Fort Bend County will be the first U.S. agency to deploy new crosswalk technology in school zones that aim to keep pedestrians safe and drivers alert.

The gist

The Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything, or C-V2X, school zone safety beacons and pedestrian technology is designed to warn drivers on their smartphones or through vehicle technology to slow down as they approach schools, county and C-V2X officials announced in a March 4 news release.

The technology, developed by Applied Information, was approved by the Federal Communications Commission in late 2024, per the release.

How it works

As drivers approach school zones, their phones or built-in vehicle technology will alert drivers on their smartphones via a voice alert to slow down as they approach schools, according to the release.

The system is designed to activate during school arrival and departure times, and when pedestrians are in the crosswalk.

A closer look

Brian Fields, traffic operations superintendent for the county’s road and bridge department, said the technology will be installed in all school zone signs with flashing lights that are maintained by the county in Katy, Fort Bend and Lamar Consolidated ISDs. The technology will also be installed in traffic signals.

The $3.03 million project is being funded by the county’s 2024 capital improvement project funds, earmarked for school zone safety and public safety awareness, Fields said in an email.

Community Impact reached out to Fort Bend County to learn more about the specific locations of technology being installed, but it was not returned by press time.

What they’re saying

Fields said the county has the opportunity to play a pivotal role in implementing technology that could keep pedestrians safe as pedestrian-involved accidents continue to grow in the Houston area.“We are creating an infrastructure that keeps our motorists focused on the roadways, our children safe when going to school and establishing safer work zones,” he said in the email. “With Fort Bend County seeing significant population growth, we have an opportunity to set the safety standards for the rest of the country.”

Going forward

Installation began March 13 and is slated for completion before the start of next school year in August, Fields said.

“Fort Bend County has made it a priority to be proactive and innovative when it comes to safety within our community,” he said. “We hope that other agencies can model themselves after us from seeing the positive, life-savings changes that can be made from adapting to advancing technologies.”