Skip to main content

MoDOT ‘Road to Tomorrow’ ready to move on pilot projects

Launched in 2015, the Missouri Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT) ‘Road to Tomorrow’ initiative is ready to move on five pilot projects, according to Equipment World. MoDOT plans to utilise innovation and construction to rebuild the state’s oldest interstate highway, Interstate 90 and make the highway from Kansas City to St Louis available to private industry, entrepreneurs and innovators as a laboratory for construction of the next generation of highways. MoDOT has made a 2016 TIGER Grant request
June 17, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Launched in 2015, the 1773 Missouri Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT) ‘Road to Tomorrow’ initiative is ready to move on five pilot projects, according to Equipment World.

MoDOT plans to utilise innovation and construction to rebuild the state’s oldest interstate highway, Interstate 90 and make the highway from Kansas City to St Louis available to private industry, entrepreneurs and innovators as a laboratory for construction of the next generation of highways.

MoDOT has made a 2016 TIGER Grant request that would fund a ‘smart pavement’ project in the Kansas City region, along with one for a Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives grant that would examine new sustainable funding sources.

It also hopes to move forward with a pilot project to test the truck platooning concept on Missouri highways, where wireless connectivity between commercial trucks enables the second truck to follow at a close distance for better fuel economy and enhanced safety.

A request for proposals (RFP) has been issued for an Internet of Things (IoT) broker, who would respond to the demand for devices/networks on the state’s right of way to enable the use of connecting devices and vehicles using electronic sensors and the Internet.

MoDOT has also issued an RFP for a pilot project to install ‘smart pavement’ for testing at a location to be determined. This would feature sensors and systems that enable vehicle-to-infrastructure and infrastructure-to-vehicle connected vehicle technologies and services and provide data to MoDOT, motor carriers and other commercial fleet operators and private drivers on a subscription basis to enable sustainable, self-funded infrastructure assets for public owners.

The Department also plans a Solar Roadways Pilot Project, where solar panels will be installed on sidewalks to test their potential for generating heat to melt snow and for generation of electricity for other purposes.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Columbus wins US Smart City Challenge
    June 24, 2016
    Columbus, Ohio has been selected as the winner of the US Department of Transportation's (US DOT) Smart City Challenge. As winner of the Challenge, Columbus will receive up to US$40 million from US DOT and up to US$10 million from Vulcan to supplement the US$90 million that the city has already raised from other private partners to carry out its plan. The Smart City Challenge generated a significant amount of excitement and interest amongst cities. US DOT received seventy-eight applications in total – on
  • Remote remedies help US authorities identify bridge deficiencies
    September 6, 2017
    Every day 185 million vehicles – cars, trucks, school buses, emergency response units - cross one or more of America’s 55,710 'structurally compromised' steel and concrete road bridges, the highest concentration of which are in Iowa (nearly 5,000), Pennsylvania and Oklahoma. Nearly 2,000 of these crossings are located on interstate highways, according to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association's recent analysis of the US Department of Transportation's 2016 National Bridge Inventory.
  • CDOT launches road usage charge pilot research program
    November 18, 2016
    The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has explored a number of ways to find sustainable road funding. It is facing a nearly US$1 billion annual funding gap over the next 25 years and is looking to explore transportation funding alternatives as the fuel tax continues to become less reliable over time, due decreased purchasing power and more fuel efficient and electric vehicles. This pilot is the first step in an extensive process of evaluating the concept alongside other funding alternatives. I
  • IRF World Congress 2024: moving ahead
    October 22, 2024
    On the last day of the three-day IRF World Congress 2024 in Istanbul, attendees heard what can work best, what can be improved and what the future might hold for those pursuing sustainable goals. David Arminas reports.