Georgia DOT Partners with 3M on Smart Roadway Tech
In August, the Georgia Department of Transportation announced a plan to turn an 18-mile portion of Interstate 85 in southern Georgia into a test bed for connected vehicle technology, including vehicle-to-infrastructure connectivity. The highway is known as The Ray, named after Ray C. Anderson, a Georgia businessman and environmentalist. There are several goals for the pilot, including using the data collected to help develop traffic management platforms. Another is to create the foundation for future connected highway technologies.
The Georgia DOT, 3M and The Ray announced this week that all lanes of the 13 miles of Interstate 85, from the Georgia-Alabama border to Exit 13-LaGrange, are now marked with 3M’s Connected Roads All Weather Elements striping technology. The striping tech is designed for high visibility in all weather conditions, by both human and machine-operated vehicles. 3M elements provide visibility daytime, nighttime and in dry or wet weather conditions, which is made possible with unique 2.4 (wet) and 1.9 (dry) refractive index bead technology.
“Georgia DOT’s number one priority is safety for the traveling public,” Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell McMurry said in a statement. “The installation of this new technology enhancing pavement marking visibility is a perfect example of Georgia DOT’s and The Ray’s mutual commitment, with the assistance of 3M, to create an innovative, safer and more sustainable highway.”
The public-private-philanthropic partnership between Georgia DOT, 3M and The Ray will continue in 2020 as 3M delivers additional and innovative road infrastructure and safety products as part of the growing area of enhanced technology for pavement markings and other roadway infrastructure.
