US Department of Transportation designates 10 autonomous vehicle proving grounds

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced on January 19 that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has designated 10 proving ground pilot sites to encourage testing and information sharing around autonomous vehicle technologies.

These sites, according to a DOT press release, will foster innovations that can safely transform personal and commercial mobility, expand capacity, and open new doors to disadvantaged people and communities, and the designations represent the next step in the Department’s efforts to advance the safe deployment of automated technology.

“The designated proving grounds will collectively form a Community of Practice around safe testing and deployment,” said Secretary Foxx. “This group will openly share best practices for the safe conduct of testing and operations as they are developed, enabling the participants and the general public to learn at a faster rate and accelerating the pace of safe deployment.”

Additionally, the sites will 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.

The 10 designated sites were chosen from a group of more than 60 applications, which included academic institutions, state Departments of Transportation, cities, and private entities and partnerships. Proving grounds designees all have different facilities that can be used to gauge safety, manage various roadways and conditions, and handle various types of vehicles.

The 10 proving grounds are as follows:

• City of Pittsburgh and the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute
• Texas AV Proving Grounds Partnership
• U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center
• American Center for Mobility (ACM) at Willow Run
• Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) & GoMentum Station
• San Diego Association of Governments
• Iowa City Area Development Group
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Central Florida Automated Vehicle Partners
• North Carolina Turnpike Authority

View more information on the designations.

Share your vision-related news by contacting James Carroll, Senior Web Editor, Vision Systems Design

To receive news like this in your inbox, click here.

Join our LinkedIn group | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter

Learn more: search the Vision Systems Design Buyer's Guide for companies, new products, press releases, and videos