In the next two years, academic researchers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, envision upgrading around 100 intersections with connected vehicle infrastructure, after several years of managing a “living testbed” in the city’s downtown.

That testbed, which leverages Chattanooga’s gigabit-speed fiber broadband network, uses various sensors to monitor traffic and help city leaders make real-time decisions about signal timings and other measures to enhance safety. The testbed partners—the city and the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga—recently announced they would invest in LiDAR technology to help promote traffic safety.

The testbed began as a 1.2-mile section of street downtown after receiving funding from the National Science Foundation. Mina Sartipi, CUIP’s founding director, said it is more of a sandbox that allows innovative technologies to be tested on a small scale to improve street safety and public health