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Spotlight on Rural ITS Deployments

Tractor trailer driving on rural road — Source: USDOT

Rural communities play a vital role in the nation’s transportation system by supporting key industries, connecting travelers to opportunities, and enabling the movement of goods across the country. However, these areas often face persistent challenges, including limited infrastructure, longer emergency response times, and a disproportionately high rate of traffic fatalities.

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) can help improve safety, mobility, and access in rural areas through technologies that enhance situational awareness, optimize traffic flow, and support faster incident response.

To support these efforts, U.S. DOT offers a range of initiatives and resources, including the Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES), National Center for Rural Road Safety, Rural Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Toolkit, and ITS4US Deployment Program.

Explore the resources below to learn more about the benefits, costs, and lessons learned from rural ITS deployments.

Thumbnail of the first page of the 2024 Executive Briefing on ITS and Rural Communities

ITS and Rural Communities

PDF

Executive Briefing

Commercial Vehicle Operations, Maintenance and Construction, Public Safety, Public Transportation, Traveler Information, Vehicle Safety, Weather, Traffic Management

Cover page of the 2020 Rural Transit Survey Executive Briefing, with images of a white cargo van and a bus traveling on a rural road.

Rural Transit Survey

PDF

Executive Briefing

Public Transportation

Cover page of the 2020 Rural Road Weather Management Systems Executive Briefing, with images of vehicles driving in inclement weather.

Rural Road Weather Management Systems

PDF

Executive Briefing

Weather

Cover page of the 2019 Rural Transportation Safety Executive Briefing, with an image of an empty two-lane road in a rural environment surrounded by plains with mountains in the distance.

Rural Transportation Safety

PDF

Executive Briefing

Vehicle Safety, Weather

Cover page of the 2018 Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program: Wyoming fact sheet, with images of an Interstate 80 road sign and heavy duty trucks.

Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program: Wyoming

PDF

Executive Briefing

Commercial Vehicle Operations, Vehicle Safety, Weather

Thumbnail of the first page of the Piloting Connected Vehicle Technology on Interstate 80 in Wyoming Case Study

Piloting Connected Vehicle Technology on Interstate 80 in Wyoming

PDF

Case Study

Commercial Vehicle Operations, Vehicle Safety, Weather

Infographic depicting examples of ITS for low visibility conditions, including a fog detection and warning system in West Virginia, connected vehicle (CV) control and variable speed limit (VSL) technology in Florida, and human machine interface (HMI) technology in Wyoming.

ITS and Extreme Weather Events: Low Visibility

PDF

Infographic

Commercial Vehicle Operations, Maintenance and Construction, Weather, Traffic Management

Infographic depicting examples of ITS for extreme snow and ice events, including variable speed limit (VSL) technology in Ohio, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) snowplow technology in Utah, integrating mobile observations (IMO) in Iowa, and data crowdsourcing in Utah.

ITS and Extreme Weather Events: Snow and Ice

PDF

Infographic

Maintenance and Construction, Weather, Traffic Management

Infographic depicting examples of ITS for extreme flooding events, including a road weather information system (RWIS) in Montana, a wet pavement detection system (WPDS) in North Carolina, and emergency communications for evacuation (EVAC) in Louisiana.

ITS and Extreme Weather Events: Flooding

PDF

Infographic

Maintenance and Construction, Public Safety, Weather

This infographic highlights key findings from the 2019 Small Urban and Rural Transit Survey.

Insights from the 2019 Small Urban and Rural Transit Survey (RTS)

Infographic

Public Transportation

Snapshot depicting examples of the benefits and costs from rural ITS deployments, including rural pedestrian crossings in Vermont, a curve speed warning system in Minnesota, a driveway assistance device in Ohio, an animal detection system in Idaho, and an automated bridge deck warning system in Michigan.

