Autonomous Maintenance Technologies - Phase 2

Road maintenance activities are crucial for ensuring safe and efficient delivery of goods and people. Well-maintained roads not only extend their lifespan but also significantly reduce the risk of accidents and improve fuel efficiency. In recent years, with the development of vehicle automation, wireless communication, and robotic technologies, some road maintenance activities can be partially or fully replaced by machines, which bring significant benefits in improving road maintenance workers’ safety and productivity and alleviating the growing workforce shortage in state DOTs. The existing pooled fund project titled “Autonomous Maintenance Technology (AMT)” started in 2018 and the main focus so far has been the Autonomous Truck Mounted Attenuator (ATMA) technology. Current research in ATMA has led to broader interest in other AMTs such as autonomous cracking sealing, autonomous mowing, and autonomous snow plowing, among others. This motivates to expand the scope of the current pooled fund project and develop a cooperative agreement to conduct further research on other available ATMs and their supported road maintenance activities. The Indiana DOT (INDOT) will serve as the lead state for the execution of the continuing pooled fund project. INDOT, through the Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP) at Purdue University, will handle all administrative duties associated with the project. Purdue University will also serve as the lead research institution for the project. The overall objective of this study is to support and promote collaborative research efforts in the field of Autonomous Maintenance Technologies (AMTs) for road maintenance activities. Specific objectives include (1) Identify needed research priorities from participating state DOTs; (2) Provide a platform for technology, experience, and lessons learned exchange among participants; (3) Fund research related to AMT development, testing, evaluation, and deployment in various DOT maintenance activities; (4) Foster collaboration among state agencies, industry, and academia; and (5) Provide technical leadership in AMT to advance the state-of-the-art road maintenance practices. It is expected that this consortium will become a national leader in AMT-related research and applications.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.pooledfund.org/Details/Study/1792

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Programmed
• Funding: $1,123,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  TPF-5(559)

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Colorado Department of Transportation

  2829 W. Howard Place
  Denver, CO  United States  80204

  California Department of Transportation

  1227 O Street
  Sacramento, CA  United States  95814

  Illinois Department of Transportation

  2300 S Dirksen Parkway
  Springfield, IL  United States  62764

  Indiana Department of Transportation

  Indiana Government Center North
  100 North Senate Avenue
  Indianapolis, IN  United States  46204-2249

  Kansas Department of Transportation

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

  Michigan Department of Transportation

  Van Wagoner Building
  425 W. Ottawa Street
  Lansing, MI  United States  48909

  Minnesota Department of Transportation

  Transportation Building
  395 John Ireland Boulevard
  St Paul, MN  United States  55155

  Mississippi Department of Transportation

  P.O. Box 1850
  Jackson, MS  United States  39215-1850

  Missouri Department of Transportation

  1617 Missouri Blvd.
  P.O. Box 270
  Jefferson City, MO  United States  65102

  Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

  Keystone Building
  400 North Street
  Harrisburg, PA  United States  17120

  Texas Department of Transportation

  125 E. 11th Street
  Austin, TX  United States  78701-2483
• Managing Organizations:

  Indiana Department of Transportation

  1101 State Office Building
  Indianapolis, IN  United States  46204
• Project Managers:

  Nantung, Tommy

• Start Date: 20250808
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automation; Highway maintenance; Lessons learned; State departments of transportation; Technological innovations
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01961652
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Contract Numbers: TPF-5(559)
• Files: RIP, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jul 22 2025 8:49PM