FHWA 15-18
Contact: Nancy Singer
Tel.: (202) 366-0660

SEATTLE – The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration held the third in its series of national dialogue meetings with key stakeholders to discuss automated vehicles and the implications for U.S. highways, including adaptation to the new technologies as they advance and are integrated onto U.S roads.

“As automated vehicle technology becomes more widespread, it's important that we prepare our nation's highways to accommodate technological change and new ways of travel,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Brandye L. Hendrickson.  “An infrastructure of the future will require flexibility and responsiveness for the benefit of the traveling public.”

The national dialogue meetings are being held across the country to engage a diverse group of stakeholders from industry and the public sector to understand the key areas of interest and concern.

The discussions in the Seattle meeting focused on how participants envision the use, management, and collection of data to improve the overall functionality of the roadway system and enable the safe operation of automated vehicles.

The participants included digital and high-tech industry leaders along with stakeholders involved in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of U.S. roads.

FHWA is hosting several of these national dialogue meetings throughout the year.  The first two were held in Detroit and Philadelphia in June, and focused on the effect of automated vehicles on the country's infrastructure systems and planning and policy.  Others to follow in Chicago, Phoenix, and Austin will explore multimodal safety, infrastructure design, traffic operations, and freight.

The insights received during the sessions will inform national research, policy, and programs and aid in the development of a national transportation community for automation.  More information is available from FHWA's National Dialogue on Highway Automation website.

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