Last week, street artists repainted much of Denver with a Back to the Future theme, commemorating the day that Marty McFly and Doc traveled to in their time machine. But, at the "Transportation Matters" Colorado DOT summit today in Denver, I had to break the news that, no, we do not have hover-cars yet, or flyways.

Soon however, we are likely to have cars that talk to each other and even drive themselves. In fact, we could see automation completely transform how we travel and how we move freight.

The potential innovations we see on the horizon aren't just fun and games. If we're going to continue moving the dial on transportation, and if we want to avoid being overwhelmed by the growth we’re going to experience as a country, we will absolutely need these technologies.

We’re going to have 70 million more people in our country over the next 30 years. And the vast majority of them will be moving into cities like Denver that already struggle with traffic congestion and are about out of room to expand road capacity.

So, how do we manage?

We need to fully embrace innovation and technology that can change the game for safety, that can help us stretch our transportation dollars further, and that can make it so we maximize our existing transportation assets.

Vehicle-to vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication and vehicle automation, for instance, can be the backbone of a new, smarter transportation system.

The transportation system we envision is one in which crashes are a rarity. In which our country produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Freight moves faster. Commutes are shorter and less frustrating. Our streets are safer for bicyclists and pedestrians; transit services more accessible.

At DOT we have no doubt that technology can help us solve some of the challenges we face in transportation. So we said, "Let’s be bullish on technology in transportation...not by talking, but by leading."

Recently, we made good on that claim by launching three new connected vehicle pilot efforts.

This includes our largest demonstration site to date in New York City, where we’re installing connected technology in 10,000 vehicles and infrastructure such as traffic signals. We’re helping Tampa address its mobility challenges by doing things like installing connected technology on streetcars. We also launched our first rural pilot site, in Wyoming, where we’ll test the potential to improve freight movement through connected technologies.

And DOT isn’t alone. For example, the State of Colorado is showing a way forward with their RoadX vision to "future-proof Colorado's roadways." They're looking at their entire transportation system to see how technology can make a difference, from saving lives to reducing the cost of moving goods. They're also expanding the effort outside the transportation community by bringing in entrepreneurs and leaders from the private sector.

RoadX is taking a big step forward. Colorado's DOT will invest $20 million over the next year to launch the program. That’s leadership.

I hope Colorado will keep pushing, will continue implementing this vision. But I want to urge others to keep pushing as well --States, local governments, researchers, engineers, Fast Lane readers.

Let’s show the American people that innovation like connected and automated vehicle technology works, that it's safe, and that we can't afford not to integrate it into our transportation system.