Western States Rural Transportation Consortium III (WSRTC) is a continuation and broadening of the original California Oregon Advanced Transportation System (COATS). COATS began in 1998 as a collaborative effort among the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and the Western Transportation Institute (WTI) at Montana State University–Bozeman to explore the use of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in rural regions. The goal of COATS was to develop, demonstrate, and deploy rural ITS solutions that enhance safety, improve mobility for people and freight, and support economic vitality across the bi-state region.

During the COATS effort, the Western States Rural Transportation Technology Implementers Forum (The Forum) was created to close the technology-transfer gap between practitioners. The Forum provided an environment for frank, practical discussions about field deployment challenges, enabling agencies to share implementation experiences and lessons learned. This collaborative model reinforced the need for ongoing multi-state coordination on rural ITS technology transfer, operations, and safety research.

As COATS matured, the Steering Committee determined that expanding the project’s reach to additional western states would amplify benefits and improve alignment on rural ITS priorities. This resulted in formation of the Western States Rural Transportation Consortium (WSRTC), and Phase I of the pooled fund (TPF-5(241)) was initiated in 2011 with Washington as the lead state. Phase II (WSRTC II) continued this multi-state collaboration by advancing incubator activities, operational coordination, and technology-transfer efforts, maintaining the momentum established in earlier phases and strengthening the Consortium’s shared research capacity. Utah joined WSRTC in 2018, broadening participation and enhancing regional representation.

The WSRTC has supported multiple cross state pilots, research, and incubated projects, including the Western States Rural Research Implementers Forum—an annual venue for rural ITS practitioners to exchange information, identify common challenges, and collaborate on emerging technologies and operational strategies (Technology/Safety/Operations).

The purpose of WSRTC is to promote innovative partnerships, technologies, and educational opportunities that facilitate and enhance safe, seamless rural travel throughout the western United States. The Consortium provides a collaborative mechanism for member states to coordinate research activities and leverage resources to address rural transportation challenges related to technology, operations, and safety.

WSRTC will continue to:

• Conduct multi-day annual workshops (The Forum) focused on rural ITS needs, standards, and applications. These workshops support planning and development of incubator and spin-off projects that align with WSRTC objectives.
• Support presentation of WSRTC research and activities at regional and national conferences to encourage broad technology transfer.
• Implement task orders as requested by the WSRTC Steering Committee.
• Maintain the WSRTC website to archive workshop materials, project reports, and presentation resources that facilitate dissemination of rural ITS knowledge.

WSRTC members have historically included Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University–Bozeman, and Montana Technological University. Other states are encouraged to join if they are interested in rural ITS topics.