After around six years of construction, the Florida Transportation Authority (FDOT) opened the SunTrax test site in Auburndale together with the Florida Turnpike operator.
SunTrax extends over 192 acres on Braddock Road, just off the Polk Parkway. The test track consists of a 3.6-kilometer oval test track around an 80-hectare infield. The multi-lane route makes it the only high-speed capable autonomous vehicle testing facility in the southeastern part of the United States.
There will be several simulated traffic environments on the infield, including:
An urban area designed to simulate intersection shapes and complex lighting, signage, and signaling conditions.
An 8 hectare open paved technology space that offers the possibility to replicate almost any real world geometric configuration and run endless test scenarios like traffic signals.
A road geometry track with complex horizontal and vertical curves and irregular elevation changes and a pick-up/drop-off area to simulate passenger traffic, e.g. B. at airports and transit centers.
An area for hardness tests of noise, vibration and surfaces as well as a technology area where safety and accident simulations are tested.
The Florida Turnpike Enterprise has also built a main campus that includes a 1,858-square-foot reception and conference center, as well as offices, classrooms, and indoor and outdoor event spaces. The site also features a 2,508 square meter maintenance building, workshop buildings totaling 5,202 square meters and a 23 meter high observation tower to observe the vehicles navigating the various test environments.
Suntrax is also designed to test tolling technologies, equipment, software, lane markings and sliding barrier systems.
Florida Polytechnic University students will work alongside experienced researchers on a variety of projects. These include, above all, improving the safety and efficiency of autonomous vehicles. They will also examine other traffic issues such as: B. improving the handling of cars on wet roads and the further development of the toll system.