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MnDOT is researching and piloting connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology that will help the state prepare for future transportation needs in Minnesota.The below list highlights some of the top projects completed by the MnDOT CAV team in the last few years. Each project has a link to a separate project page that includes detailed project information and a project summary document.

Project Title: Variable Pedestrian Clearance Interval (VPCI)

Project Description: The Variable Pedestrian Clearance Interval (VPCI) Project consisted of deploying, testing, and analyzing the results of installing video at an intersection to extend the Flashing Don't Walk (FDW) interval as needed when pedestrians were still located within the crosswalk.
Project web page link

Project Title: MnDOT Autonomous Bus Pilot

Project Description:The MnDOT Autonomous Bus Pilot project consisted of deploying a Level 4 shuttle provided by EasyMile on the MnROAD facility.
Project web page link

Project Title: Rochester Automated Shuttle Pilot: Med City Mover

Project Description: The Rochester Automated Shuttle Pilot was a research project that included the 12-month demonstration (August 2021 - August 2022) of two highly automated and electric vehicles to over 3,000 passengers along a fixed route downtown in the City of Rochester.
Project page link

Project Title: White Bear Lake Automated Shuttle Pilot: Bear Tracks

Project Description: The Bear Tracks Automated Shuttle Pilot was a research project that included the 12-month operation (August 2022-July 2023) of a Level 3 Automated Vehicle (AV) Shuttle along a 1.5-mile-long route in the city of White Bear Lake.
Project web page link

Project Title: Passive Pedestrian Detection Analysis

Project Description: The Passive Pedestrian Detection Analysis project reviewed a variety of commercially available passive detection systems.
Project web page link

Project Title: Grand Rapids Automated Shuttle Pilot: goMARTI

Project Description:The goMARTI self-driving shuttle pilot was a research project in Grand Rapids, Minnesota that included the 27-month on demand, point-to-point deployment (October 2022 – December 2024) of five highly automated vehicles, carrying over 18,000 passengers.
Project web page link

Project Title: Real-Time Integration of Arrow Board Messages into Traveler Information Systems

Project Description: The pilot project involved 20 arrow boards equipped with a status monitoring unit to test displaying real-time information to travelers related to stationary and mobile lane closures.
Project web page link:

Project Title: MnDOT Traffic Camera Maximizer

Project Description: This project involved the implementation of a Traffic Camera Maximizer (TCM). The Traffic Camera Maximizer was proposed to broaden the reach of MnDOT assets to improve situational awareness of driving conditions across the state.
Project web page link:

Project Title: Centralized SPaT and MAP Data Sharing

Project Description: The project assessed MnDOT’s ability to share signal phasing and timing (SPaT) data and intersection geometry (MAP) data to travelers and third-party systems via a centralized process.
Project web page link:

Project Title: Connected Corridor

Project Description: The Connected Corridor was a foundational Connected Vehicle (CV) project along TH-55 that included planning, design, deployment, and operation of CV technologies to create a better understanding of what is required for planning and preparing for emerging transportation technologies.
Project web page link:

Project Title: Automated Waze Imports

Project Description: The project involved importing all alert types from Waze, determining which events should be documented based on reliability and confidence scores, adding expected delays to 511 events, determining which jams should be eligible for import into 511, and adding directional information to displayed jams.
Project web page link:

Project Title: Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx): CARS eXchange

Project Description: The Condition Acquisition and Reporting System (CARS) eXchange project was put in place to support the FHWA’s goal of increasing safety for the traveling public by sharing real-time work zone information between the public and private sectors, under an FHWA grant.
Project web page link:

Project Title: Assessment of Pedestrian Safety and Driver Behavior Near AVs

Project Description: Driverless vehicles provide the transportation industry with fiscal and environmental benefits, but concerns remain regarding the interaction between driverless vehicles and drivers of manual vehicles. In Rochester, Minnesota, interactions between a driverless shuttle and other vehicles were observed in a pedestrian-heavy area of the city.
Project web page link:

Project Title: Connected Vehicle Traveler Alert System

Project Description: The Connected Vehicle Traveler Alert System project was implemented to increase traveler awareness and subsequently increase safety of the traveling public by notifying them of upcoming maintenance vehicles or snowplows that may not have been in the line of sight.
Project web page link:

Project Title: Cost/Benefit Analysis of Fuel-Efficient Speed Control using SPaT Data

Project Description: MnDOT's Connected Corridor project in 2020 contributed to progress in the development and deployment of technology for vehicle-to-infrastructure communications. Using signal phasing and timing (SPaT) data from signalized intersections to control driving speed, this project completed a cost benefit analysis for use of SPaT data in connected vehicles (CVs) and its effect on fuel efficiency.
Project web page link:

Project Title: Dynamic Flashing Yellow Arrow Phase Mode Selection

Project Description: This project focused on utilizing high-resolution signal data, crash data, and volume data to analyze safety impacts associated with the three left-turn phasing modes that flashing yellow arrows could operate in and determine when the various modes should operate
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Project Title: Fiber Optic Feasibility and Partnership Study

Project Description: The Fiber Optic Feasibility and Partnership Study aimed to develop a strategic plan for future fiber connectivity by utilizing public-private partnerships.
Project web page link

Project Title: Drive MN

Project Description: Automated vehicles (AVs) rely heavily on roadway infrastructure to function. This project used technology-equipped research vehicles to drive over 1,000 miles of Minnesota roadways to gain a better understanding of potential infrastructure issues that would inhibit the operations of AVs.
Project web page link

Project Title: Lane Boundary Guidance System for Snowplow Operations

Project Description: A new lane boundary guidance system will make plowing easier, safer and more efficient. Researchers developed the system using GPS and navigation technology to locate a truck’s position in the lane and display that information in the truck’s cab. Forward-facing radar can also alert drivers to upcoming obstacles.
Project web page link

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