FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) — On Monday morning, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will gather with representatives of the U.S.Department of Transportation and some local elected leaders to demonstrate a new automated attenuator.
The event is scheduled for 9 a.m. on the north end of Fountain near the intersection of Highway 85/87 and Duckwood Road.
An attenuator is a device attached to the back of a truck that follows work crews to protect them from traffic.
In the past, someone would normally drive the attenuator truck, also known as an impact protection vehicle.
During the past few years, CDOT has been one of four states testing automated trucks, so that the people who drive non-automated trucks aren’t hurt in a crash.
CDOT will test the attenuator during road re-striping operations for future use in southern Colorado.
The automated truck follows a manned leader truck — presumably the truck involved in doing actual work on a highway.
CDOT received federal grant funding to acquire three automated attenuators.
At the Monday morning event, CDOT and federal transportation officials will join the mayor of Fountain, some El Paso County commissioners, and some state lawmakers.
They’ll talk about how technology like this. increases safety for highway workers.