CMU-Backed PennSTART Project To Bring Training, Testing and Jobs to the Region
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Carnegie Mellon University’s Safety21(opens in new window) helped shape the vision for PennSTART(opens in new window) — the Pennsylvania Safety Transportation and Research Track — now under construction(opens in new window).
When finished, PennSTART will comprise a high-speed test track and a variety of flexible, future-focused and realistic road environments, including urban streets, rural roads, intersections and more. The test track will provide researchers, developers and testers — including CMU — a safe, realistic place to safely test and deploy connected and automated vehicles, train first responders through lifelike scenarios and try out new tools that make transportation better.
Building on Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon’s long history in automated vehicle research, the facility aims to support safer highways and smarter mobility for years to come.
Theresa Mayer,(opens in new window) CMU’s vice president for research, said the university is proud to help build a new regional asset that will enable advanced transportation research and facilitate translating these innovations into practice.
“By giving researchers, companies and students a place to safely test, refine and deploy emerging technologies, PennSTART will accelerate solutions that will make transportation safer, more efficient and innovative, and continue to strengthen Southwestern Pennsylvania’s position as a national leader in autonomous vehicles,” she said.
Safety21, a U.S. Department of Transportation National University Transportation Center, develops technologies, policies and workforce training programs to help communities safely adopt connected autonomous vehicles (AV), all guided by its goal of “innovating for safety.” The center’s leadership is also focused on making PennSTART a place that serves the community and attracts new manufacturing and jobs.
“PennSTART is more than a research site, it’s an investment in the communities that keep our region and our nation moving forward,” said Raj Rajkumar(opens in new window), director of Safety21 and George Westinghouse Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering(opens in new window). “Having been a birthplace of AV technology back in 1984, we at CMU have a unique window of opportunity to advance autonomous vehicles, and PennSTART will help our country be a leader in this space. By giving innovators and first responders a real-world testbed, and attracting AV companies to our region, we can build safer roads, modernize the region’s transportation network and strengthen our region’s economy,” he said.
Located about 45 minutes from CMU and Downtown Pittsburgh, and funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC), PennSTART is a partnership between Safety21, Regional Industrial Development Corporation, the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation, PennDOT and the PTC.
