Trucking News · Colorado · October 30, 2026

Colorado to Get Solar-Powered Road Pods That Sense Black Ice and Wrong-Way Vehicles, a Company Says, With Truckers in Mind

By Big Rig Daily Staff

A company that makes in-road sensors says Colorado will be one of the first places to try them, with truckers and other travelers in mind. Vectigo, an Ireland-based technology company with a Colorado-based U.S. unit, is working with RoadSafe Traffic Systems to install capsule-shaped "PODs" set flush into the road surface, CCJ reported on Oct. 29. The pods are placed between every other stripe on the road.

What the pods do

The pods are solar-powered and hold several sensors that read conditions directly from the road surface, CCJ reported. The company says they are designed to:

• Detect black ice and freezing conditions before they are visible, and track snow-covered lanes.
• Detect a wrong-way vehicle as it enters the lane and alert law enforcement, responders and oncoming traffic within seconds.
• Report stoppages, crashes, closures, flooding and rockfalls as they happen so traffic can be routed around them.

The pods also light the lane ahead, and the information goes to a data hub that agencies can share with emergency responders and autonomous vehicle operators. CCJ said the system can help carriers by letting them reroute early.

Why Colorado

Brendan Lundy, executive chairman of Vectigo Group Limited, said, "Every winter, Colorado drivers face black ice they cannot see, wrong-way drivers they cannot anticipate and closures they cannot avoid." He said "Colorado is where we will prove it and the model for roads across the U.S. and the world."

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, 701 people were killed on Colorado roads in 2025, up from 689 in 2024. CCJ also noted that traffic deaths rose 21% in Denver, as reported by Denver7.

What is a company claim

Vectigo said its technology has been shown to reduce accidents by 70% and injury-causing accidents by 50% for human-driven vehicles. Those figures are the company's claim, and Big Rig Daily has not independently verified them. CCJ's report did not say where in Colorado the pods will be installed or when.

The longer plan

Colorado is one of Vectigo's first priority states in a national rollout that aims to reach every state department of transportation within five years, according to the company.

Quick facts

• Company: Vectigo, working with RoadSafe Traffic Systems.
• What: solar-powered pods set flush between every other lane stripe.
• Detects: black ice, wrong-way vehicles, and closures and crashes.
• Colorado road deaths: 701 in 2025 and 689 in 2024, per CDOT.
• Not stated: install locations and timing.

Big Rig Daily has also covered a Washington rule that trucks must carry tire chains starting Nov. 1.

A question for readers

If your lane could warn you about black ice before you hit it, would you trust the warning?

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