AUTOMATED VEHICLES: Self-driving car tests coming to express lanes in Virginia

July 18, 2017

The vehicles will be tested on I-95 and I-495 over the next three years in the D.C. area

Connected and autonomous cars are set to run through the 95 and 495 Express Lanes in northern Virginia for the next three years, including while regular toll-paying drivers and carpoolers are in the lanes.

Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board is set to approve a three-year agreement Wednesday among the Virginia Department of Transportation, the private company that operates the 95 and 495 Express Lanes, and the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Operations Research and Development that would permit new testing to move forward.

The focus of these tests is whether caravans of cars or trucks could speed down a highway just inches apart if the vehicles could communicate to each other about the precise speed to travel, and whether those caravans can successfully run in the same lanes as regular traffic.

As part of the tests, federal researchers want to know what wireless communication tools might be required in cars or trucks, or built into the road or road signs, and will consider the importance of lane-assist technology to keep the autonomous vehicles on track.

Any testing of the speed harmonization, cooperative adaptive cruise control or a new effort to automate lane changes and merging would first be done in the 95 or 495 Express Lanes while the lanes are closed, but then the agreement allows real-world testing during “light traffic conditions.”

All of the test vehicles, sensors, radios and drivers for the testing will be provided by federal researchers, who will also install and remove any additional sensors they need for each test.

------------

Source: WTOP-FM (Washington, D.C.)

Sponsored Recommendations

The Science Behind Sustainable Concrete Sealing Solutions

Extend the lifespan and durability of any concrete. PoreShield is a USDA BioPreferred product and is approved for residential, commercial, and industrial use. It works great above...

Powerful Concrete Protection For ANY Application

PoreShield protects concrete surfaces from water, deicing salts, oil and grease stains, and weather extremes. It's just as effective on major interstates as it is on backyard ...

Concrete Protection That’s Easy on the Environment and Tough to Beat

PoreShield's concrete penetration capabilities go just as deep as our American roots. PoreShield is a plant-based, eco-friendly alternative to solvent-based concrete sealers.

Proven Concrete Protection That’s Safe & Sustainable

Real-life DOT field tests and university researchers have found that PoreShieldTM lasts for 10+ years and extends the life of concrete.