Smarter Intersections Pilot Project Implementation Report
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Summary
The Smarter Intersections Pilot Project, conducted by the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, addressed rising traffic fatalities and the need for improved safety for vulnerable road users. Motivated by a 10.5% increase in traffic fatalities between 2020 and 2021 and the specific dangers posed by turning buses to pedestrians and bicyclists, the project aimed to deploy smart infrastructure technology to enhance intersection safety and mobility. The initiative sought to demonstrate the functionality of connected vehicle technologies, including cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) roadside units (RSUs), intelligent sensors, and smart traffic signals, while improving accessibility for individuals with mobility and visual disabilities. The Stage 1 pilot was implemented over 18 months at five intersections in College Station, Texas, a high-traffic area due to the presence of Texas A&M University. The system utilized C-V2X RSUs at intersections communicating with onboard units (OBUs) installed on 49 university buses. When a bus approached a turning movement, the system triggered audible alerts and illuminated bus signs to warn pedestrians and bicyclists. Additionally, the project developed and tested a smartphone application for blind and low-vision (B/LV) users, which provided audible and tactile alerts via Bluetooth beacons connected to traffic signal controllers. The team also simulated communication protocols for automated shuttles and emergency vehicles. Performance was monitored from November 2024 to February 2025 using daily log files and visual monitoring. The evaluation found that the system performed as anticipated, achieving a 99% accuracy rate in detecting equipped buses and activating the corresponding visual and audible alerts. User feedback was overwhelmingly positive; 88% of pedestrians and bicyclists interviewed reported that the alerts made the intersections safer. Bus operators also provided favorable feedback on the alert mechanisms. The B/LV smartphone app functioned as designed and received positive reviews from both B/LV testers and typical-vision participants, who noted the utility of the vibration and audible cues. Successful simulations confirmed the system’s ability to communicate with automated shuttles and fire trucks. The project’s success has led to plans for a Stage 2 at-scale deployment in Corpus Christi, Texas, which aims to equip 12–15 intersections and 118 buses, with an estimated cost of $10–12 million. This expansion targets corridors with high pedestrian volumes and lower-income households lacking vehicle access. The pilot demonstrated that integrating connected vehicle technology with smart infrastructure can effectively reduce crash risks and improve accessibility. The findings support the broader integration of transportation facilities for pedestrians, bicyclists, and connected vehicles, offering a scalable model for enhancing safety and mobility in urban environments.
Key finding
The smart intersection system achieved a 99 percent accuracy rate in detecting buses and activating alerts, with 88 percent of surveyed pedestrians and bicyclists reporting that the alerts improved safety.
Methodology
field_study
Sample size: 49
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | rosap | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 19 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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- Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation