Smart highway

Smart highway is a term used to describe any roadway that implements modern technology to improve the experience of driving in some way. The concept of smart highways includes a variety of technologies and designs that are utilized to achieve a wide array of innovative upgrades to existing transportation systems. In some instances, a smart highway may be as simple as a roadway that incorporates glowing lines or other illuminated features meant to improve visibility and safety. In other cases, smart highways can be much more complex and may include features such as special panels that power electric cars, sensors that help guide driverless cars, or smart pavement that could provide drivers with information on where other cars are on a highway and how fast they are traveling in real time. While the development of such technology is still in its early stages, a number of smart highways have already been built in cities around the world.

Background

Normal, average roads represent a relatively simple form of technology. Most are made of asphalt or concrete and are designed and built to help people get from place to place as easily and efficiently as possible. Beyond their basic structure and the addition of painted lines, typical roads generally incorporate little else in terms of technological innovation. The smart highway movement aims to change that.

The idea of smart highways has existed for quite some time. In fact, the thought of automated highways filled with driverless cars that modern smart highway technology may make possible can be traced back to at least the 1939 New York World’s Fair. While such a concept was little more than a futuristic dream at the time, the first steps to realizing this vision in the United States were actually in 1991. That year, Congress passed the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, a bill that provided $650 million over six years for the development of the technology required to allow driverless cars to travel on automated highways. While this move yielded little in the way of practical results, it set the stage for the emergence of smart highways in the years that followed.

The world’s first two smart roadways both debuted in 2013. One of these was a special road installed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in the South Korean city of Gumi that was capable of charging the electric buses that traveled along it. KAIST’s primary goal in undertaking this ambitious project was to make it possible for the city’s electric buses to travel farther without needing to stop and recharge. The Netherlands also installed its first smart roadway in 2013. Unlike its South Korean counterpart, the Dutch project was a proper smart highway with a number of unique technological features. Among these features were lane dividers coated with photo-luminescent paint that glows all night long after being charged with solar energy during the day. The Dutch smart highway also featured images of ice crystals that appeared on the surface of the road when temperatures dipped below freezing and special lanes capable of charging electric cars.

Overview

The future potential of smart highways is virtually limitless. With the integration of technological innovations, smart highways will likely be able to accomplish a wide variety of tasks that are simply not possible with an average road. Among other things, smart highways could directly contribute to improvements in everything from roadway lighting to traffic control and driver safety.

On the most basic level, smart highways could significantly change the way roads are lit for nighttime driving. Most typical highways and other roads rely on simple electric LED streetlights to provide added illumination during the night. Smart highways like the one installed in the Netherlands in 2013 can incorporate more creative and efficient means of providing the illumination necessary to ensure safe travel throughout the nighttime hours. Among other things, smart highways could incorporate lights powered by wind generated from passing cars that will only turn on when traffic is present, or solar cells that could provide power for streetlights and other electrical equipment.

Smart highways could also play an important role in traffic management. Smart highways could make use of a sort of “smart pavement” made of concrete slabs with embedded technology that allows them to detect vehicles and identify their location in real time. This would theoretically allow the smart highway system itself to do things like make lane adjustments and closures as needed. Such technology could also potentially be used as an alternative means of collecting tolls that would not require cars to slow down or stop at all. Smart highways equipped with this kind of technology could also provide drivers with important information about nearby hotels, gas stations, and other useful businesses.

Smart highways could even help to reduce the number of traffic accidents and provide an appropriate response when accidents do occur. In terms of lowering the number of traffic accidents, smart highways could make it possible for police to automatically issue tickets for speeding. Smart highways could even alert police in the event of erratic driving or other hazardous conditions. All this could lead to a reduced likelihood of traffic accidents and improve highway safety. When accidents do occur, smart highways could alert emergency services and adjust traffic flow accordingly.

The construction of additional smart highways was tied to the continuing development of driverless, or autonomous, cars. Smart highways connected directly with driverless cars and provided these vehicles with critical information on speed, location, and destination. Smart highways also used their connection with autonomous cars to manage traffic and even directly control the speed of vehicles traveling along a particular stretch of road. China completed its first smart highway in 2023. Near Suzhou, the 35-mile highway was created specifically for autonomous driving and was equipped with 270 sets of sensors. The United States began building its first smart highway in 2024. When finished, the 39-mile highway would connect Detroit with Ann Arbor in southeast Michigan. The highway was equipped with sensors, radar, cameras, wireless communication technology, and a small computer. Software would give the Michigan Department of Transportation insight into the possibility of potential safety concerns, such as stalled vehicles and pedestrians. Upon completion, the highway would provide this information to both connected and automated vehicles.

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