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South Fayette approves plan for autonomous vehicle test track

By Brad Hundt staff Writer bhundt@observer-Reporter.Com 2 min read
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SOUTH FAYETTE – The South Fayette Board of Commissioners unanimously gave the green light Wednesday to the developers of a testing ground for autonomous vehicles that will be located on Millers Run Road.

The research and technology park will be at the defunct Campbell Airport. The proposal was approved by the township’s planning commission last month. Commissioners were told in August by Paul Anderson, a representative for the developers of the site, that the park could be “a center of excellence for autonomous technology,” and could end up employing about 200 people in high-tech, high-paying jobs.

Campbell Airport had a single runway and has been mothballed since the mid-1990s. It had been used by the owners of small, private airplanes as a takeoff and landing strip.

Touted as a cutting-edge form of transportation, most experts say the widespread use of autonomous vehicles is still at least a decade away.

The South Fayette test site as currently envisioned would contain traffic signals, the facades of buildings and other cityscape features. Last month, Anderson told commissioners that the park would give the manufacturers of autonomous vehicles the chance to test their products “in a contolled environment with stringent safety standards.”

He also said the site would meet the township’s noise and light requirements.

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