New "Motor City" in Marysville? Vehicle Technology Being Tested in the City
By Bruce Edwards
Marysville could be home to the next breakthrough in technology for your car. The Ohio Department of Transportation and the city of Marysville said they are working to expand technology announced in October for cars to communicate with intersections and vice-versa. It's all part of a $20 million project for a smart corridor between Marysville and Dublin.
Honda first showed off its technology, including a "smart" intersection right in the heart of downtown Marysville, with sensors to detect pedestrians, emergency vehicles and other obstacles in drivers' paths and beam a signal into special retro-fitted cars. Now the city and state said they will expand the program to five intersections in the short term and eventually all 27 of the city's traffic signals.
The state is calling it the largest connected vehicle project ever. At this point however just one city of Marysville car is wired to talk to the intersections. Mike Andrako, the service director for the city said by next year, all city fleet vehicles will be connected to the system. Plus researchers hope to get 400 members of the public to volunteer to put the technology in their cars for a total of 1200 cars in the system.
Andrako said Marysville's size makes it ideal for the test program.
"If we put 1200 cars on the road in the city of Columbus, you'd never find them," he said.