$100M contract will get Pa. Turnpike ready for driverless cars

State regulators have chosen Black & Veatch, a company in Overland Park, Kansas, to install a $100 million fiber optic network along more than 200 miles of the Pennsylvania turnpike.

Once completed, officials say the network will boost connectivity between the Pennsylvania Turnpike commission’s administrative buildings throughout the state and support all-electronic tolling and intelligent transportation systems. According to an official statement from Black & Veatch, this new technology will prepare the turnpike to support emerging technologies for driverless cars.

“Amping up data capabilities on the Pa. Turnpike is necessary to prepare for all-electronic tolling and intelligent transportation and connected and autonomous vehicle systems,” said Neil Raup, manager of total reconstruction programs for the turnpike. “Fiber optic infrastructure is an essential element.”

Black & Veatch was awarded two contracts to develop the first and second phases of the turnpike’s network upgrade, which will also provide the commission with a revenue-generating opportunity by installing extra fiber and conduits for commercialization that can be leased to outside organizations, the turnpike said in a statement Tuesday.

Officials with the turnpike said the projects will provide high-speed data communications along the roadway, supporting the state’s Open Road Tolling initiative and intelligent transportation system program “positioning the Turnpike to meet its communication needs of the future.”

The first phase will see a $44.7 million fiber optic design-build from Harrisburg to the Delaware River Bridge. The $49.7 million second phase will install fiber optic infrastructure connecting Philadelphia, Allentown and Scranton.

Black & Veatch said fiber will be installed within the roadway’s shoulder, which allows for a quicker installation and minimizes impacts on the turnpike’s customers by evading the road’s rocky topography.