Exploring the Autonomous Truck Mounted Attenuator (ATMA) Technology Potential for Kansas

Autonomous Maintenance Technology (AMT), including the autonomous truck mounted attenuator (ATMA), has gained traction due to its safety effectiveness in work zones. Data from field tests indicate the achievable functionality of ATMA systems within business-as-usual environments. Given that AMT services (including the ATMA) need to operate under varying conditions--weather, visibility, congestion states--and for different purposes (snow plowing vs. patching), there is a need to assess the change in functionality levels of AMT systems dictated by these external factors (that we cannot control). Also, the cost-effectiveness of the AMT technologies has not been explored, accounting for application type, technological adaptation, road network geometry, and overall context (urban vs. rural). Thus, for deployment planning and investments, it is vital to have a good understanding of the technological (connectivity, infrastructure), economical (cost-benefit ratio considering training and staffing), and environmental (nighttime operations, rural vs. urban, adverse weather) feasibility of the AMT systems in general. Further, Governor Kelly has recently signed the Autonomous Vehicle Bill, and this gives us a timely opportunity to plan ATMA deployment in the State of Kansas. The objectives of the proposed research include: (A) Explore the legislative requirements for ATMA deployment in the state of Kansas. This involves exploring the current limitations and the needs--operational design domain and testbeds--concerning ATMA operations. (B) Investigate the effects of weather, traffic environment, and road geometry attributes on the ATMA operations. (C) Develop a plan for ATMA deployment following the recently passed AV Bill (SB 303).

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $35866
• Contract Numbers:

  KSU-23-2

  RE-0859-01

  C2204

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Kansas Department of Transportation

  Eisenhower State Office Building
  700 SW Harrison Street
  Topeka, KS  United States  66603-3754
• Performing Organizations:

  Kansas State University Transportation Center

  Kansas State University
  Department of Civil Engineering
  Manhattan, KS  United States  66506
• Principal Investigators:

  Aziz, Husain

• Start Date: 20220801
• Expected Completion Date: 20250131
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Autonomous vehicles; Deployment; Feasibility analysis; Geometric design; Regulation; State departments of transportation; Truck mounted attenuators; Weather
• Geographic Terms: Kansas
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01858594
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Kansas Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: KSU-23-2, RE-0859-01, C2204
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Sep 22 2022 10:42AM