOT-managed connector ope