Rural ITS Deployments

PDF

Snapshot

Maintenance and Construction, Traveler Information, Vehicle Safety, Weather, Traffic Management

Implementation of Connected Vehicle Technologies in Connecticut Revealed Benefits with a 90 Percent Reduction in Collision Risk Due to a Cloud-Based Digital Alert System Protecting Roadside Workers.

Vehicle Emergency Response (PS05), Connected Vehicle Traffic Signal System (TM04), In-Vehicle Signage (TI07), Autonomous Vehicle Safety Systems (VS01), V2V Special Vehicle Alert (VS04), Reduced Speed Zone Warning / Lane Closure (VS09), Infrastructure Enhanced Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (VS15)

Simulation of Connected Vehicle Trajectory-based Adaptive Control Algorithm in Michigan Estimated An Up to 16.3 Percent Reduction in Total Delay, Compared to Traditional Actuated Signal Control.

Connected Vehicle Traffic Signal System (TM04)

Automated Bridge Deck Warning System in Michigan Reduced Icy, Snow, and Slushy Crashes by 35 Percent.

Spot Weather Impact Warning (WX03)

Signal Priority Tested on Connected School Buses in Fulton County Resulted in a 40.4 Percent Decrease in Number of Stops and 13.3 Percent Reduction in Travel Time.

Transit Signal Priority (PT09)

Missouri Study Indicated That the Leader-Follower Truck Mounted Attenuator (TMA) System Effectively Managed Gap Distance, with an Average Gap Distance Difference between Actual and Desired Being -3.21 Feet for Mobile Work Zones in Kansas City.

Work Zone Management (MC06)

Use of Driveway Assistance Devices in Signalized Work Zones in Ohio Reduced Driveway Waiting Time by 46 Percent and Reduced Vehicle Speeds by 28 Percent Compared to Temporary Traffic Signals.

Work Zone Management (MC06), Traffic Signal Control (TM03)

Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) Installed at Rural Crosswalks in Vermont Led to an Increase in Driver Yield Rates of Up to 43 Percent.

Vulnerable Road User Safety (VS12)

Simulation Study Implementing Transit Signal Priority on a Major Transit Corridor with Two Transit Lines on a Bus Only Lane in San Francisco Reduced Total Travel Time up to Nine Percent and Control Delay by 20 Percent.

Transit Signal Priority (PT09)

Field Study Shows Routes of Connected Snowplows Had a Larger Reduction in Roadway Crash Rates (up to 3.87) than their Non-Equipped Counterparts (1.82).

Weather Data Collection (WX01)

Indiana DOT's 26 Month Pilot Study Shows That Deployment of Queue Warning Trucks Ahead of Interstate Work Zones to Alert Motorists of Queued Traffic Reduced Hard Braking Events by 80 Percent.

Queue Warning (VS08)

Traffic Optimization for Signalized Corridor (TOSCo) Applications Can Reduce Vehicle Stop Delays by Approximately 50 Percent in Large Metropolitan Areas Where V2I and V2V Technology Market Penetration Increases.

Traffic Signal Control (TM03)

The Wyoming CV Pilot Found that Over 50 Percent of Drivers Given a Work Zone or Winter Weather Alert Reduced their Speed.

Road Weather Information for Freight Carriers (CVO10), V2V Basic Safety (VS02), Situational Awareness (VS03), Road Weather Motorist Alert and Warning (VS07), Reduced Speed Zone Warning / Lane Closure (VS09), Spot Weather Impact Warning (WX03)

Transit Signal Priority (TSP) Communications Logged Between Buses and Signal Controllers Improved Planning for Signal Retiming Efforts at 30 Signalized Intersections in Salt Lake County, Utah Which Improved Bus Run-Time Reliability Up to 2.7 Percent.

Transit Signal Priority (PT09), Connected Vehicle Traffic Signal System (TM04)

Seventy-One Percent of Pedestrians with Vision Disabilities Were More Confident in Crossing Signalized Intersections with New York City’s PED-SIG Application Than with Other Technologies.

