Autonomous Maintenance Technology (AMT), including the autonomous truck mounted attenuator (ATMA), has gained traction due to its safety effectiveness in work zones. Data from field tests indicate the achievable functionality of ATMA systems within business-as-usual environments [1]. Given that AMT services (including the ATMA) need to operate under varying conditions—weather, visibility, congestion states—and for different purposes (snow plowing vs. patching), there is a need to assess the change in functionality levels of AMT systems dictated by these external factors (that we cannot control). Also, the cost-effectiveness of the AMT technologies has not been explored, accounting for application type, technological adaptation, road network geometry, and overall context (urban vs. rural). Thus, for nationwide deployment

planning and investments, it is important to have a decision-support tool that allows the state departments of transportation (DOTs) to evaluate the technological (connectivity, infrastructure), economical (cost-benefit ratio), and environmental (nighttime operations, rural vs. urban, adverse weather) feasibility of the AMT systems in general.

Our goal is to build an MS-Excel-based tool that will assist the DOTs to rank the mapping of maintenance operations and AMT services based on a multi-criteria feasibility score. For instance, the tool will provide a score of the ATMA system for pavement crack-filling operations specific to different roads of rural western Kansas, allowing the Kansas DOT to select the most appropriate set of roads where the ATMA system should be deployed for crack-filling operations with minimal cost and connectivity disruptions. Our research will answer the following questions: (A) How AMT systems (including the AMTA) will perform under varying weather conditions and less-than-desired levels of connectivity? (B) What are the cost-benefit ratio of implementing AMT systems accounting for investment (e.g., infrastructure, training) and potential outcomes (e.g., safety, cost savings in maintenance)? And (C) How to leverage existing/ongoing deployments of connected vehicle environment (infrastructure and supporting applications) to make AMT technologies efficient?

The research will be done in three phases. First, we will explore the existing AMT systems (not only ATMA) and corresponding the maintenance operations—striping, sweeping, crack filling, snow plowing, and mowing (when applicable). The primary focus will be on synthesizing the effect of weather (light, rain, snow), road geometry (urban vs. rural, terrain), and connectivity (business-as-usual vs. adverse conditions). Next, an economic analysis will be conducted to assess the cost-benefits of the technologies considering the variation in operations, connectivity, and environmental factors. Finally, we will incorporate the findings into an MS-Excel-based tool which will be able to take inputs including road geometry, traffic volumes, and types of maintenance and

to recommend the feasible (minimal cost with the least technological barriers) AMT system to deploy. Also, the tool can be used for both rankings of different roads—for a limited budget which roads (or sub-networks) should be maintained with the AMTA system.

In addition to the MS-Excel-based decision support tool, we will provide a GIS-Shapefile-based add-on to visualize the selected roads for AMT deployment. The research products also include quarterly reports, conference presentations, and research publications. A final report will be submitted along with a documentation/user guide of the MS-Excel-based tool.

The outcome of the proposed research will

1. Enable DOTs to lay out a deployment plan for the AMT services accounting for technical and economic feasibility with a clear understanding of the economic impact—cost, benefit, and return-on-investment (training and AMT instrumented vehicles).

2. Provide a clear understanding of the feasibility of AMT systems accounting for weather, connectivity, and geographical variations.

3. Assist the DOTs in identifying the potential deployment zones for the maximum cost-savings, safety, and workforce utilization.

4. Build a pathway to integrate the connected-vehicle deployments in the states, particularly in work zones focusing on safety and efficiency.