Exhibit D - Research Project Requirement: PDF Link

Project Summary: This project aims to accelerate the deployment of automated vehicle (AV) technologies by assessing rural road infrastructure readiness. The project will utilize commercial AV with advanced driver assistance systems and lab AV with automated driving systems to collect data on physical infrastructure and digital infrastructure under varying conditions such as diverse road types, weather, and lighting. Sensors such as cameras, GPS, and 5G communication modules will be used for data collection in selected testing facilities and public roads in Georgia and North Carolina. The project will also develop a software tool that processes collected data using traditional algorithms and machine learning techniques. This tool will generate detailed summary reports and visualizations, enabling stakeholders to quantify infrastructure readiness, understand deficiencies, and prioritize areas for improvement. The goal is to identify specific infrastructure challenges limiting automated vehicle performance and propose guidelines and actionable strategies to enhance compatibility. This project will inform investment and policy decisions by delivering findings from targeted rural areas. 

• Traffic Sign Dataset for Rural Areas

Getahun, T., Karimoddini, A. (2025). “From City Streets to Country Roads: Can Automated Vehicles Generalize Lane Detection?” 2nd International Conference on Intelligent Driving and Smart Transportation (Accepted).

Getahun, T., Karimoddini, A. (2025). “Assessing Lane Marking Visibility Range in Night-Time Driving: Do Current Lane Marking Visibility Standards Support Autonomous Vehicle Operation?” 2nd International Conference on Intelligent Driving and Smart Transportation (Accepted).

Zakaria, M., Getahun, T., Karimoddini, A. (2025). “AI-Enabled Traffic Sign Detection for Rural Operations of Connected and Automated Vehicles,” International Conference on Intelligent Driving and Smart Transportation.

Zakaria, M., Getahun, T., Tavasoli, M., Pandey, V., Sarrafzadeh, A., Karimoddini, A. “A Review of Physical and Digital Infrastructure Standards and Guidelines to Support Deployment of Automated Vehicles in Rural Environments,” SAE International Journal of Connected and Automated Vehicles (accepted).

Zhu, T., Que, H., Yao, H. (2026). “Road Infrastructure Readiness Evaluation for Commercial Low-Level Autonomous Vehicles,” ASCE International Conference on Transportation and Development (ICTD 2026) (Accepted).

Zhu, T., Yao, H., Li, Q., Bao, Z. (2026). “Rural Road Infrastructure Assessment for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems-Equipped Vehicle Deployment,” (under review).

Tesfamichael Getahun and Ali Karimoddini, "From City Streets to Country Roads: Can Automated Vehicles

Generalize Lane Detection?" 2nd International Conference on Intelligent Driving and Smart Transportation, 2025.

Tesfamichael Getahun and Ali Karimoddini, "Assessing Lane Marking Visibility Range in Night-time Driving: Do Current Lane Marking Visibility Standards Support Autonomous Vehicle Operation?" 2nd International Conference on Intelligent Driving and Smart Transportation, 2025.

Tianle Zhu, Haohua Que, and Handong Yao. "Road infrastructure readiness evaluation for commercial low-level autonomous vehicles", 2026 ASCE ICTD Conference.

Enhancing Automated Vehicle Operation and Safety on Rural Roads – Challenges and Innovative Solutions, Subhadeep Chakraborty (UTK), April 15, 2026, Southeast Annual Symposium  on Freight and Mobility, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Road Infrastructure Readiness Evaluation for Commercial Low-Level Autonomous Vehicles,  Tianle Zhu (UGA), Southeast Annual Symposium  on Freight and Mobility, April 14-16, 2026, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Rural Road Infrastructure Assessment for Autonomous Vehicle Deployment, Tesfamichael Getahun (NCAT), Southeast Annual Symposium  on Freight and Mobility, April 14-16, 2026, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Assessment of Physical and Digital Infrastructure and Required Adjustments for the Safe Operations of CAVs in Rural Terrains, Mohammed Zakaria (NCAT), Tesfamichael Getauhun (NCAT),  Ali Karimoddini (NCAT), Joint CATM and CR2C2 Symposium, April 17-18, 2024.