On June 20, members of the Transportation Coordinating Committee heard progress updates on the Wasatch Front Regional Council’s comprehensive safety action plan and discussed using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology and a supplemental Safe Streets for All planning grant to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries.

The council previously adopted a resolution setting a goal of reducing fatalities and serious injuries by 2.5% compared with the prior three-year average. "You take the average of 2020, '21 and '22, reduce that 2.5 percent," said Kip Billings, who presented the plan and next steps. Billings said the plan will generate annual reports on progress and recommended planning work that leads to implementable projects.

Why it matters: The committee framed the work as a way to give local governments tools—planning, corridor assessments and grant-ready project scopes—to make pedestrian, bicyclist and driver safety improvements while leveraging federal funding streams.

Billings outlined near-term actions: applying for a Safe Streets for All supplemental planning grant of $200,000 with a 20% local match and conducting roadway safety assessments to identify sidewalk, pavement, signal timing and vegetation issues for targeted projects. "The grant we're looking for is $200,000. There is a local match of 20% required," Billings said.

Committee members also discussed technology investments. Officials noted a Federal Highway Administration announcement that included $60 million awarded to three states for safety technology; UDOT, UTA and Salt Lake City — working with Colorado DOT and Wyoming DOT — received $20 million to advance V2X connectivity. Wayne (staff member) described V2X as communications among vehicles, people and infrastructure that can alert drivers or automated systems to hazards outside line of sight. "A primary purpose of this technology is to save lives by providing information to drivers and vehicles regarding roadway conditions that are beyond their line of sight," he said.

Ben Hute of the Utah Department of Transportation said the announcement has generated strong local interest from agencies and manufacturers. "There's a lot of excitement...there's a lot of opportunity," he said, noting potential mobility and safety benefits for buses, snowplows and other fleet vehicles.

Billings and other staff said the V2X work would be coordinated with the Safe Streets planning grant application so that corridor-level planning could include elements that make projects competitive for implementation funding. The Safe Streets planning grant deadline cited in the presentation is Aug. 29.

Committee members asked how local governments would receive guidance; staff said WFRC, UDOT and USDOT would work to share technical information and grant opportunities with cities and counties. The presenters emphasized many local governments lack in‑house technical capacity to deploy such systems and that grant-funded planning could close that gap.

Ending: Staff said the safety plan remains available on the WFRC website and that the committee would receive follow-up reports as planning and grant work proceeds.