Integrated Roadways testing smart pavement tech in Colorado

Integrated Roadways is launching a pilot test of its smart pavement technology in Colorado in an effort to save lives.

In partnership with the Colorado Department of Transportation, Integrated Roadways will install one-half-mile of its smart pavement technology on U.S. 285 near Fairplay, Colorado. The technology, which makes roadways touch-sensitive to vehicle positions, will collect and transmit data on motor vehicle accidents to the CDOT.

Integrated Roadways’ patented technology, “Smart Pavement,” is “the future of American infrastructure, transforming roads into a digital platform for advanced mobility applications,” said Tim Sylvester, founder of the Kansas City-based tech startup.

“Smart Pavement identifies vehicle positions and behaviors in real-time, simplifying autonomous vehicle operation, providing dynamic real-time traffic information, automatic notification for accidents, pavement condition indexing, and data-driven safety improvements,” Sylvester said while on a panel discussion regarding smart mobility at the Smart Cities Connect Conference & Expo last week.

The project with CDOT also includes installation of a proof-of-concept site on Brighton Boulevard, the main route into downtown Denver downtown, Sylvester said. Integrated Roadways will install 60 feet of smart pavement at an intersection and prove the concept to the Denver and Colorado government agencies before moving on to the U.S. 285 project.

Other partners on the project include Kiewit Infrastructure Company, Cisco Systems, WSP Global, and Wichita Concrete Pipe.

Future versions of the smart pavement technology will make the road “financially self-sustaining by selling access to data, connectivity, and services,” Sylvester said.

“The goal, of course, is to make the road pay for itself, but in order to do that, we have to demonstrate the technology, [and] we have to demonstrate the revenue the technology can generate,” Sylvester said. “At the point that we have those two completed, that’s when we can start financing.”

Projects with other government agencies and local municipalities are on the horizon for Integrated Roadways, but the firm will first “see through everything with Denver” and proving the concept before revisiting with other early-adopter cities, Sylvester said.

“Right now, we’re just focused on planting the seed in Denver so that we can grow it there and ideally come back to Kansas City when we can do something larger than just a pilot,” he said. “We want to build a nationwide network.”

Integrated Roadways’ partnership with Colorado comes on the heels of the firm’s announcement last month that it added Jerry White as its new chief operating officer.

White will focus on market assessment and fostering relationships with partners, vendors and subcontractors for current and future projects, according to Integrated Roadways. White previously held executive positions with organizations such as Black & Veatch, BV Solutions Group and EDS.