Construction of driverless vehicle test track in East Huntingdon reaches the start line

Construction of a 2-mile track in East Huntingdon to test autonomous vehicles and train first responders is underway, with the facility expected to be in operation by late 2026.

The project’s first phase, which includes the test track and supporting infrastructure, is expected to cost about $30 million.

Work crews this month started to clear ground for what is expected to be a 2-mile loop installed on about 100 acres of state-owned land at the Regional Industrial Development Corp., an industrial park near New Stanton that was once home to a Sony plant.

A private test track already leased on the property is operated by Stack AV, which is developing autonomous vehicle technology for trucks.

State and county officials in August 2022 announced plans for the Pennsylvania Safety, Transportation and Research Track — or PennStart project. The project is a partnership between the state Department of Transportation, the Turnpike Commission, RIDC, the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. and Carnegie Mellon University.

“We believe this can attract additional companies to test, engineer and, hopefully, bring manufacturing,” said Timothy White, RIDC’s senior vice president and chairman of the PennStart board of directors.

Jeff Farrah, CEO of the Washington-based Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, said there is a need for testing facilities such as the PennStart track. It joins other public test tracks including ones located in Ohio, northern California and near Las Vegas.

Its location in Southwestern Pennsylvania is no coincidence, he said.

“Pittsburgh is a global leader when it comes to robotics. This is further evidence Pittsburgh is an important location for autonomous vehicles, and a testing track plays an important role in that,” Farrah said.

Engineering and permitting for the test track were completed in October. White said plans call for an outdoor oval track to be installed with two or possibly three lanes, depending on available funding to accommodate high-speed testing of driverless vehicles.

About two-thirds of the project costs will be paid by PennDOT and the Turnpike Commission. Funding from private foundations also has been secured with additional money still being sought to pay to pave a third lane on the track.

White said the track will include grades to simulate Pennsylvania’s topography to test driverless vehicles in rural and urban settings as well as in off-road conditions. The track also will be used to train first responders and law enforcement in handling traffic-related incidents and safety processes.

Plans call for the track to be managed by the RIDC and leased to private companies to conduct research and testing of autonomous vehicles.

Local officials said the track could be a major economic development driver for Westmoreland County.

“We’re excited to see it move forward, and we believe this can be a regional asset to attract more autonomous vehicle projects,” said Jason Rigone, executive director of the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp.

No county funds have been allocated toward the project.

History of site

The test track site sits at the rear of the RIDC complex in East Huntingdon that has been an economic hub for decades in Westmoreland County.

Built in the 1960s, the property once was home to a manufacturing plant for Chrysler. A decade later it was taken over by Volkswagen, which at its peak produced more than 200,000 cars at the location. The plant closed in 1988 and was retrofitted for its third incarnation in the 1990s to serve as a local production hub for Sony Electronics.

Sony closed the plant in 2010. Over the past decade, county and state officials converted the site for multipurpose use, and it is now home to the Westmoreland County Community College Advanced Technology Center and private companies.

The PennStart project will augment private testing facilities and allow for a wider range of companies to pursue self-driving vehicles. The planned facility will be the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, according to state officials.

“Our goal is to serve multiple companies in our region and the state. There are a number of interested parties. As next year progresses, we’ll start signing deals,” White said.

The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association released a study in May that found autonomous vehicles were driven about 145 million miles on public roads throughout the United States during the last year. It’s a number that doubled from the previous year.

“This is going to continue to grow,” said Farrah, the association CEO.