Vulnerable Road User Safety (VS12)

A Simulation Study Estimates That Communications between Vehicles and Vulnerable Road Users Could Potentially Reduce 97 Percent of Crashes Where Vehicles Are Turning into the Path of a Pedestrian or Bicyclist.

Autonomous Vehicle Safety Systems (VS01), Vulnerable Road User Safety (VS12)

Connected Vehicle Technology Implementation in Columbus Increased Compliance of Posted School Zone Speed Limits From 18 Percent to 56 Percent.

V2V Basic Safety (VS02)

In Driving Simulator Study, Forward Collision and Pedestrian-to-Vehicle Warnings Reduced Crash Rates by 56 to 97 Percent in Unpredictable Pedestrian or Distraction Cases.

Autonomous Vehicle Safety Systems (VS01), V2V Basic Safety (VS02), Transit Pedestrian Indication (PT11), Dynamic Roadway Warning (TM12), Vulnerable Road User Safety (VS12)

Speed Warning System Tested in Minnesota Reduces Vehicle Speed by up to 10 Percent on Curved Road Segments.

In-Vehicle Signage (TI07), Curve Speed Warning (VS05)

Connected Vehicle Applications Focused on Signalized Intersection Safety Have Estimated Median Benefit-Cost Ratio of 3.38.

Traffic Signal Control (TM03), Connected Vehicle Traffic Signal System (TM04), V2V Basic Safety (VS02), Intersection Safety Warning and Collision Avoidance (VS13), Transit Signal Priority (PT09)

Tampa Connected Vehicle Pilot Showed a Nine Percent Decrease in Rate of Forward Collision Conflicts and a Nearly 30 Percent Reduction in Travel Times.

Transit Pedestrian Indication (PT11), Dynamic Roadway Warning (TM12), Autonomous Vehicle Safety Systems (VS01), Vulnerable Road User Safety (VS12)

Radar-Based Animal Detection System on U.S. Highway-95 Reduced Traffic Speeds by 0.7 to 4.4 Miles per Hour.

In-Vehicle Signage (TI07), Dynamic Roadway Warning (TM12), Situational Awareness (VS03)

Smartphone-Based School Zone Alert Application Lowered Probability of Speeding in All Four Tested Locations.

Transit Pedestrian Indication (PT11), Dynamic Roadway Warning (TM12), Vulnerable Road User Safety (VS12)

Thumbnail of the first page of the 2024 Executive Briefing on ITS and Rural Communities

ITS and Rural Communities

PDF

Executive Briefing

Commercial Vehicle Operations, Maintenance and Construction, Public Safety, Public Transportation, Traveler Information, Vehicle Safety, Weather, Traffic Management

Cover page of the 2020 Rural Transit Survey Executive Briefing, with images of a white cargo van and a bus traveling on a rural road.

Rural Transit Survey

PDF

Executive Briefing

Public Transportation

Cover page of the 2020 Rural Road Weather Management Systems Executive Briefing, with images of vehicles driving in inclement weather.

Rural Road Weather Management Systems

PDF

Executive Briefing

Weather

Cover page of the 2019 Rural Transportation Safety Executive Briefing, with an image of an empty two-lane road in a rural environment surrounded by plains with mountains in the distance.

Rural Transportation Safety

PDF

Executive Briefing

Vehicle Safety, Weather

Cover page of the 2018 Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program: Wyoming fact sheet, with images of an Interstate 80 road sign and heavy duty trucks.

Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program: Wyoming

PDF

Executive Briefing

Commercial Vehicle Operations, Vehicle Safety, Weather

Infographic depicting examples of ITS for low visibility conditions, including a fog detection and warning system in West Virginia, connected vehicle (CV) control and variable speed limit (VSL) technology in Florida, and human machine interface (HMI) technology in Wyoming.

