The Rural Roadway Expansion is a unique testing facility designed to recreate the challenges of rural roads, which account for two-thirds of all roadways in the U.S.
This expansion includes 2.5 miles of paved roads and 4.5 miles of unimproved roads that have been built to allow users to test advanced and autonomous vehicles in realistic rural settings. The facility includes hilly and flat winding roads with short site distances, interfering terrain, natural foliage, small bridges, narrow sections, off-road segments, soft grass shoulders, and rural intersections. Vehicles are able to connect directly to the Rural Roadway Expansion from the Highway section. The Rural Roadway Expansion supports the testing necessary to safely and efficiently deploy automated and autonomous vehicles in challenging rural environments that exist in the U.S.
