Decongesting Denver

The road to safer and more efficient ground transportation in the Mile High City is being paved, in part, via a romance between highway and light rail.

Cities and states around the country-not to mention the federal government-are experimenting with all manner of new technology and management practice to decongest stuffed-up highways. They include systems in which data from cameras and other sensors are processed in such a way that commuters can learn about a traffic tie-up to be avoided far up-route, or can enter a toll-way without stopping for a ticket. In some demonstrations, civil and automotive engineers have shown how vehicles and highways can engage in a two-way conversation about road conditions and other factors to improve situational awareness. In the furthest reaches of advanced technology, engineers have demonstrated how a properly equipped highway can even “drive” a car with no help from the person behind the wheel.

Such technologies generically constitute what is referred to as the “smart highway.”