AASHTO Journal - Georgia DOT to Lead National Connected Vehicle Study

The Federal Highway Administration recently approved the Georgia Department of Transportation to lead a ‘Vehicle-to-Everything’ or V2X pooled fund study; a $3.2 million collaborative inter-state initiative aimed at helping shape the future of connected vehicle technologies in the transportation sector.

[Above image via Georgia DOT]

This study focuses on the high-priority research needs related to V2X – a wireless technology that enables vehicles to communicate with other cars – as well as real-world use cases to improve safety, traffic flow, and automated driving capabilities.

The study currently includes 20 U.S. state departments of transportation and Transport Canada, with additional state DOTs expected to join the initiative, Georgia DOT noted.

[Editor’s note: Russell McMurry – commissioner of the Georgia DOT and the 2025-2026 president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials – moderated a panel at the AASHTO 2025 Safety Summit and Peer Exchange in New Orleans discussing the successes and ongoing challenges of deploying V2X technologies and connected and automated vehicles or CAVs on roadways across the country.]

Alan Davis, director of Georgia DOT’s Division of Permits and Operations, will oversee the study and said in a statement that this research endeavor “will enable collaborative research to address the rapidly evolving needs of connected vehicle technologies across the nation.”

Georgia DOT has partnered with Georgia Southern University to support administration of the study, with Seungmo Kim – associate professor of electrical and computer engineering – appointed director of the V2X pooled fund study.

The agency noted that the Transportation Pooled Fund program – established in 1977 under Title 23 of the Code of Federal Regulations § 420.3 – allows FHWA, state DOTs, and other partners to combine financial resources and expertise to address shared transportation challenges.

By pooling funds and knowledge, participating agencies can achieve greater impact than through individual efforts, added Marissa Migliore, FHWA’s liaison for the study.

She also noted that this V2X research effort “brings together funding and expertise from state, local, and federal partners to accelerate infrastructure solutions for connected transportation; engaging directly with agency stakeholders is one of the most rewarding aspects of this work.”

The inaugural in-person meeting is scheduled for mid-May 2026 in Salt Lake City and will be hosted by the Utah Department of Transportation, she said.