Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1347119
April/May/June 2021 I 39 INSTALLATION HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE SMART MOBILITY CORRIDOR—PHASES 1 AND 2 As shown in Figure 5, the project location is a regional CAV testing environment that includes 35 miles of US33 four-lane limited access highway, small city environ- ments in Dublin and Marysville, and the world-class Transportation Research Center (TRC) in East Liberty, located in Logan County. This mix of open road highway, urban streets, and private off-road testing facilities gives US33 SMC a significant advantage over other proving ground sites. Within the US33 SMC, CAV systems and applications can be tested and analyzed in virtually any environment with few exceptions. Ohio's typical climate provides testing opportunities in dry, wet, warm, and cold winter environments. Columbus, Dublin, and Marysville provide a wide range of urban roadway environments. The TRC is a notable and integral part of US33 SMC in its own right. Set on 4,500 acres, it is the nation's largest independent vehicle testing facility serving approximately 66 neighboring automotive companies. The TRC conducts virtual testing of vehicles and vehicle systems in a research building and lab environment and provides many other services including: • An NHTSA research center • 24-7 testing with 4,500 acres of road, courses, and trails • 7.5-mile test track with traffic intersections up to six lanes wide • 50-acre vehicle dynamics testing area • 540-acre Smart Center allowing testing of CAVs • Real life traffic scenarios FIGURE 5: US33 SMC project area overview. Image is courtesy of the Union County Chamber of Commerce.