Skip to main content

Texas alliance designated as US DOT automated vehicle proving ground

The Texas Automated Vehicle (AV) Proving Ground is one of ten sites designated as an automated vehicle proving ground. Formed by an alliance that includes the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), other members are the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Transportation Research (CTR), and 32 municipal and regional partners. The Texas group plans to offer a full and varied range of testing environments, from
January 25, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The Texas Automated Vehicle (AV) Proving Ground is one of ten sites designated as an automated vehicle proving ground. Formed by an alliance that includes the 5690 Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), the 375 Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and 8520 Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), other members are the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Transportation Research (CTR), and 32 municipal and regional partners.

The Texas group plans to offer a full and varied range of testing environments, from high-speed barrier-separated managed lanes to low-speed urban environments such as university campuses, medical districts and transit bus corridors. Both closed-course facilities and real-world urban and freight test sites will be used in evaluating emerging transportation technologies.

The US Department of Transport has designated ten proving ground pilot sites to encourage testing and information sharing around automated vehicle technologies, with the aim of fostering innovations that can safely transform personal and commercial mobility, expand capacity, and open new doors to disadvantaged people and communities.  

The proving grounds will also provide critical insights into optimal big data usage through automated vehicle testing and will serve as a foundation for building a community of practice around automated vehicle research.

Other proving grounds are in Pennsylvania, California, Iowa, Wisconsin, Florida, North Carolina and at the US Army Aberdeen Test Center and the American Center for Mobility (ACM).

Related Content

  • US announces nearly US$65 million in grants for transportation projects
    October 14, 2016
    The grants are being awarded through two US Department of Transportation (US DOT) initiatives aimed at promoting the use of advanced technologies in transportation: the Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) program run by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox program overseen by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The US$56.6 million ATCMTD program’s grants are designed to help communities use technology to en
  • US DOT issues guidelines for automated vehicles
    September 21, 2016
    The US Department of Transportation is issuing Federal policy for automated vehicles, laying a path for the safe testing and deployment of new auto technologies that have enormous potential for improving safety and mobility for Americans on the road. “Automated vehicles have the potential to save thousands of lives, driving the single biggest leap in road safety that our country has ever taken,” said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “This policy is an unprecedented step by the federal government
  • Singapore plans changes to transit system
    June 13, 2018
    Singapore has the third-highest population density in the world and the numbers are continuing to grow. The government knows that transit is vital: David Crawford investigates the city state’s Smart Nation strategy. Transport is the most important of the five domains identified as the pillars of Singapore's far-reaching Smart Nation strategy, launched in November 2014 by prime minister Lee Hsien Loong with the aim of reaching fulfilment by 2024. Roads account for 12% of the island republic's 719km2 land ar
  • C/AV technology will be ‘life-altering revolution’
    July 20, 2018
    Preparing for the challenges - and promises - of connected and automated vehicles and other emerging transportation technologies does not necessarily mean investing in actual hardware. Matthew Smith identifies eight key points that US transportation authorities need to look at. Transportation technology is moving rapidly. With the advent of connected and automated vehicle (C/AV) technology, the nation is on the verge of experiencing a major transportation revolution: a life-altering revolution akin to th