Skip to main content

Three US states form 'Smart Belt Coalition' on connected vehicles

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) have formed the Smart Belt Coalition, a collaboration with transportation agencies in Ohio and Michigan that will focus on automated and connected vehicle initiatives. With similar climates, commercial truck traffic and active work on these technologies in the participating states, the coalition, which includes transportation and academic partners, will be a resource for transportation stakeholders and the
January 18, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The 6111 Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) have formed the Smart Belt Coalition, a collaboration with transportation agencies in Ohio and Michigan that will focus on automated and connected vehicle initiatives.

With similar climates, commercial truck traffic and active work on these technologies in the participating states, the coalition, which includes transportation and academic partners, will be a resource for transportation stakeholders and the private sector alike.

It is developing its strategic plan which initially focuses on connected and automated applications in work zones, including uniform work-zone scenarios offering consistency for testers as well as technologies offering better information to motorists. It will also research commercial freight opportunities in testing, including platooning and potential coordination on interstates, as well as incident management applications providing better information to and infrastructure for emergency responders and other agencies.

Moving forward, the coalition will finalise a strategic plan outlining the framework for participants and opportunities for private-sector testers.

Related Content

  • October 22, 2015
    LowCVP calls on truck operators and others to focus on cutting truck emissions
    To coincide with its participation in the new Freight in the City event on 27 October, the LowCVP is calling on fleet operators, local authorities and others to join forces in building the market for heavy goods vehicles which cut carbon, reduce emissions and lower fuel costs. In earlier research, the LowCVP has identified three main opportunities for cutting emissions from HGVs which pointed to the need for specific interventions: independent testing to validate the effectiveness of retrofit technology
  • March 14, 2012
    Automatic signal control to prevent emergency vehicle collisions?
    Field trials under way in Arizona promise eradication of accidents between emergency vehicles at intersections – as part of a national focus on ‘intelligent signal’ infrastructure. Collisions between police cars, ambulances and fire crews as they reach intersections at the same time, with equal priority given by all signals set on red, are as serious as they sound absurd. For emergency teams and those in need of their help, the consequences are dire. The solution could come from application of connected veh
  • April 9, 2014
    Speeding the recovery of stranded commercial vehicles is paying dividends in Georgia
    Delcan’s Cheryl-Marie Hansberger details how Georgia’s Towing and Recovery Incentive Program (TRIP) has improved road safety and helped to reduce traffic congestion in the metro Atlanta region. By 2008, steady increases in population had led the Texas Transportation Institute to declare Atlanta, Georgia to be the third most congested city in the US. In an effort to increase road user safety and mitigate the effects of traffic, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and its local partners have imple
  • May 25, 2023
    Sustainable mobility? Only possible with a multifaceted approach
    ITS European Congress 2023 was scene for 'full and frank exchange of views'