USDoT awards $60m funding for ADS systems testing

The US Department of Transportation (DoT) is to provide nearly $60 million in funding for eight projects to test the safe integration of autonomous driving systems (ADS). US secretary of transportation Elaine Chao says: “The Department is awarding $60 million in grant funding to test the safe integration of automated vehicles into America’s transportation system while ensuring that legitimate concerns about safety, security, and privacy are addressed.” The USDoT is delivering the funding via the Autom
September 20, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

The 324 US Department of Transportation (DoT) is to provide nearly $60 million in funding for eight projects to test the safe integration of autonomous driving systems (ADS).

US secretary of transportation Elaine Chao says: “The Department is awarding $60 million in grant funding to test the safe integration of automated vehicles into America’s transportation system while ensuring that legitimate concerns about safety, security, and privacy are addressed.”

The USDoT is delivering the funding via the Automated Driving System Demonstration grant programme, which supports projects that encourage collaboration on ADS.

The biggest grant - $8.4m - will be awarded to Pennsylvania DoT to explore the safe integration of ADS into work zones by examining connectivity, visibility and high-definition mapping technologies.

The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station will receive $7m to develop and test ADS for rural roads without high-definition maps and with no or low-quality road signs or markings.

The University of Iowa is to use $7m to carry out a project that gathers and generates publicly-available data on rural roads to help safely integrate ADS into US roadways.

Meanwhile. the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (5593 Virginia Tech) Transportation Institute will be awarded to $7.5m to develop and demonstrate potential solutions for safe interaction of ADS-equipped vehicles in a corridor optimised for autonomous vehicles. A second grant of the same amount will be used to provide guidelines on how to implement ADS-equipped trucks.

Elsewhere in the US, Ohio DoT will be allocated $7.5m to conduct a demonstration focused on rural environments, cooperative automation and data collection to enable the development of ADS policies.

In California, the USDoT is to pledge $7.5m to the 7945 Contra Costa Transportation Authority in a project to demonstrate 567 SAE Level 3 and 4 vehicles using on-demand wheelchair accessible ADS-equipped vehicles.

Pennsylvania DoT is to utilise nearly $8.5m to explore the safe integration of ADS into workzones by examining connectivity, visibility and high-definition mapping technologies.

In Michigan, the city of Detroit has secured $7.5m to implement a software platform in a demonstration focused on mobility and safety.

Related Content

  • New research: to illuminate or not to illuminate
    February 5, 2013
    Researchers from the US Lighting Research Center (LRC) and Penn State University have recently published a paper entitled “To illuminate or not to illuminate: Roadway lighting as it affects traffic safety at intersections”. Published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention the paper describes a parallel approach to lighting safety analysis. Tackling the tricky questions of when and where to install roadway illumination, while at the same reducing municipal costs, is a challenge for transportation a
    Read More
  • Wayne State University to open advanced mobility centre
    August 20, 2019
    Wayne State University in Michigan is to open a centre for advanced mobility to offer more degrees and certificates in autonomous driving, smart infrastructure and electrification. Farshad Fotouhi, dean of the Wayne State College of Engineering and Computer Science professor, says: “The Center for Advanced Mobility will be the epicenter for academic and start-up activity in the mobility sector for students, researchers, and global corporate partners in Detroit.” The Center for Advanced Mobility will utili
    Read More
  • ITS America: V2X needs adequate spectrum
    March 1, 2022
    Laura Chace explains why ITS America is back in court to fight for connected vehicle technologies – and outlines efforts to lay the foundation for moving V2X forward with whatever spectrum is available
    Read More
  • 3M reimagines approach to safety
    March 29, 2022
    3M which, for over 80 years, has engineered infrastructure solutions to improve the safety and mobility of our roads is inviting visitors to re-envision the future of urban roads. It’s a future where traffic accidents in urban areas can be reduced. Even eliminated.
    Read More

Highlighted Content