JTA Announces Groundbreaking of Autonomous Innovation Center

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), FL, together with the Balfour Beatty Vision 2 Reality (V2R) team, including Beep, Inc., has broken ground on the Autonomous Innovation Center (AIC) at LaVilla, a hub centered around a command-and-control center that will store, service, monitor, and maintain the city’s electric, autonomous mobility system.

The AIC is an integral part of the upcoming Bay Street Innovation Corridor (BSIC), Phase I of the Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C) program—a comprehensive initiative to modernize and expand transportation options in the Downtown Jacksonville area and introduce autonomous vehicles (AVs) into JTA’s transportation system.

“The groundbreaking of the AIC is a culmination of hard work to provide the City of Jacksonville with enhanced connectivity through autonomous mobility at-scale,” said JTA CEO Nat Ford. “Today, we are one step closer in realizing our shared goal of providing a transportation network that is sustainable, adaptable and places Jacksonville as a city at the forefront of AV mobility.”

Balfour Beatty will build the two-story AIC on an existing parking lot with a secure perimeter. The facility’s top floor will feature the command-and-control center. The first floor includes maintenance bays for vehicle service and covered AV parking with charging stations.

Shared autonomous mobility solutions provider Beep is providing insights around the command-and-control center and design as it relates to managing autonomous vehicle systems to ensure JTA and its community are planning for key features across safety, sustainability and efficiency.

“The introduction of the AIC is a major milestone for this industry-leading program and a reflection of how the JTA, Beep, and entire U2C team are revolutionizing the integration and management of autonomous mobility networks in our communities,” said Beep CEO Joe Moye. “The command center is designed for scale, enabling the orchestration of future mobility networks with over 100 vehicles to connect key areas of the city.”