Highways

Abstract

AbstractThe number of automobiles has increased dramatically as a result of population and job growth during the past several decades. During the same period, the commuting distance has also increased. This in turn has resulted in congestion in many suburban areas. This increase in traffic flow translates into higher cost for accident expenses, a rise in fuel consumption, and air pollution. The Department of Transportation has estimated that the volume of traffic will increase by 50% in next 25 years. The loss of time and productivity and health issues caused by increased carbon monoxide and dioxide are the predominant factors that call for building smart highway systems. Smart materials are defined as materials whose properties alter predictably in response to external stimuli. Smart materials can be divided into several categories: shape‐memory alloys, piezoelectric materials, electrorheological fluids, and photochromic glasses.In this article, the advantages of smart materials are described for application to smart highways, structures and intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Through the application of new technology, there is potential to integrate multiple modes of travel and to focus on demand as well as transportation supply throughout the world. The field of smart highways and structures consist of many areas of innovation in developing superhighways, bridges, modem cars that have built‐in computer‐aided navigation equipment, and a central control unit within each highway system to assist in traffic management.