All Roads Lead to Research with UDOT Executive Director Carlos Braceras

UDOT works hard to approach the growing pains of Utah, especially its urban areas. Did you know Utah is the 8th most urbanized state in this country, with 90% of its residents living in urban areas? No wonder there is congestion on your way to work. Last month, we sat down with USU researcher Dr. Patrick Singleton as he painted a picture of what the transportation industry might look like after the COVID-19 pandemic died down. In this episode Wyatt sits down with Carlos Braceras, the executive director of Utah Department of Transportation, and dives in deeper, talking about Utah’s unique landscape, weather pattern, and urban issues UDOT deals with, along with the solutions to create greater mobility through mass transit and active transportation. We also dive into the key role USU students play in UDOT, a new way to build freeways and a little known ferry system in Southern Utah.

Since most people live in urban areas, the solutions are catered towards that population. What does that mean? active transportation such as walking paths and biking lanes, and ways for mass transportation such as more light rails. This also means unique technological solutions for roads, such as syncing lights to snowplows and the bus system, which allows drivers to seamlessly get from one location to the other, without realizing the hands UDOT played into their commute.

What does the future look like? Tune in and hear the discussion on Instead.