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

  • October 26, 2017
    Section speed enforcements gains global converts
    As the benefits of section speed enforcement are becoming clearer, the technology is gaining converts worldwide. Colin Sowman reports. America’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for urgent action from both road authorities and the federal government to combat speeding which has been identified as one of the most common factors in motor vehicle crashes in the United States. This new call follows the publication of a safety study which found that between 2005 through 2014, 31% of all
  • September 10, 2024
    IBTTA announces Toll Excellence & DEI Awards winners
    Projects range from congestion relief programmes to enhancing community engagement
  • October 14, 2016
    US announces nearly US$65 million in grants for transportation projects
    The grants are being awarded through two US Department of Transportation (US DOT) initiatives aimed at promoting the use of advanced technologies in transportation: the Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) program run by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox program overseen by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The US$56.6 million ATCMTD program’s grants are designed to help communities use technology to en
  • January 30, 2015
    Foxx pushes Congress to pass transportation funding
    US transportation secretary Anthony Foxx has called for lawmakers to pass a multi-year infrastructure funding bill, saying the cycle of temporary extensions is killing states' willingness for road and transit projects. It has been ten years since Congress last passed a transportation funding bill of longer than two years. "Last year we sent Congress a comprehensive multiyear proposal, the Grow America Act, which included 350 pages of precise policy prescriptions and substantial funding growth, all foc