Civil Infrastructure Management Models for the Connected and Automated Vehicles Technology

The new concept of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) necessitates a need to review the approach of managing the existing civil infrastructure system (highways, bridges, sign structures, etc.). This paper provides a basic introduction to the CAV concept, assesses the infrastructure requirements for CAVs, and identifies the appropriateness of the existing infrastructure, and needs, in terms of the condition assessment and deterioration modeling. With focus on the Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) requirements for CAVs, the main elements required on the infrastructure are the Roadside Units (RSUs), which are primarily for communication; they are similar to non-structural transportation assets, such as traffic signals, signs, etc. The ongoing pertinent efforts of agencies and the private industry are reviewed, including the V2I Deployment Coalition (American Association of State Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America)). Current methods of transportation asset management, particularly, of non-structural elements, are also reviewed. Two reliability-based models were developed and demonstrated for the deterioration of RSUs, including the age replacement model, and a combined survivor function considering the vulnerability of the CAV elements to natural hazards, such as the hurricanes. The paper also discusses the implications of the CAV technology on traffic models, particularly, how it affects user costs’ computations.

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