BALTIMORE (WJZ)– The Maryland Department of Transportation submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation to designate a portion of the Interstate 95 corridor in Maryland as a future driver-less car testing and deployment area.
The application is in response to USDOT’s notice of intent to designate a select number of “proving grounds” across the country, which will help accelerate the development of Automated Vehicle technology to achieve a better understanding of the long-term impacts of self-driving vehicles.
Maryland’s proposal includes the I-95 corridor from Aberdeen Proving Ground to the Fort Meade/University of Maryland region, and includes multiple public roadways, the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and existing public and private research and testing facilities throughout the region.
“The I-95 Corridor in Maryland is the ideal one-stop-shop for real-world testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn.
“This corridor is strategically positioned along the thriving east coast and combines a wealth of existing facilities, along with unique testing opportunities at the Port of Baltimore and BWI Airport,” he says.
USDOT will announce the initial list of AV Proving Grounds during the first quarter of 2017.