Bringing Smart Transport to Texans: Ensuring the Benefits of a Connected and Autonomous Transport System in Texas

This project develops and demonstrates a variety of smart-transport technologies, policies, and practices for highways and freeways using connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs), smartphones, roadside equipment, and related technologies. The intent is to maximize the benefit of these technologies in terms of improved driver safety, reduced congestion, and agency cost savings. For example, in a well-implemented system, advanced CAV technologies may reduce current crash costs by at least $390 billion per year. A poorly implemented system could significantly detract from or reverse these benefits. The project’s Phase 1, documented in this report, showcased dedicated short-range communication (DSRC)-instrumented vehicles for wrong-way driving alerts, vehicle guidance, and road-surface condition monitoring demonstrations. It developed algorithms for more accurate vehicle-position information and real-time traffic flow monitoring. It delivered statewide and national forecasts of fleet evolution, consumer preferences, and Texans’ opinions of CAV policies and technologies. It also simulated various strategies for smart ramp merges and smart intersection and network operations, under thousands of case settings, with calculated delay reductions. It anticipated emissions savings from more thoughtful automated driving and crash savings from more conflict-aware driving. It also analyzed the benefits of shared autonomous vehicle transit. Recommendations are provided for guiding Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) as technologies increasingly become available to the public, estimated to impact the U. S. economy by as much as $1.3 trillion per year. Recommendations focus on the need for increasing TxDOT in-house expertise, simulating new systems, developing policy, and updating design manuals.

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Summary URL:
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Supplemental Notes:
- Report date August 2016; published November 2016. Appendices A-K (246p.) are a separate document at the provided URL.
Corporate Authors:
University of Texas, Austin

Center for Transportation Research, 1616 Guadalupe Street
Austin, TX United States 78701-1255

Texas Department of Transportation

Research and Technology Implementation Office, P.O. Box 5080
Austin, TX United States 78763-5080

Federal Highway Administration

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC United States 20590
Authors:
- Kockelman, Kara M
- 0000-0003-4763-1304
- Boyles, Stephen
- Avery, Paul
- Claudel, Christian
- Loftus-Otway, Lisa
- 0000-0001-5143-9513
- Fagnant, Daniel
- Bansal, Prateek
- Levin, Michael W
- Zhao, Yong
- Liu, Jun
- 0000-0002-6336-4931
- Clements, Lewis
- Wagner, Wendy
- Stewart, Duncan
- Sharon, Guni
- Albert, Michael
- Stone, Peter
- Hanna, Josiah
- Patel, Rahul
- Fritz, Hagen
- Choudhary, Tejas
- Li, Tianxin
- Nichols, Aqshems
- Sharma, Kapil
- Simoni, Michele
Publication Date: 2016-8

Language

English

Media Info

Media Type: Digital/other
Edition: Final Report
Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
Pagination: 385p

Subject/Index Terms

TRT Terms: Benefits; Economic impacts; Freeways; Highways; Intelligent vehicles; Mobile communication systems; Policy; Public opinion; Recommendations; Smartphones; Technological innovations; Traffic congestion; Traffic safety; Transportation planning
Geographic Terms: Texas
Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

Accession Number: 01624421
Record Type: Publication
Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/TX-16/0-6838-2, 0-6838-2
Contract Numbers: 0-6838
Files: NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT, STATEDOT
Created Date: Jan 30 2017 10:44AM