With public safety top of mind for all governments, we are pleased to join our partners at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), Virginia Department of Transportation and global auto manufacturers to officially launch the automated driving system (ADS) technology project that was originally announced in September 2019.
ADS technology, which better enables connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) to communicate with road infrastructure, has immense potential to improve work-zone and first responder safety in high speed corridors. Now more than ever, the public and private sectors must put technology to work to ensure the safety of the traveling public, road workers and incident responders. Public safety applications of the technology include:
- Safe navigation of CAVs around road incidents to ensure the protection of first responders and other drivers
- Advanced “heads up” communications from road infrastructure to CAVs to alert drivers of approaching work-zones or incidents on a driving route
The project, funded by a $7.5m grant from the United States Department of Transportation, will involve at least three CAV demonstrations on the Virginia 95 Express Lanes. Successful demonstrations will then be replicated on neighboring public roadways to benefit our local partner, the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Planning for the project continues with on-road trials anticipated in 2022.
