Colorado believes autonomous vehicles technology can save lives Posted on : Dec 01 - 2018

Edge computing, take the wheel. The Colorado Department of Transportation is deploying roadside network devices to support connected and autonomous vehicles technology.

When autonomous vehicles hit the blacktop, the Colorado Department of Transportation intends to be ready. In late 2017, CDOT recruited Bob Fifer -- a 25-year IT and network engineering veteran -- to help drive the transformation of the state's transportation system into a next-generation information system.

"What appealed to me was an opportunity to shape our future," said Fifer, who previously held network engineering, network operations and disaster recovery roles in the private sector. "Colorado is trailblazing in this area, because we genuinely believe that technology can save lives."

The stakes are high. According to national estimates, more than nine in 10 car crashes in the United States happen because of human error. In Colorado, first responders see an average of two traffic-related deaths per day.

"We believe we can bring that number down to zero," Fifer said.

As a two-term city council member in the Denver suburb of Arvada and vice chair of the Denver Regional Council of City Governments, Fifer has long argued that technology can radically improve local and state infrastructure. At a conference, a CDOT official heard Fifer describing his vision for connected, intelligent roadways -- what he refers to broadly as highway automation -- and offered him a job.

"I negotiated my pay cut and jumped on over," Fifer said.  He now serves as manager of infrastructure and business development in CDOT's transportation systems and technology branch, which he described as the department's "mini-telecommunications arm."

Fifer's team plans, builds, operates and maintains network infrastructure throughout the state, ranging from fiber optic cabling and network gear to intelligent transportation system devices -- such as analytical roadside cameras, smart traffic signals and highway message boards.

"The devices we're deploying on fiber now will all support connected, autonomous vehicles technology," he said. View More