State officials hope to bring automated vehicle testing to Monroe County. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on Tuesday announced plans to establish and expand testing at three facilities, including one at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond.

“This technology is coming,” said PennDOT Spokesperson Erin Waters-Trasatt on Tuesday. “Pennsylvania is a leader in seeing that this technology is developed as safely and efficiently as possible.”

Automated vehicle testing has started in the commonwealth already. In June, PennDOT formed an Autonomous Vehicle Task Force to draft policies for guide testing in Pennsylvania. The department and task force also worked with state lawmakers to introduce regulatory legislation, slated for enactment this year.

The U.S. Department of Transportation solicited applications for its new Automated Vehicle Proving Ground Pilot Program in November. PennDOT proposed three sites in the commonwealth, each with a varied testing environment.

First listed is the city of Pittsburgh, where automated vehicle testing has begun already. Carnegie Melon University researchers have also worked with city officials to implement “smart” technologies, such as adaptive control systems for traffic signals and streetlights. With safety precautions in place already, Pittsburgh offers the opportunity to test connected vehicles in an urban setting, the application says.

PennDOT also lists a test track at Penn State University in State College. The closed track would provide a test site safely away from public exposure. It would also allow for highly controllable surface conditions; researchers could simulate weather conditions by “wetting or icing the surface” at various temperatures.

Pocono Raceway’s closed track would be “ideal for testing higher speeds” and “multiple connected vehicles,” says the PennDOT application. The racetrack fulfils a specific role, wherein researchers can operate vehicles that “cannot be tested in a laboratory or live roadway test simulation.”

“We are happy to partner with PennDOT on this application,” said Pocono Raceway President and CEO Brandon Igdalsky on Tuesday. “We submitted a very thorough application detailing our safety standards as well as the 40 different racing configurations that are possible here.”

A federal designation may accelerate technology development and implementation, but it won’t pay for it — at least not yet. The DOT request says a designation is not an award of financial assistance. Waters-Trasatt said the designation could still make Pennsylvania a more attractive prospect for future opportunities.

“It would position us to be a great place for any additional funding that could become available,” she said. Federal technology grants helped fund the expansion of Pittsburgh’s smart traffic technologies last year.

The DOT hopes the pilot program will encourage the development of technology that could transform personal and commercial mobility and open new doors to disadvantaged people and communities. The request says this will happen largely through formation of an international network of open-sharing between public and private organizations.

“The national vision for these pilot locations would be to establish what’s called a Community of Practice,” said Waters-Trasatt. “We’ll be sharing data and other information — like best practices and lessons learned — with each other.”

Designated proving grounds must “commit to sharing their approaches to safety and non-proprietary safety data generated through testing and operation,” says the DOT request. Officials at the state and federal level expect sharing will improve public safety at a faster pace.

“It’s information everyone can benefit from,” said Waters-Trasatt, “whether its geography, infrastructure or many other considerations that we come across.”

Each participating organization will need to establish a Designated Safety Officer responsible for their proving ground’s safety management plan, the DOT request says. Officers will also participate in the Community of Practice’s quarterly meetings.

PennDOT has named Mark Kopko as its Safety Coordinator. Kopko — who manages PennDOT’s Advanced Vehicle Technology unit — would convene with safety officers from each proving ground.

With preliminary considerations and a history of automated vehicle testing, PennDOT officials are optimistic for the federal designation.

“We’re hopeful,” said Waters-Trasatt. “Given we have three locations that stand to be designated already in place, we feel that puts us in a strong position.”

The application period ended in December. DOT officials expect to announce initial designations during the first quarter of the 2017 calendar year.