33 Smart Mobility Corridor celebrated at TRC
RoubinekPortions of U.S. Route 33, running east from the Transportation Research Center in East Liberty, continuing into the City of Marysville and ending in the City of Dublin, garnered a new designation Wednesday with the opening of the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor — the world’s most connected highway.
Lt. Governor Jon Husted and a number of public and private sector partners gathered for a ceremony at TRC to celebrate this achievement and mark a historic day. The corridor will enable the development and testing of mobile technology that has the potential to enhance automobile safety, reduce congestion and improve fuel economy in the future, officials said.
Greeting the many individuals who helped this project come to fruition, Lt. Gov. Husted said the InnovateOhio Executive Committee enjoyed spending time earlier that morning at the James A. Rhodes Conference Center at TRC. They discussed the history of the transportation center and were able to view black and white photographs from the groundbreaking of state-of-the-art facility in 1970 that the late Gov. Rhodes helped to envision.
“This is a community who believes what’s happening in smart mobility, and all of your contributions have led to this success. Those who collaborate the best, win,” he said.
“Gov. Rhodes knew about bringing people together. Now about 50 years later, you can feel good collectively about what you’ve achieved here. Innovation has been allowed to flourish and improve the quality of life. How many lives are going to be changed as a result of what’s going on in your corridor?”
The 33 Smart Mobility Corridor, a living lab of the Beta District is the result of multiple organizations and government entities coming together to support the innovation that is changing the way that people will work, live and travel.
Project partners include the Ohio Department of Transportation, DriveOhio, U.S. Department of Transportation, Logan County, and the NW 33 Council of Governments (COG), which includes the City of Dublin, the City of Marysville, Union County, and the Marysville-Union County Port Authority.
With a 35-mile redundant loop of fiber connectivity, the corridor includes 432 strands of available fiber, 63 roadside units, and 45 connected intersections. A route that encompasses diverse geographical and meteorological scenarios, the corridor is a unique asset for Ohio that differentiates the state as a one-of-a-kind vehicle testing ecosystem.
“Transportation is evolving, and mobility technology solutions that have and will be tested on the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor will save lives,” ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks.
“As we develop the transportation system of the 21st century and beyond, Ohio will continue leading the way. The partnership framework we have established during this project is a model for future programs across the state, as we work to improve the quality of life for all Ohioans.”
The potential to innovate and greatly improve safety standards is precisely aligned with the work performed at TRC each day, related Brett Roubinek, TRC president and CEO.
“We’re helping to put Ohio in first place. This project will pay dividends for Ohio families in saving lives.
“Research along this corridor, like our other work here at TRC and The Beta District, is focused on one essential goal: making the world’s vehicles, highways and traffic management systems safer. Ohio will be a leader in making that happen and the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor will be where it all started.”
The 33 Smart Mobility route passes by industry partner Honda’s manufacturing and vehicle development operations.
Sue Bai, chief engineer at Honda Research Institute USA Inc., said Honda has deployed more than 200 connected vehicles along the corridor to understand how technology impacts the customer and realize a connected ecosystem that protects everyone sharing the road, including pedestrians, motorcycles and cyclists.
“Ohio’s 33 Smart Mobility Corridor enables us to conduct real-world testing of Honda’s SAFE SWARM technology, which uses vehicle-to-everything communication to help mitigate collisions, improve traffic flow, increase fuel efficiency for all road users, and prepare for higher-levels of automated driving features.
“This initiative is helping us develop the transportation ecosystem of the future with like-minded partners in the auto industry, government, academia, and the private sector.”
As the foundation for a larger portfolio of projects at the state and local level, the corridor has supported the Connected Marysville and the Connected Dublin programs.
The City of Marysville is the first connected city in the nation, with all 29 traffic signals connected. The resulting system will make travel safer and more efficient for roads users and pedestrians.
The Connected Dublin program features connective vehicle technology being utilized in a multi-lane roundabout. Both deployments pair connected signals, pedestrian crosswalks, and infrastructure with a vehicle’s on-board unit to communicate real-time information to the driver to better inform their driving behavior.
Logan County Commissioner Paul Bendetti said the county has been involved in the smart corridor initiative from the beginning, and the potential to expand the 33 Smart initiative further into Logan County is a definite possibility.
“The door is very much open to Logan County. We’re looking to seeing the future progress.”
City of Dublin Mayor Chris Amorose Groomes predicted another gathering might take place in another 50 years that will look back at the innovations that have taken place since this ribbon cutting event.
“This is where our future will be tested,” she said.
