By Greg Gao

(JW Insights) Oct 13 -- China’s first test section of an intelligent highway that meets the requirements of level 4 autonomous driving and vehicle-road collaboration has recently been put into operation in Suzhou in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province, according to local media outlet Suzhou News. 

This test section covers a total of 56 kilometers of the Suzhou-Taizhou Expressway S17 and the Shanghai-Yixing Expressway S48. Among these, there is a 6.5-kilometer section where testing of level 4 autonomous driving is possible.

Upon its operation, this highway section includes a braking system that can complete driving tasks and monitor the driving environment under specific conditions, making it efficient for monitoring highway emergencies and road conditions. It can provide necessary highway scenario test data for automobile manufacturers, algorithm providers, and equipment manufacturers, forming a closed loop for scenarios from smart connected urban roads to highway testing. 

Additionally, it can offer a range of intelligent highway supervision services to government departments, such as traffic and public security, through the establishment of an intelligent highway platform. While serving the public and providing infrastructure services, it also allows for the exploration of operating models, said local media.

On October 12, a self-driving heavy truck equipped with the intelligent driving system by SmartPlus(智加科技) was tested on this road segment. It successfully recognized various driving behaviors like wrong-way driving, slow-moving vehicles, fast-moving vehicles, as well as road traffic incidents such as obstacles and road construction.

The test included driving behaviors such as merging at on-ramps, lane keeping, autonomous lane changing, overtaking, and the active avoidance of road construction vehicles, according to Suzhou News.