WSP USA is leading a pilot program to design Minnesota’s first smart road using connected vehicle technology along a stretch of highway near Minneapolis. WSP is leading a program to transform a highway into a smart road, capable of testing and deploying applications that will improve safety and mobility.
WSP was selected by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to transform a major state highway west of Minneapolis into a road capable of testing and deploying numerous applications for safety and mobility. The firm is responsible for providing planning, systems engineering and technical support to MnDOT, and will develop a concept of operations for the project, prepare system requirements, and support the procurement of system design and deployment in subsequent phases.
MnDOT has selected the 9-mile Trunk Highway 55 (TH-55) corridor between downtown Minneapolis and Interstate 494 as the initial location to deploy this technology. In addition, portions of Interstate 394, which runs parallel to the south of TH-55, may be outfitted with connected vehicle infrastructure to allow for additional applications.
The backbone of the Minnesota project will be the broadcast of signal, phase and timing (SPaT) information to vehicles directly from traffic signal controllers along the corridor. MnDOT will be developing the communications infrastructure and data management systems to support a range of existing and future technologies.
Once the connected corridor is ready for activation, WSP and MnDOT will lead outreach efforts and demonstrations to illustrate the benefits of the Minnesota connected corridor to the public.
The connected vehicle technology will provide traffic signal priority to snow plows in order to improve efficiency of snow clearance operations. Along surface roadways and at ramps, stops at traffic signals are extremely disruptive to plow operations, resulting in inefficient clearing and often leading to a second trip by the plows to clear intersection areas, or incomplete snow clearance. These conditions add to the time and cost of snow removal while reducing safety for plow operators and motorists on the corridor.
The connected corridor will also include a mobile work zone warning system that improves traveler information to all motorists using dynamic signs, mobile applications and direct radio messages.
An intersection conflict warning system will provide bus drivers with an alert when a pedestrian is in an approaching crosswalk, providing an additional level of safety to pedestrians as they cross busy intersections.
Source: "Bringing Smart Roads to Minnesota", WSP USA, https://www.wsp.com/en-US/insights/bringing-smart-roads-to-minnesota