The Naples Bypass is Italy's First Smart Road: The Road Communicates with Self-Driving Cars
The Naples Bypass is officially the first roadway in the country to receive the "Smart Road" certification from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT), in accordance with the technical and regulatory requirements established by Ministerial Decree 70/2018.
The technological upgrade is the result of a synergistic collaboration involving the Naples Bypass (a company controlled by the Autostrade per l’Italia Group), the MIT, the National Center for Sustainable Mobility (MOST), and Movyon, the technological and innovation hub of the ASPI Group, which managed the hardware and software architecture of the system.
The intelligent infrastructure extends along 22 kilometers of urban motorway and is supported by a comprehensive network of sensors and edge communication devices that are nearing completion. The key components of the architecture include:
- 217 intelligent cameras for analyzing vehicle flow and automatic detection of critical events
- 15 detection portals for volumetric scanning and tracking of transit
- 8 weather stations dedicated to environmental telemetry and pavement status
- 40 wireless communication antennas distributed along the entire route
These devices provide real-time data to the central C-ITS platform (Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems) developed by Movyon. The system not only aggregates traffic data but also integrates third-party informational vectors to monitor hydrogeological and weather risks. Dedicated sensors monitor water levels and land stability, enabling the generation of predictive alerts when critical safety thresholds are exceeded to prevent the impact of landslides or floods on the roadway.
The innovative core of the Smart Road lies in its ability to establish bidirectional Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communication. The 40 installed antennas utilize a dual transmission technology: the native ITS-G5 standard (based on standardized Wi-Fi protocols for automotive) and Cellular V2X (C-V2X), ensuring compatibility with the various onboard modules of current and future vehicles.
Currently, the experimental fleet consists of 30 connected vehicles. Through the onboard interface (HMI), drivers receive timely notifications about construction sites, malfunctioning vehicles, obstacles, and sudden weather changes, along with dynamic suggestions regarding the optimal speed to maintain to avoid congestion. The interaction is symmetrical: vehicles send their telemetry data (location, speed, and direction) to the operations center, transforming into mobile sensors that enhance the accuracy of the overall traffic model.
Tests conducted on the segment between the Vomero and Fuorigrotta nodes have demonstrated the technical feasibility of advanced cooperative systems. During the trials, a vehicle equipped with autonomous driving systems received algorithmic inputs from ground systems, autonomously and in real-time adjusting its cruising speed without pilot intervention.
The transition of the Naples Bypass to the role of a certified Smart Road represents a precedent for the national transport ecosystem, as well as a step that defines the guidelines for the future scalability of these technologies across the entire Italian motorway network.