Virginia Tech is home to one of the world’s most advanced testing facilities for autonomous vehicle research. The Virginia Smart Roads, a suite of test tracks that enable advanced-vehicle testing in an interconnected and comprehensive cross section of roadways, are managed by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and other partners.
The Virginia Smart Roads: a diverse and dynamic testing environment
The Virginia Smart Roads consist of over seven miles of roadbed, featuring weather-making, lighting capabilities, advanced sensors, traffic intersections, and varying pavement types. The roads are equipped with roadside equipment units and displays that can interact with autonomous vehicles and other road users, such as police officers, first responders, and roadside workers. The roads are also FAA-approved testing facilities for unmanned aerial systems.
The Virginia Smart Roads include four sections: the Highway, the Surface Street, the Live Roadway Connector, and the Rural Roadway. Each section simulates different types of roadways and scenarios that autonomous vehicles may encounter in real-world settings.
- The Highway section was the first installment of the Virginia Smart Roads and is outfitted with lighting and weather controls that can create various conditions, such as rain, fog, snow, and ice. The Highway section can also generate traffic scenarios, such as lane closures, work zones, and emergency vehicles.
- The Surface Street section facilitates advanced/automated vehicle testing in highly reconfigurable environments, such as suburban neighborhoods and city intersections. The Surface Street section can mimic pedestrian and bicycle traffic, traffic signals, roundabouts, and parking lots.
- The Live Roadway Connector is equipped with traffic control devices and protocols that allow VTTI to seamlessly route test vehicles between its closed test tracks and a live traffic environment. The Live Roadway Connector enables researchers to study how autonomous vehicles interact with human drivers and other road users in real time.
- The Rural Roadway section was designed to recreate the challenges of rural environments, such as unpaved roads, steep grades, blind curves, and wildlife crossings. The Rural Roadway section is the first test bed of its kind and allows researchers to test autonomous vehicles in edge-and-corner cases that are often overlooked in urban settings.
The impact of autonomous vehicle research at Virginia Tech
The Virginia Smart Roads play a critical role in the overall success of VTTI and its research mission: to save lives, time, and money, and protect the environment. VTTI is one of the leading research institutes in the field of autonomous vehicle technology and safety, and has conducted more than 37,000 hours of research on the Smart Roads since its opening in 2000.
VTTI collaborates with various partners, such as vehicle manufacturers, toll road companies, government agencies, and academic institutions, to conduct cutting-edge research and development projects on autonomous vehicle systems. Some of the recent projects include:
- Safely Operating ADS (Autonomous Driving Systems) in Challenging Dynamic Scenarios: This project, funded by Crash Avoidance Metrics Partners LLC, a consortium of vehicle manufacturers consisting of Ford, GM, Mercedes-Benz, and Nissan, aimed to test how autonomous vehicles can handle complex and dynamic scenarios, such as interacting with roadside workers, first responders, and other drivers. The project demonstrated a Level 4 autonomous Ford F-150 moving through 18 situations on the Interstate 395 express lanes in Arlington, Va., in October 2023.
- Automated Vehicle Platooning: This project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, aimed to evaluate the fuel efficiency and safety benefits of automated vehicle platooning, which is a driving strategy that involves two or more vehicles traveling closely together at high speeds. The project involved testing a platoon of three heavy-duty trucks on the Virginia Smart Roads and on public highways in Virginia and California, in 2022 and 2023.
- Automated Vehicle Testing and Evaluation: This project, funded by Transurban North America, a global toll road company that oversees the Interstate 495, 95, and 395 express lanes, aimed to test and evaluate the performance and safety of automated vehicles on the express lanes, which incorporate smart technology in roadways. The project involved testing a variety of automated vehicles, such as passenger cars, shuttle buses, and trucks, on the express lanes, in 2022 and 2023.
Through these and other projects, VTTI and its partners are advancing the state of the art in autonomous vehicle research and paving the way for a sustainable, clean-energy future.
