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Smart Road up and running
The first section of Virginia's Smart Road opened for business in March with researchers already conducting more than 100 projects. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) added to that workload in June when it picked the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute to head a consortium for a multimillion-dollar advanced safety research contract. The contract is not to exceed $15 million over a three-year period.

In March, transportation professionals and researchers, and federal, state, and local leaders got a fascinating, up-close look at the array of possibilities this unique roadway affords, in addition to its eventual role as a link between Blacksburg and Interstate 81. Unlike other test facilities, the Smart Road offers realistic conditions on an actual highway, allowing researchers to control weather and lighting as they observe traffic moving at normal highway speeds. The road features 75 weather towers, experimental lighting and pavement, and a 30,000-square-foot control center.

The NHTSA contract will provide support to explore human-factors research using data collected on actual roadways, on the Smart Road test facility, and under simulated driving conditions implemented on the National Advanced Driving Simulator. Areas of research that might be explored include antilock brakes, vehicle lighting, vehicle mirrors, vehicle visibility, vehicle sensors, suspension, handling, braking, displays/controls, driver response measurement/instrumentation, heavy vehicles, simulator support, technology assessment, device acquisition, consumer acceptance, and rollover.

Car under rain towers on Smart Road
Smart Road allows researchers to control the weather


Virginia Tech goes high tech in Northern Virginia

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http://www.unirel.vt.edu/presreports/pres9900/11SmartRoad.html