UDOT shows new statewide congestion dashboard; staff say probe‑data tool better captures delay patterns

UDOT staff demonstrated a revised statewide mobility dashboard that uses aggregated probe (mobile device) data to estimate travel‑time delay on freeways and arterials and to identify congested segments the department should prioritize.

Grant Farnsworth and colleagues explained the method: for freeways the dashboard aggregates delay across hours and user volumes; for arterials the team compared peak hour travel times (commute peaks) to a 10 a.m. off‑peak baseline to estimate additional travel time attributable to congestion. Farnsworth said the probe‑data approach lets UDOT measure delay across many corridors where there are no permanent sensors.

Staff walked commissioners through region‑level trends that show a large drop in delay during the pandemic period and varying recoveries afterward. They also displayed a component that ranks the most congested roadway segments in each region and marked which congested places already have funded projects. Commissioners discussed method limits — for example recreation corridors that have major weekend or seasonal peaks not captured by weekday peak/off‑peak comparisons — and staff said the tool is an initial iteration they will refine to account for weekend recreational peaks and other local patterns.

Why it matters: The dashboard is intended to help the commission see where investments influence statewide delay, and to guide prioritization for future capacity projects. Staff said combining the delay measures with the commission’s policy priorities and growth forecasts produces a full picture for prioritization decisions.

No formal action was taken; commissioners were shown the tool and asked staff to continue refinements and to bring the refined analyses for use in the next prioritization and TIF project discussions.