Smart road comment period widened

The deadline for public comment on the Transportation Department's vision to integrate Intelligent Transportation System technologies has been extended one month until Sept. 23.

A proposed rule by the Federal Highway Administration and a notice of a request for comment would emphasize the need to develop an ITS integration strategy as part of the transportation planning process, according to the Federal Highway Safety Administration.

ITS is a nearly decade-old program to make the nation's roads safer by relying on high-tech electronic, communication and information systems.

The purpose of the federal rules is to ensure that local and state road planning incorporates ITS and will conform to a national system, Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater said in his May 25 announcement of the proposed rules. Comments on proposed rules originally were due Aug. 23.

Comments can be submitted via DOT's Docket Management System Web site at dms.dot.gov.