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Virginia Smart Road

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The Virginia Smart Road, also known as simply the Smart Road or Smart Highway,[2] is a short, limited-access road in Montgomery County, Virginia, used for the testing of pavement technologies and as a proving ground for new transportation technologies. The road is not open to the public. The Smart Road is currently a 2.2-mile (3.5 km) stretch of road with turn-around loops at either end. Eventually, the road will be extended to a total of 5.7 miles (9.2 km), directly connecting U.S. Route 460 in Blacksburg to Interstate 81 with an interchange near mile marker 121; however, there is yet to be a set time frame for completion. The Wilson Creek Bridge was built for the Smart Road and, at 175 feet (53 m) tall, is the second tallest bridge in Virginia.[3] The road and bridge are operated and maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation.[1] It is part of the proposed Interstate 73 Corridor.

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Features

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Smart Road features and operations include, but are not limited to:[1]

  • A 2.2-mile, controlled-access test track built to interstate standards
  • Two paved lanes
  • Three bridges, including the Smart Road Bridge (the second tallest state-maintained bridge in Virginia)
  • Full-time staff that coordinate all road activities
  • 24/7 access control and oversight
  • Centralized communications
  • Lighting and weather system controls
  • Safety assurance and surveillance
  • Fourteen pavement sections, including an open-grade friction course
  • In-pavement sensors (e.g., moisture, temperature, strain, vibration, weigh-in-motion)
  • Zero-crown pavement section designed for flooded pavement testing
  • An American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)-designated surface friction testing facility
  • Seventy-five weather-making towers accessible on crowned and zero-crown pavement sections
  • Artificial snow production of up to four inches per hour (based on suitable weather conditions)
  • Production of differing intensities of rain with varying droplet sizes
  • Fog production
  • Two weather stations with official National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather available within one mile
  • Variable pole spacing designed to replicate 95 percent of national highway systems
  • Multiple luminaire heads, including light-emitting diode (LED) modules
  • A wireless mesh network variable control (i.e., luminaire dimming)
  • A high-bandwidth fiber network
  • A differential GPS base station
  • Complete signal phase and timing (SPaT) using remote controls
  • Wide shoulders for safe maneuvering during experimental testing
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Segments

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In 1994, VDOT unveiled two alternate routes for the Smart Road partially to avoid smooth purple coneflower populations in Ellett Valley.[4]

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References

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