Skip to main content

Transurban and partners host automated and connected vehicle tests

Transurban recently partnered with Virginia Tech Transportation Institute on their automated and connected vehicle technology road test on the 95 Express Lanes in Northern Virginia. The ten-mile test, part of the Virginia Automated Corridors and Virginia Connected Corridors initiatives, was conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and Transurban, which operates the Express Lanes. The test took place when the 95 Express Lanes were closed to th
October 20, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
600 Transurban recently partnered with 5593 Virginia Tech Transportation Institute on their automated and connected vehicle technology road test on the 95 Express Lanes in Northern Virginia.

The ten-mile test, part of the Virginia Automated Corridors and Virginia Connected Corridors initiatives, was conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, the 1747 Virginia Department of Transportation, and Transurban, which operates the Express Lanes.

The test took place when the 95 Express Lanes were closed to the traffic as part of the Lanes’ regular mid-day reversal, providing the partners with a safe, closed environment to demonstrate the technology.

The demonstration featured a Level 3 automated vehicle performing specific driving actions such as lane changes and automated braking in response to scenarios including a simulated work zone and an approaching law enforcement vehicle. In addition, a connected vehicle equipped with both dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) and cellular technology responded to driving scenarios along the test roadway.

These technologies have potential applications in managed lanes facilitates like the 495 and 95 Express Lanes in Virginia to improve roadway efficiency and safety. Connected-vehicle communications can complement tools like dynamic pricing and lane-use management signals as facility operators look to improve the driver experience and maintain travel speeds. Similarly, the technology can improve the safety of workers and travellers during maintenance activities or repairs.

“As a long-term partner to Virginia, operating one of the most high tech roads in the U.S., we are proud to host today's test. Transurban sees these technologies as vital to improving safety and efficiency on the Virginia Express Lanes and roadways across the America,” said Transurban North America Group general manager Jennifer Aument.

Related Content

  • November 27, 2017
    Four expansions added to Virginia’s Smart Road to test AVs in urban, rural and residential environments
    The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDoT) has unveiled four expansions to the Virginia Smart Road to accelerate advanced-vehicle testing and explore how automated and autonomous vehicles (AVs) will function on U.S. roadways including edge-and-corner environments. Two new facilities have opened for testing: The Surface Street Expansion, an urban test bed, and the Live Roadway Connector, which connects the Smart road to the U.S. Route 460-Business,
  • January 30, 2012
    IntelliDrive and HOT lanes - the next generation?
    Janet Banner, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and Christopher Hill, Mixon Hill, Inc., outline efforts to explore the use of IntelliDrive technologies in HOT lane applications. On 21 October last year more than 100 transportation professionals came together for a workshop, either in person or via a webinar, to discuss the potential role of IntelliDriveSM technologies in enhancing the operations of High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. The discussions focused on a White Paper, commissioned by the Metropoli
  • July 20, 2022
    Transurban identifies Indra HOV tech
    System will be used on the I-95, I-495, and I-395 express lanes in northern Virginia
  • January 31, 2012
    In-vehicle intersection violation Warning system
    Mike Schagrin, ITS Joint Program Office, RITA, and John Harding, NHTSA, describe US progress towards an in-vehicle Intersection Violation Warning system. In 2008, there were 37,261 fatalities on US roadways. Of these, 7,772, some 20.8 per cent of the total, were defined as intersection crashes or intersection-related crashes. Through a multi-agency research initiative led by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has developed a prototype In