ITS and Extreme Weather Events: Low Visibility

PDF

Infographic

Commercial Vehicle Operations, Maintenance and Construction, Weather, Traffic Management

Infographic depicting examples of ITS for extreme snow and ice events, including variable speed limit (VSL) technology in Ohio, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) snowplow technology in Utah, integrating mobile observations (IMO) in Iowa, and data crowdsourcing in Utah.

ITS and Extreme Weather Events: Snow and Ice

PDF

Infographic

Maintenance and Construction, Weather, Traffic Management

Infographic depicting examples of ITS for extreme flooding events, including a road weather information system (RWIS) in Montana, a wet pavement detection system (WPDS) in North Carolina, and emergency communications for evacuation (EVAC) in Louisiana.

ITS and Extreme Weather Events: Flooding

PDF

Infographic

Maintenance and Construction, Public Safety, Weather

This infographic highlights key findings from the 2019 Small Urban and Rural Transit Survey.

Insights from the 2019 Small Urban and Rural Transit Survey (RTS)

Infographic

Public Transportation

Thumbnail of the first page of the Piloting Connected Vehicle Technology on Interstate 80 in Wyoming Case Study

Piloting Connected Vehicle Technology on Interstate 80 in Wyoming

PDF

Case Study

Commercial Vehicle Operations, Vehicle Safety, Weather

Snapshot depicting examples of the benefits and costs from rural ITS deployments, including rural pedestrian crossings in Vermont, a curve speed warning system in Minnesota, a driveway assistance device in Ohio, an animal detection system in Idaho, and an automated bridge deck warning system in Michigan.

Rural ITS Deployments

PDF

Snapshot

Maintenance and Construction, Traveler Information, Vehicle Safety, Weather, Traffic Management

Implementation of Connected Vehicle Technologies in Connecticut Revealed Benefits with a 90 Percent Reduction in Collision Risk Due to a Cloud-Based Digital Alert System Protecting Roadside Workers.

Vehicle Emergency Response (PS05), Connected Vehicle Traffic Signal System (TM04), In-Vehicle Signage (TI07), Autonomous Vehicle Safety Systems (VS01), V2V Special Vehicle Alert (VS04), Reduced Speed Zone Warning / Lane Closure (VS09), Infrastructure Enhanced Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (VS15)

Simulation of Connected Vehicle Trajectory-based Adaptive Control Algorithm in Michigan Estimated An Up to 16.3 Percent Reduction in Total Delay, Compared to Traditional Actuated Signal Control.

Connected Vehicle Traffic Signal System (TM04)

Automated Bridge Deck Warning System in Michigan Reduced Icy, Snow, and Slushy Crashes by 35 Percent.

Spot Weather Impact Warning (WX03)

Signal Priority Tested on Connected School Buses in Fulton County Resulted in a 40.4 Percent Decrease in Number of Stops and 13.3 Percent Reduction in Travel Time.

Transit Signal Priority (PT09)

Missouri Study Indicated That the Leader-Follower Truck Mounted Attenuator (TMA) System Effectively Managed Gap Distance, with an Average Gap Distance Difference between Actual and Desired Being -3.21 Feet for Mobile Work Zones in Kansas City.

Work Zone Management (MC06)

Use of Driveway Assistance Devices in Signalized Work Zones in Ohio Reduced Driveway Waiting Time by 46 Percent and Reduced Vehicle Speeds by 28 Percent Compared to Temporary Traffic Signals.

Work Zone Management (MC06), Traffic Signal Control (TM03)

Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) Installed at Rural Crosswalks in Vermont Led to an Increase in Driver Yield Rates of Up to 43 Percent.

Vulnerable Road User Safety (VS12)

Simulation Study Implementing Transit Signal Priority on a Major Transit Corridor with Two Transit Lines on a Bus Only Lane in San Francisco Reduced Total Travel Time up to Nine Percent and Control Delay by 20 Percent.

Transit Signal Priority (PT09)

Field Study Shows Routes of Connected Snowplows Had a Larger Reduction in Roadway Crash Rates (up to 3.87) than their Non-Equipped Counterparts (1.82).

