Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - November 2022 - 4

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The Inside Story on Middlesex County, New Jersey:
Committed to Safety and Sustainability
Through Technology and Innovation
In an interview with SAE's Autonomous Vehicle Engineering, Solomon Caviness, Department Head of the Middlesex County,
New Jersey, Department of Transportation, discussed its readiness for technology businesses seeking an environment that
fosters growth and collaborative relationships.
AVE: A seemingly never-ending issue,
especially in the tech community, is the
tight labor market. How are you attracting
tech workers - and what are you doing to
make it an environment where people and
tech companies want to locate?
Caviness: The County has a long history
of innovation and deep academic roots.
We have Rutgers University here in New
Brunswick, the seat of Middlesex County.
We have Princeton University just down
the road, Stevens Institute, our two-year
Middlesex College and an award-winning
Middlesex County Magnet Schools
system. All the educational institutions
provide access to a rich talent pool and
a lot of R&D and academic resources. By
maximizing our existing, strong partnerships,
we work closely with industry investors to ensure our
workforce continues to evolve to meet industry demands.
That helps us be thoughtful about the curriculums in partnership
with Rutgers and our academic partners. We have a
direct impact on the development of academic curriculums
to create a future workforce to fuel our County's many transportation
initiatives. This in turn leads to a high-tech talent
pool to support a local innovation economy. It is our hope
to create a breeding ground of transferrable smart jobs and
solutions to the region and the nation.
Vision Zero program aimed at eliminating
traffic fatalities and serious injuries (FSIs) on
roadways in the county by 2040.
Solomon Caviness
AVE: There is a wide variety of smart-mobility
efforts in the U.S. What are some
ways you think DataCity's learnings will
be unique?
Caviness: The plan to deploy the full-corridor
data collection, data sharing, and
application testing capabilities on an
open-road testbed with more than
100,000 average daily traffic and realworld
city and highway congestion - is
unmatched. Considering the type, resolution,
and coverage of the data and just
the sheer volume of data we're collecting,
our DataCity is more attractive compared
to some of the 'closed' testbeds located in sunny states
including California, Nevada and Arizona, to name a few.
Our dense location in the Northeast region makes us
unique as well, and the fact that we have all four seasons
allows us to see the impact from varied weather patterns.
Additionally, we have a diversity of roadway users with local
residents, long-distance commuters, rail and bus transit
users, and University students, faculty, and staff, which is
pretty unique compared to most places.
Furthermore, we will be the first to deploy an autoAVE:
Talk a little about what you're building with DataCity.
Caviness: DataCity is a marquee investment by the County,
becoming the first in the nation to host a smart-mobility
living lab in the heart of a dense, urban city. The program
covers about a 2.5-mile stretch of roadway in downtown New
Brunswick. There will be a digital twin, based on the data from
the deployment of lidar, computer vision, and other sensors
and cellular V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) connectivity.
A key facet of a long-term strategic initiative named
Destination 2040, the County will explore ways to improve the
safety, efficiency and reliability of the transportation system
and build equitable community-based solutions for all users.
The data collected also will aid and support the County's
mated-shuttle demonstration at regional medical centers
here with Robert Wood Johnson hospital and potentially St.
Peters hospital. The goal is to provide equitable community
transportation access. Partnering with Verizon and Iteris,
the County will launch its Vision Zero Initiative to improve
traffic safety at intersections and pedestrian crossings. Also,
DataCity roadside Connected and Automated Vehicle applications
will develop real-time intelligence to alert pedestrians
and vehicles of potential vehicle conflicts and near-miss situations
for crash avoidance. ■
Learn more about Middlesex County's DataCity initiative, visit
DiscoverMiddlesex.com/biz or email biz@co.middlesex.nj.us
to connect with business advisors.
4 November 2022
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ENGINEERING

https://discovermiddlesex.com/biz/

Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - November 2022

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