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Community Corner

Facing California's transportation transformation by HNTB's Kevin Reed, PE

As HNTB celebrates a century of providing infrastructure expertise to federal, state and local agencies, it’s striking how much California transportation has changed since 1914.

Over the next two decades, we can expect the face of California transportation to change once again. Our vehicles will communicate with each other and smart roads, bridges and highways, giving vehicles 360-degree awareness and an ability to sense impending crashes and conflicts.

These advanced systems will make most vehicle crashes a thing of the past. They also open up important opportunities to better connect our various modes of transportation, get more out of the systems we already have, and move toward true user fees.

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This evolution has been decades in the making, but really has moved from science fiction to fact over the last 10 years as engineers and planners have worked actively with the U.S. Department of Transportation, along with auto manufacturers and state agencies. More recently, actual drivers in live test bed settings have been in the mix as experts have gathered their input and a better understanding of the potential real-world return on investment.

Having cars that can “talk” to each other and the roadway – that inform drivers of potential risks and enable new mobility options for travelers – far outweighs the costs of implementation. Perhaps most importantly, we can do something to address the leading cause of death among young drivers and to drastically reduce the 35,000 people annually who currently die in traffic accidents. These “cars of the future” ultimately will do a better job of protecting the health, safety and welfare of our citizens.

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Intermodal connectivity will allow seamless transfers between modes of travel, from bikes to cars to buses and ships to trucks to trains and airplanes. Information will be presented to vehicle occupants to help them navigate congested urban environments as well as the most isolated rural areas.

Imagine express lanes with vehicles traveling at high rates of speed only inches apart in automated platoons carrying people and goods. Road capacity will expand by as much as 300 to 500 percent, and since vehicles will seldom – if ever – crash, highway geometric standards will need revamping. As vehicle electrification becomes more prevalent, the roads will dynamically recharge vehicle batteries or provide direct power for vehicle propulsion systems.

We already have the I-15 Integrated Corridor Management pilot site in San Diego, priced managed lanes in Los Angeles, all-electronic tolling on the Golden Gate Bridge, and bus rapid transit rolling out across the state.

The need for infrastructure maintenance and expansion will still be present, but these disruptive forces will change how that infrastructure will look and be utilized. Consequently, the services that transportation agencies provide will evolve, as will the way transportation services are provided and paid for.

For example, smart phones already are changing the way people interact as well as the way they travel. In the near future, more accurate differential GPS, high-speed LTE communications, and dedicated short range communications capabilities will be integrated into smart phones. As a result, related apps will allow transportation agencies to get more out of existing infrastructure and transit services through active transportation and demand management. Travelers will be more empowered with information and travel choices involving all roads and all modes.

Surface transportation will indeed change dramatically over the next two decades as disruptive innovations change the way that transportation systems are designed and transportation services are offered. Communities across California, transportation agencies and their partners – as well as firms like HNTB – should be ready to not only adjust to such changes, but capitalize on them and better serve the traveling and commuting public, which should be ready to ask what kind of modern, multimodal transportation system they want.

Kevin Reed, PE, Associate Vice President/San Diego Office Leader, HNTB Corporation. Reach Kevin Reed at kreed@HNTB.com





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