U of I Helps Light up the Road with Industry-first Technology

In a few key locations across Washington and Idaho, sleepy nighttime drivers are awakened by an unusual sight: flashing LED lights on the road lighting up in concert. They’re test sites for an industry-first technology developed to reduce accidents. How? By accentuating painted road markings and signage in dark and dimly lit areas, as well as sensing dangerous road conditions.

The University of Idaho’s National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology (NIATT), a leading center of excellence for transportation engineering, engaged with industrial partner Evolutionary Markings, Inc. to improve these lights, also known as the EMI Model 200 series LED Smart Raised Pavement Marking (RPM) system. NIATT helped develop new capabilities for these solar-powered LED lights embedded in the roadway.

The Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission (IGEM) provided nearly $300,000 in funding to develop three key technological capabilities for these markings: to communicate with existing traffic lights, to signal road crews when dangerous road conditions arise and to wirelessly interact with autonomous vehicles. Evolutionary Markings, Inc., responsible for bringing this innovative product to market, matched $50,000 in project funding.

Thanks to NIATT’s improvements, drivers and cyclists can one day see these markers on the road change color in tandem with stoplights—and instantly see which reversible lanes they should enter based on the red or green colors of the lane borders. Municipal and city crews can also know exactly where and when to address black ice forming on their city or town roads. Further into the future, the markers can provide autonomous vehicles with a more reliable signal to keep them within lanes.