July 11, 2019 – Alongside Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted and senior state officials, the Transportation Research Center, Inc. (TRC Inc.), an independent automotive proving ground in North America, inaugurated its SMARTCenter ‚Äí an automated and connected vehicle-testing facility. The SMARTCenter gives transportation innovators opportunities to test automotive and mobility technologies in a safe, secure and repeatable real-world environment before the vehicles are deployed on public roads and highways.
The SMARTCenter is designed to provide flexibility in a controlled variety of real-world scenarios for all types of passenger and commercial vehicles. Supported by TRC Inc.’s other service offerings, the SMARTCenter is a comprehensive contained testing site for advanced vehicle technologies and features:
- a 1.2 miles, six lanes, connected, signalized intersection.
- an urban network consisting of movable intersections, roundabouts, and oblique intersection scenarios,
- a 10,000-square-foot control building with garage and office space,
- full site access to Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC)and high speed wireless communication,
- and an underground power distribution and fiber network to support current and future test technologies.
Funding for the $45 million project has been provided by the State of Ohio, JobsOhio and The Ohio State University.
SMARTCenter Facts:
- $45 million total funding for Phase 1.
- Over 1.1 million square feet of pavement equaling 18.5 lane miles
- Covering 540 acres within TRC’s total 4,500 acres, the SMARTCenter alone is nearly two-thirds the size of New York’s Central Park.
- Over 700,000 cubic yards – or 51,000 truckloads – of earth were moved during 18 months of construction.
- More than 20,000 linear feet of underground conduits to distribute power and fiber optics throughout the site
