Skip to main content

Virginia Automated Corridors unveiled

The Virginia Automated Corridors, a new initiative that its developers claim will revolutionise the development and deployment of automated vehicles, has been unveiled on more than 70 miles of interstates and arterial roads in the Northern Virginia region. The Corridors were established by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation; the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles; Transurban; and Here, Nokia’s mapping business in support of the tran
June 3, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The Virginia Automated Corridors, a new initiative that its developers claim will revolutionise the development and deployment of automated vehicles, has been unveiled on more than 70 miles of interstates and arterial roads in the Northern Virginia region.

The Corridors were established by the 5593 Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in partnership with the 1747 Virginia Department of Transportation; the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles; 600 Transurban; and 7643 Here, 183 Nokia’s mapping business in support of the transportation institute’s automated vehicle research.

The corridors include Interstates 66, 495, and 95, as well as state routes 29 and 50, roads which compose one of the most congested corridors in the US, with multiple transportation challenges that could be mitigated through the use of automation, including congestion. The corridors also include two test-track environments: the Virginia Smart Road, located on-site at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute; and the Virginia International Raceway.

The Virginia Automated Corridors integrate a range of resources, including access to dedicated high-occupancy toll lanes managed by Transurban along Interstates 495 and 95; high-definition mapping capabilities, real-time traffic and incidents, intelligent routing, and location cloud technology supported by Here, which has worked with major automakers on previous automated-vehicle projects; pavement markings maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation for completeness and retro-reflectivity; accurate localisation via high-precision global navigation satellite systems; connected-vehicle capabilities enabled by dedicated short-range communications and cellular technology; access to sophisticated, unobtrusive data acquisition systems; and operations at higher speeds along a test track that features complex curves.

The corridors will help facilitate the use of state roads and test facilities for automated-vehicle testing, certification, and migration towards deployment.

“Next-generation vehicle technologies can help transform our transportation system, from enhancing safety to supporting driver convenience,” said Tom Dingus, director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. “Our goal with the Virginia Automated Corridors is to ensure automated-vehicle developers and suppliers have access to both a robust roadway environment and significant research support to create, test, and deploy systems that are beneficial to users.”

Related Content

  • October 19, 2012
    Dynamic toll payments on Virginia’s 495 express lanes
    Private sector operator, Transurban, operators of Virginia’s I-495 express lane, has unveiled the highway’s incident management centre where the flow of vehicles will be monitored on a widescreen monitor displaying a dozen camera angles. The new lanes are expected to open by the end of fall. The centre will monitor traffic volume 24/7 in order to compute toll rates. The new roadway, connecting the Dulles toll road to the I-395/I-95/Springfield interchange fourteen miles to the south, will charge drivers dyn
  • June 2, 2016
    Sorting myth from reality in vehicle automation
    Bob Denaro looks beyond the hype surrounding autonomous vehicles to the challenges that still need to be overcome. Automated vehicles (AVs) may be the perfect storm – in a positive way - with the automobile manufacturers, the government and consumers all embracing the emergence of a transformational new technology and product.
  • March 16, 2023
    Connectivity is 'pivotal' for Qualcomm's next-gen Snapdragon system
    5G platform offers low latency and integrated C-V2X technology to support safety
  • June 18, 2014
    Iteris partners with Here on advanced traffic data and analytics
    Iteris has been selected, along with Here, to compete with a small group of other companies to provide traffic data and analytics for the I-95 Corridor Coalition, which stretches nearly 2,000 miles from Maine to Florida. Iteris will work in partnership with Here to deliver advanced traffic analytics to support the Coalition, allowing decision-makers to closely monitor traffic and weather conditions, measure performance, optimise operations, and communicate actionable information to traffic engineers.