Utah Expands Lidar-Powered Intersection Intelligence to 160 Sites

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has awarded Econolite a contract to deploy lidar-based traffic management technology from digital sensor company Ouster at 160 intersections across the state. This new agreement extends a 2025 partnership with Econolite that already covers more than 100 intersections, according to a Business Wire announcement.

UDOT's initiative is designed to enhance safety for vulnerable road users, including people walking, biking, using scooters, or relying on wheelchairs. Ouster's color lidar sensors can detect objects up to 500 feet away within a 360-degree field of view, enabling real-time adjustments to traffic signals. Econolite supplies the traffic control cabinets, signal controllers, and associated hardware and software, the company said.

“Lidar can generate real-time detection, classification and tracking of pedestrians and cyclists,” said Asad Lesani, Vice President of Global ITS Solutions at Ouster, in an interview with Smart Cities Dive.

UDOT manages over 1,300 traffic signals at freeway interchanges, along arterial roads, and at intersections on state routes. In 2024, the state recorded 883 crashes involving pedestrians, and 20% of pedestrian crashes over a six-year period resulted in fatal or serious outcomes, according to UDOT data. Additionally, nearly 600 bicyclists were involved in roadway collisions in 2024, and close to 150 people using skates, wheelchairs, scooters, or other devices were involved in traffic collisions in Utah.

One of the key issues UDOT aims to address is the timing of pedestrian walk signals and no-turn-on-red restrictions. Pedestrian walking speeds vary, and fixed-duration signals may not accommodate slower or faster individuals. With Ouster's system, the signal can clear sooner or remain active longer based on real-time pedestrian presence, Lesani explained. The technology can also lift no-turn-on-red restrictions when no pedestrians are detected approaching or crossing the intersection.

Lesani noted that Ouster has deployed its traffic management systems in over 700 communities. For instance, the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Center for Urban Informatics and Progress collaborated with Ouster to create a “smart corridor.” This 1.25-mile stretch through downtown Chattanooga, featuring 12 signalized intersections, was equipped with cameras, lidar sensors, and artificial intelligence for traffic management and road safety.

In another example, the Georgia Department of Transportation requested Ouster to add at least 30 installations at intersections near the downtown Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, preparing for World Cup matches scheduled for this summer.

Regarding the Utah project, Lesani said, “We're planning to deliver those products in Q4” of this year.