The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded an Ohio-based team of industry, academia and community partners a $7.5 million grant known as the Automated Driving Systems Demonstration Grant, which will be used to develop and deploy “automated transportation solutions” for the state’s rural roads and highways.

“The award of this grant shows that Ohio continues to be at the center of this new transportation technology era,” says Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. 

“Ohio is committed to being at the forefront of connected and autonomous vehicle technology development.”

The Ohio team will be led by DriveOhio—an initiative of the Ohio Department of Transportation that focuses on automated and connected transportation technologies—and the Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC). Ohio State University, Ohio University and the University of Cincinnati are also partners on the project. 

The initiative will test the safe integration of automated driving systems onto the nation’s roadways. It will also look at the potential economic impacts that this technology could have. Partners are contributing $10.3 million in matching funds, bringing the total investment in Ohio for this project to $17.8 million.

“This is a huge win for the state of Ohio. By focusing on 32 counties in Ohio’s rural Appalachian region, studies supported by this grant will be the most comprehensive effort yet to be conducted on our nation’s rural roads,” explains Jack Marchbanks, director of the Ohio Department of Transportation.

“Although 97 percent of the nation is rural, and more than half of all U.S. traffic fatalities occur on rural roads, most of this testing to date in other states has been conducted in urban areas. The lessons we learn in Ohio can have enormous benefits for our own state and nationwide as we work to make our transportation system safer.”

The Ohio team will test this technology during all seasons, day and night, and on paved and unpaved roads. Additionally, some testing will be conducted during periods of limited visibility and in work zones.

During testing, a driver will be behind the wheel at all times for safety reasons. Local officials in regions where on-road testing is being conducted will participate in pre-planning, and before testing takes place, community meetings will be held to inform the public. TRC will lead the deployments, which will be coordinated by academic partners.

“At TRC, we are working every day with innovators to test and improve new technologies that increase highway safety, reduce traffic congestion and make the nation’s transportation system more efficient,” says TRC president and CEO Brett Roubinek. “This grant will help maintain Ohio’s leadership in advancing these technologies and help the federal government safely implement automated driving systems across the nation.”