The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has designated 10 proving ground pilot
sites to encourage testing and information sharing around automated vehicle technologies, according to a DOT January 19 release.
“The designated proving grounds will collectively form a Community of Practice around safe testing and deployment,” said DOT Secretary Anthony 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.”
The proving grounds will also 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, according to DOT. Designees were selected from a competitive group of over 60 applicants, 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 Proving Ground designees are:
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
More details about the designations may be found at www.transportation.gov/AV
