The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) applied for and was awarded a USDOT Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grant with a MaineDOT 50 percent match. The BUILD grant provides funding for modern advanced traffic signal technology and equipment to address pedestrian safety, vehicle operations, and multimodal mobility deficiencies that resulted in peak hour vehicular delays and queuing at 104 intersections in the state. This project aims to meet current Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Device (MUTCD) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards while reducing energy consumption, vehicular delays, crashes, fuel consumption, and vehicular emissions.
As the consultant team lead, VHB provides professional engineering services for a scope of work that enhances the ability of first responders to safely navigate through signalized intersections by using emergency pre-emption devices. It also improves traffic flow for commerce vehicles equipped to communicate with these traffic signal systems through Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) and provides additional infrastructure to support Autonomous and Connected Vehicles (CV) as these types of automobiles continue to come online. VHB also serves as a test bed for local trucking companies using connected vehicle technology to communicate with Maine traffic signals by decreasing response time for traffic signal maintenance.
