Collaboration Gets $8.9M To Test Smart Truck Tech Along I-70 Between Columbus And Indianapolis

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A $4.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation will be used to advance smart transportation technology along a stretch of Interstate 70 running between Ohio and Indiana.

The grant will fund development of the I-70 Truck Automation Corridor. The Dayton Daily News reports that the project aims to allow freight companies and truck automation vendors to use partially automated truck technology on daily service runs between Columbus and Indianapolis.

DriveOhio is leading a collaboration that also includes the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Transportation Research Center.

Technology providers, truck manufacturers, regional logistics councils and private freight companies are contributing another $4.5 million in matching funds, for a total of $8.9 million.

The project continues smart road technology efforts begun under former Republican Gov. John Kasich, who created DriveOhio in 2018.