Pittsburgh will work with Penn State University as a federal proving ground for self-driving vehicle technology.
Although the city and university submitted separate proposals to become a National Proving Ground for Automated Vehicle Technologies, the federal Department of Transportation combined the proposals, designating the result as one of 10 proving ground sites nationwide.
“We’re actually pretty excited to be working with Penn State,” Alex Pazuchanics, policy coordinator for Mayor Bill Peduto, said Friday.
Mr. Pazuchanics said it should be a good marriage because the university’s Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute has a closed test track in a rural area while Pittsburgh has live testing on streets in an urban setting. The city regularly works with Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh on transportation technology.
“[Penn State has] a complementary program and it’s exciting to work with another great university partner,” he said.
In a news release, Gov. Tom Wolf called the decision a “significant win for Pennsylvania.”
"The City of Pittsburgh already is one of the leading centers for this emerging technology and the new federal designation will ensure continued success,” the governor said.
Mr. Pazuchanics said the collaboration initially is intended to test technological advances and share information among other testing sites and private industry, but there could be funding for specific projects in the future.
The Pittsburgh area has become a leader in transportation technology through smart traffic signals developed at CMU. In addition, the university and Uber are conducting on-road tests of self-driving vehicles.
Other sites selected Thursday as proving grounds were: Texas AV Proving Grounds Partnership; U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland; American Center for Mobility at Willow Run in Michigan; Contra Costa Transportation Authority & GoMentum Station in California; San Diego Association of Governments; Iowa City Area Development Group; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Central Florida Automated Vehicle Partners; and the North Carolina Turnpike Authority.
Ed Blazina: eblazina@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1470.
First Published: January 20, 2017, 8:24 p.m.
Updated: January 21, 2017, 4:08 a.m.