CURRENT PROJECT: Building and Promoting an Autonomous Vehicle Corridor in Western Pennsylvania and Beyond
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) are partnering to explore and advance PennSTART, a state-of-the-art training and testing facility to address the transportation safety and operational needs of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic Region. An analysis is underway to choose a facility location, with the decision expected to be made in the next stage of the engineering- planning and design process over the next year. The facility is anticipated to be operational as early as 2024 and will benefit emergency responders, transportation organizations, and research institutions. PennSTART will address safety training and research needs in six key areas: traffic incident management (TIM); tolling and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technology; work zones; commercial vehicles; transit vehicles; and connected and automated vehicles.
Examples of technologies for which safety and operational testing, as well as training, will be conducted at the new facility could include:
- Traffic Incident Management
- Connected & Automated Vehicles
- Tolling, ITS and Traffic Signals
- Work Zones
- Commercial Vehicles
- Transit Vehicles
- Autonomous Technologies
On December 8, 2025, PennSTART announced that construction is underway with a planned opening date in Fall 2026. News coverage can be found in the PennSTART news room. Metro21 is represented on PennSTART through Safety21, the US DOT National University Transportation Center for Safety. Director Raj Rajkumar serves on the operating committee of PennSTART; Metro21/Safety21 executive director Karen Lightman serves on other supporting committees including construction and education.
