Local and state officials proposed plans on Thursday to build a state-of-the-art test track and research facility that aims to serve as a hub of transportation-related innovations for autonomous vehicle companies, educational institutions and first responders.
To be named the Pennsylvania Safety, Transportation and Research Track, or PennSTART, the facility's recommendation is part of a pitch being offered by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania (RIDC), which have all partnered for work on the site planning and design-related efforts for such a facility.
Following the reaching of a final agreement between involved parties, the facility will likely span portions of the 2.8 million square feet of land that's partially occupied by the RIDC Westmoreland Innovation Center in Mount Pleasant.
The facility's proposal calls for dedicated space that addresses topics relating to safety, training and research including traffic incident management (TIM); tolling and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technology; work zones; commercial vehicles; transit vehicles; and AV and other emerging technologies.
“Our region already has a thriving cluster of autonomous technology companies and is one of the national leaders in the development of driverless vehicles,” Donald F. Smith Jr., RIDC president, said in a prepared statement. “Today’s PennSTART announcement is the fulfillment of one of the recommendations outlined in a joint RIDC—Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce report on how to facilitate the growth and impact of the industry. Southwestern Pennsylvania has a long history of successful public-private partnerships to advance our region, and we are gratified to be able to partner with PennDOT and the Turnpike Commission to develop this project as a regional asset that will continue to attract companies, jobs and investment.”
Added PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian in a statement: "As highway safety and transportation technologies advance, our teams, first responders, students and researchers should also be learning about these tools…PennSTART will provide access to innovative technologies for testing and education."
The facility is slated to be operational as early as 2024, according to the PennSTART website. Officials did not provide estimated cost figures for such an endeavor.
