AASHTO Journal - Construction Begins on PennSTART Testing Facility

Pennsylvania recently began physical construction on its new PennSTART Vehicle Testing Facility; a closed loop testing complex designed to accelerate innovation in emerging transportation technology while also serving as a training site for the state’s 54,000 first responders.

[Above image via PennDOT]

The first phase of the PennSTART facility – short for “Pennsylvania Safety, Transportation, and Research Track” and located in Western Pennsylvania – will include a high-speed test track and a dynamic, multi-purpose area for customized use. Future phases for the project will include signalized and unsignalized intersections and urban and rural environment approximations to maximize test conditions.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said the PennSTART complex will provide testing and training with connected and automated vehicles and autonomous technologies; commercial and transit vehicles; off-road and aerial vehicles; field robotics; plus traffic incident management, tolling, Intelligent Transportation Systems or ITS technology, and traffic signals.

The total investment from all sources in the first phase of the project is $25 million and includes funding from Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC), PennDOT, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the Hillman Foundation, and Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.

Planning began after the concept was recommended in the Forefront Report sponsored by RIDC and the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce in 2021, with the design finalized in 2022.

“As technologies change, the ways that drivers and first responders interact with transportation infrastructure change as well,” said Mike Carroll, PennDOT secretary, in a statement. “PennSTART will be the testing ground for next-gen innovations designed to make our roads safer and more connected.”

The agency added that PennSTART will not only serve local users but will be positioned as a national hub for the development of emerging technology and economic opportunity, advancing transportation technology and training across key sectors such as connected vehicles, traffic management, and autonomous technologies.