UWM is a Partner on a Project to Address Rural Transportation Needs with Autonomous Vehicles

MILWAUKEE_Researchers at UWM’s College of Engineering & Applied Science are partners on a $15 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant to explore the benefits and responsible use of autonomous vehicles in rural communities where transportation services are limited.

The six-year project will develop solutions to improve mobility, such as enabling nondrivers to better access health care, groceries and other amenities, and helping people without vehicles commute to work. UW-Madison leads the project. UWM’s share of the grant is $1.4 million.

Only 19% of the U.S. population and a quarter of all Americans aged 65 and older reside in rural communities. Yet, 47% of all roadway fatalities occur on rural roads. Despite this, few studies exist on how autonomous vehicles (AVs) could be used to better serve rural America, said Tom Shi, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering who is UWM’s lead researcher on the grant.

The initiative is divided into three phases, each lasting two years. The first focuses on identifying unique rural transportation needs, developing AV technology for rural environments and testing these technologies in rural areas. The second involves demonstrating and piloting solutions identified during the first phase. The final phase aims to deploy these solutions with private-sector partners.

“In addition to enabling AVs for passenger transport, we’re also working on critical technologies like high-precision mapping, communication between physical and digital infrastructure, and evaluating the policy impacts of AV adoption,” Shi said.

Adapting AVs to rural settings poses unique challenges, he added. AVs and the digital data they are linked to must recognize and understand features that are uncommon in urban areas, such as different types of pavement markings, farm equipment or gravel roads, Shi said.

While digital tools like ramp metering and sensor-equipped vehicles exist, rural areas lag in connected transportation infrastructure.

So, while the grant is centered on rural areas, the technology developed could also benefit urban areas, said Xiao Qin, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UWM. Qin, also director of the college’s Institute for Physical Infrastructure and Transit (IPIT); Andy Graettinger, the college’s associate dean for research; and Yang Li, IPIT research associate, are members of the UWM team.

In addition to local collaborators from the public sector, including administrators in Walworth and Jefferson counties in Southeast Wisconsin, Qin is actively courting private companies in Wisconsin who are interested in AV technology.

“Tech transfer is what we’re aiming at,” said Qin. “That is one reason we’re calling for partners from the urban communities to join us and explore the opportunities to leverage the technology we are developing.”

The research is part of the newly established Tribal and Rural Autonomous Vehicles for Equity, Liability, and Safety (TRAVELS) Center, led by UW-Madison professor of civil and environmental engineering Xiaopeng “Shaw” Li.

UWM is a center partner along with Oklahoma State University and the University of Georgia. The institutions will work with 34 state-level partners — including tribal nations, local governments and nonprofits — who will contribute to the project.

Additional collaborators include the University of Washington and Northern Oklahoma College, both of which have Native community programs, and Morgan State University, a historically Black research university.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.