Connected Work Zones & V2X

"Connected" work zones use wireless communication (V2X) to share information about the work zone with nearby vehicles and, increasingly, with connected and automated vehicles. This page explains the concept at a work-zone level and how it fits with the standards and the approved plan.

Last reviewed: June 24, 2026

What It Is

V2X — "vehicle-to-everything" — is wireless communication between a vehicle and its surroundings. In a work-zone context it covers V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle), V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure), and V2P (vehicle-to-pedestrian).

On the infrastructure side, a roadside unit (RSU) can broadcast information near the work zone; on the vehicle side, an onboard unit (OBU) receives it. Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) may use this information to inform the driver or the vehicle's systems.

This is an emerging area. It layers digital information on top of a work zone that still uses the standard signs, devices, and layout required by the applicable standard and the approved plan.

How It Is Used

  • To signal the presence, location, and extent of a work zone to approaching connected vehicles, potentially before the physical signs are in view.
  • To share information such as lane closures, worker presence, reduced speeds, or queue conditions as machine-readable messages.
  • To provide connected and automated vehicles with data they can use to plan a lane change or slow down earlier.

Why It Matters

  • Connected information can reach a driver or vehicle earlier than line-of-sight signs alone, which matters most where conditions change quickly.
  • For automated vehicles, machine-readable work-zone information is important because a work zone changes the normal road picture the vehicle expects.
  • Consistency matters: what is broadcast digitally should match what is actually set up in the field and in the approved plan.

Considerations & Limits

  • V2X supplements, and does not replace, the required physical traffic control — the standard signs and devices still govern.
  • Only a portion of vehicles are equipped today, so the physical work zone must remain complete and correct for every road user.
  • Broadcast information is only useful if it is accurate and current; stale or wrong data can mislead and must match the field setup and the approved plan.
  • Whether any connected-vehicle technology is deployed, and how, is set by the agency and the project — this content does not state requirements or approve any system.

V2V, V2I, and V2P in a work zone

  • V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle): vehicles share information such as slowing or stopped traffic ahead of a work zone.
  • V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure): roadside equipment near the work zone shares information with passing vehicles, and can receive information from them.
  • V2P (vehicle-to-pedestrian): communication intended to help protect people on foot — relevant where pedestrian routing runs alongside a work zone.

Roadside units (RSU) and onboard units (OBU)

A roadside unit (RSU) is fixed equipment placed near the roadway that can broadcast and receive V2X messages. An onboard unit (OBU) is the equipment in a vehicle that does the same. Together they are how work-zone information can move between the infrastructure and a connected vehicle. What equipment is used, and where, is set by the agency and the project.

Official Sources

Related Pages