‘Smart Road’ Technology Aids Research at Virginia Tech
A “smart” road and a “smart” bridge at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute are helping researchers develop ways to improve road and vehicle safety for trucks, automobiles and buses.
The institute, part of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va., built a 1.7-mile highway — the smart road — with 12 pavement sections containing over 400 sensors. Connected to this road by March 2001 will be a 2,000-foot long, 170-foot high smart bridge, touted as the highest bridge in Virginia. In 2008, the experimental road will become part of a connecting road from Blacksburg to Interstate 81.
The research will examine pavement guidelines and the loads they can bear, and that should benefit the trucking industry, Wilkinson said.
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 |  Virginia Tech Transportation Institute |
| Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s “smart” road is lined with towers that create special lighting and weather conditions. |
Testing using the experimental road and bridge began in January. Results of the studies won’t be out for three years, said Cindy Wilkinson, marketing and public relations manager.
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