Weather Data Collection (WX01)

Indiana DOT's 26 Month Pilot Study Shows That Deployment of Queue Warning Trucks Ahead of Interstate Work Zones to Alert Motorists of Queued Traffic Reduced Hard Braking Events by 80 Percent.

Queue Warning (VS08)

Traffic Optimization for Signalized Corridor (TOSCo) Applications Can Reduce Vehicle Stop Delays by Approximately 50 Percent in Large Metropolitan Areas Where V2I and V2V Technology Market Penetration Increases.

Traffic Signal Control (TM03)

The Wyoming CV Pilot Found that Over 50 Percent of Drivers Given a Work Zone or Winter Weather Alert Reduced their Speed.

Road Weather Information for Freight Carriers (CVO10), V2V Basic Safety (VS02), Situational Awareness (VS03), Road Weather Motorist Alert and Warning (VS07), Reduced Speed Zone Warning / Lane Closure (VS09), Spot Weather Impact Warning (WX03)

Transit Signal Priority (TSP) Communications Logged Between Buses and Signal Controllers Improved Planning for Signal Retiming Efforts at 30 Signalized Intersections in Salt Lake County, Utah Which Improved Bus Run-Time Reliability Up to 2.7 Percent.

Transit Signal Priority (PT09), Connected Vehicle Traffic Signal System (TM04)

Seventy-One Percent of Pedestrians with Vision Disabilities Were More Confident in Crossing Signalized Intersections with New York City’s PED-SIG Application Than with Other Technologies.

Vulnerable Road User Safety (VS12)

A Simulation Study Estimates That Communications between Vehicles and Vulnerable Road Users Could Potentially Reduce 97 Percent of Crashes Where Vehicles Are Turning into the Path of a Pedestrian or Bicyclist.

Autonomous Vehicle Safety Systems (VS01), Vulnerable Road User Safety (VS12)

Connected Vehicle Technology Implementation in Columbus Increased Compliance of Posted School Zone Speed Limits From 18 Percent to 56 Percent.

V2V Basic Safety (VS02)

In Driving Simulator Study, Forward Collision and Pedestrian-to-Vehicle Warnings Reduced Crash Rates by 56 to 97 Percent in Unpredictable Pedestrian or Distraction Cases.

Autonomous Vehicle Safety Systems (VS01), V2V Basic Safety (VS02), Transit Pedestrian Indication (PT11), Dynamic Roadway Warning (TM12), Vulnerable Road User Safety (VS12)

Speed Warning System Tested in Minnesota Reduces Vehicle Speed by up to 10 Percent on Curved Road Segments.

In-Vehicle Signage (TI07), Curve Speed Warning (VS05)

Connected Vehicle Applications Focused on Signalized Intersection Safety Have Estimated Median Benefit-Cost Ratio of 3.38.

Traffic Signal Control (TM03), Connected Vehicle Traffic Signal System (TM04), V2V Basic Safety (VS02), Intersection Safety Warning and Collision Avoidance (VS13), Transit Signal Priority (PT09)

Tampa Connected Vehicle Pilot Showed a Nine Percent Decrease in Rate of Forward Collision Conflicts and a Nearly 30 Percent Reduction in Travel Times.

Transit Pedestrian Indication (PT11), Dynamic Roadway Warning (TM12), Autonomous Vehicle Safety Systems (VS01), Vulnerable Road User Safety (VS12)

Radar-Based Animal Detection System on U.S. Highway-95 Reduced Traffic Speeds by 0.7 to 4.4 Miles per Hour.

In-Vehicle Signage (TI07), Dynamic Roadway Warning (TM12), Situational Awareness (VS03)

Smartphone-Based School Zone Alert Application Lowered Probability of Speeding in All Four Tested Locations.

Transit Pedestrian Indication (PT11), Dynamic Roadway Warning (TM12), Vulnerable Road User Safety (VS12)