Key facts
- Naples ring road is Italy's first road infrastructure to achieve official Smart Road certification.
- The certification was granted by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.
- The smart road incorporates sensors for traffic monitoring, environmental conditions, and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication.
- Over 200 cameras and 40 antennas are installed along the 22-kilometer stretch.
- The system allows for real-time data exchange, enabling proactive traffic management and enhanced safety for connected and autonomous vehicles.
Naples' ring road, known as Tangenziale di Napoli, has officially been certified as Italy's first Smart Road by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. This designation marks a significant advancement in the country's adoption of smart mobility technologies.
The certification acknowledges the integration of advanced systems for infrastructure monitoring, intelligent traffic management, and real-time communication between the road and connected vehicles, including those capable of autonomous driving. This initiative positions Italy at the forefront of mobility innovation, transforming a major southern artery into a national model.
The project was a collaborative effort involving Tangenziale di Napoli, a company within the Autostrade per l'Italia Group, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the National Centre for Sustainable Mobility (MOST), and Movyon, the technology hub of the Aspi Group. The primary objective was to equip the infrastructure with the capability to collect, process, and share real-time information to enhance traffic safety, efficiency, and sustainability.
To achieve Smart Road certification, Tangenziale di Napoli met three core requirements. These include intelligent traffic monitoring through sensors that continuously gather data, enabling operators to manage traffic proactively and prevent congestion. Additionally, the system monitors environmental conditions with weather stations and sensors to promptly identify risks like floods or landslides. The most significant innovation is the two-way communication between the road and vehicles (V2I), allowing cars to receive information on accidents, roadworks, and weather, while also transmitting data back to the infrastructure.
The Naples Smart Road is equipped with a dense technological network spanning 22 kilometers. This includes 217 smart cameras, 15 traffic detection gantries, 8 weather stations, and 40 communication antennas utilizing ITS-G5 and Cellular V2X technology. All collected data is processed by the Movyon C-ITS central platform.
An innovative aspect of the project involved testing self-driving vehicles on the stretch between Vomero and Fuorigrotta, where a vehicle successfully adjusted its speed based on real-time instructions from the road infrastructure. Currently, 30 connected vehicles are operational, providing drivers with timely warnings about hazardous situations and optimal speed recommendations to prevent traffic jams.
Arrigo Giana, CEO of Autostrade per l'Italia, highlighted the achievement as a crucial step in evolving the company's motorway infrastructure to ensure higher levels of safety. He emphasized technology as a key pillar and stated that the group's synergies position them as a leader in testing future mobility solutions.