Skip to main content

UDOT launches variable speed limit system

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has installed a new US$750,000 electronic sign system on Interstate 80 in Parleys Canyon that will allow engineers to adjust the speed limit during storms or icy weather. Eight electronic signs are in eastbound lanes, and seven in westbound lanes. Data from road sensors shows the road condition, along with the canyon’s temperature and humidity and traffic speed, while cameras will show visibility, enabling traffic engineers to remotely adjust the speed limit s
January 8, 2014 Read time: 1 min
The 1904 Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has installed a new US$750,000 electronic sign system on Interstate 80 in Parleys Canyon that will allow engineers to adjust the speed limit during storms or icy weather. Eight electronic signs are in eastbound lanes, and seven in westbound lanes.

Data from road sensors shows the road condition, along with the canyon’s temperature and humidity and traffic speed, while cameras will show visibility, enabling traffic engineers to remotely adjust the speed limit signs and send alerts to the Utah Highway Patrol.

"Its whole aim is to improve safety and the consistency of flow in Parleys Canyon during weather events," said Robert Miles, UDOT Region 2 East District engineer. "We’re excited about it. We think we can really affect the safety and capacity of the roadway."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Xerox signs five-year deal to manage TxDOT toll roads
    September 27, 2013
    Transportation technology provider Xerox has signed a contract worth around US$100 million with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to provide customer service and toll operations to the state over the next five years. Xerox will establish a new customer service operation in Austin, Texas to process a growing base of more than eight million monthly toll transactions while managing over 750,000 accounts. Customer service centre operations include transaction processing, license plate image rev
  • World Congress rewards outstanding ITS
    September 9, 2014
    Tradition dictates that the ITS World Congress is the setting for a variety of award presentations, and 2014 is no exception. During the glittering 2014 ITS World Congress opening ceremony the first of a series of awards was presented with São Paulo’s Municipal Department of Transport receiving the MobiPrize Enterprising City/State Award.
  • Vaisala: Weather data is vital for connected vehicles
    August 26, 2016
    Vaisala’s Dr Kevin Petty explains why the weather will continue to play a big part in road safety and traffic management in the smart cities of the future. The world is becoming increasingly connected. Thanks to advances in information and communications technology, the cities we live in are becoming ‘smart’, with everything from education to law enforcement managed by integrated tech solutions in a bid to improve quality of life.
  • Proposed system to take guesswork out of choosing a freeway lane
    March 17, 2014
    A fledgling advanced lane management assist system can take the guesswork out of selecting the right lane on a congested freeway, as its inventor Robert Gordon explains. As drivers we’ve all done it and control room staff see it all the time – motorists on congested freeways switching into what they perceive is a faster lane, only to come to a halt a few moments later and watch vehicles in the other lanes continue to move past. Now, by re-analysing readily available data in an advanced lane management as