By Roger Jimenez
In 2016, the U.S Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced that they were looking for applicants and locations to consider for the highly innovative project of constructing designated testing grounds for autonomous vehicles. Out of over 60 applicants, Central Florida was selected to be the home for the coveted research facility - SunTrax.
What is SunTrax?
SunTrax is a large-scale research and testing facility made by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) that has been in development since November 2017 and is funded by revenues from the Florida Turnpike tolls.
SunTrax’s main purpose is to support the development and testing of emerging transportation technologies, particularly related to autonomous and connected vehicles. The facility provides a controlled environment for testing and evaluating advanced transportation systems, infrastructure, and related technologies.
Located in Auburndale, off I-4 just south of Orlando past Davenport, the SunTrax project stretches over 475 acres and features a 2.25-mile oval track, specifically designed for testing autonomous and connected vehicles. The track includes multiple lanes, varying road geometries, and simulated intersections to mimic real-world driving scenarios.
In partnership with Florida Polytechnic University, SunTrax has also provided Central Florida students with the opportunity to study at a state-of-the-art facility and collaborate with other experienced researchers. While construction for Phase 3 is underway, the facility finally opened to the public in June and aims to enhance the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of transportation in Florida and beyond.
When will Construction be Complete?
Technically, the main production of Suntrax has finally completed this year.
Phase 1, completed back in June 2019, was designed to provide an ideal location to perform toll testing in order to improve tolling technologies and has an estimated worth of $48 million.
The infrastructure built during phase 1 includes the 2.25-mile oval track built to interstate highway standards with a 70-mph speed limit and 10-degree banked turns. The track contains five lanes that can operate reversibly and two wide shoulders that can be converted into travel lanes. Phase 1 also included two new buildings for students and staff offices and equipment storage, as well as four free-flow tolling gantries spaced around the track.
Phase 2, completed in June 2023 after being delayed since 2021, adds a 200-acre infield that provides nine more simulated transportation environments, including a campus, a geometry track with manufactured hills, an urban setting meant to simulate a downtown environment, and two more loop tracks for testing.
The estimated worth for the construction of the second phase is $152 million. Now open for business, the complex also features a 20,000 square-foot convention center, as well as a number of offices, classrooms, indoor, and outdoor event spaces that are also available for leasing.
Phase 3 will feature “an enclosed sensor test chamber that will simulate rain, airborne debris, smoke, fog and other environmental challenges”, according to HNTB, one of the main developers of the project. Although phase 3 is pending a new completion date after the delays, it is originally scheduled to be complete by 2024.
Impact on Orlando Economy
According to research conducted by Morgan Stanley in 2017, self-driving cars could save the economy up to $640 billion in annual savings by reducing traffic accidents and reduced fuel costs.
The market that produces the hardware components for autonomous cars (camera, sensors, etc) is estimated to be worth $40 billion by the year 2030, and automotive vehicles are predicted to contribute some $800 billion annually in economic and societal benefits.
SunTrax is the only high-speed autonomous vehicle testing facility in the southeastern United States and is one of the largest efforts in Florida to attract businesses and innovators, putting Florida on the map in the promising new frontier of automobile technology.
Florida’s New Law
In 2016, Florida enacted new law HB 311, a bill that gives permission for fully AV (autonomous vehicles) to operate in the state regardless if a human operator is physically present in the vehicle, and in 2022, Florida lawmakers also loosened liability bond requirements for AV operators.
With the new laws allowing expanded use of self-driving vehicles, the state has clearly shown their position in embracing the blooming tech industry and has opened itself up for AV companies to take on exciting ventures in the state, such as SunTrax.
All Images by SunTrax
Overall
SunTrax has provided thousands of new tech jobs and research opportunities in cities and schools across Central Florida, and while there are no clear numbers as to how the facility will affect Orlando’s economy in the long run, the city and the state of Florida is hopeful in what self-driving cars can bring to our sunny futures.
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