By Mark Stencel, CQ Columnist

A decade ago, when my wife’s weathered Nissan was nearing the end of its natural life, we joked about setting the car free on the highway to find its way from Washington to North Carolina a route it followed countless times when we were interstate daters. A couple of years of that commute inspired a lot of musing about computerized cars that could drive themselves but alert the occupants when they needed to resume control and exit for gas. And, of course, these cars would know where the gas stations were and which had the best prices.

Even before the turn of the century, the federal government invested millions in studying such previously far-out ideas. A video that a transportation researcher once showed me included a demonstration in which a caravan of computer-controlled cars zoomed down a test track bumper-to-bumper at highway speed. Technology is not the barrier to rolling out fleets of autonomous autobots, he said; the problems are the drivers, who’d need to learn when they were and were not needed; the rules of the road, which would need significant updating; and the roads themselves, which would need to be redesigned and re-equipped.

That’s an interesting notion now, as Congress and President-elect Barack Obama contemplate massive new road and bridge spending to prime the economy and address longstanding infrastructure needs. Before deciding what to spend, Washington might ask what kinds of roads are needed in the years ahead as well as what kinds of vehicles will be driving on them.

Seriously smart, self-directed cars still might someday allow drivers to do all the things they do now instead of driving — talking on the phone, sipping coffee, answering e-mail — but probably not in the near future. In the late 1990s, the Transportation Department shifted most of its R&D spending for surface transportation to areas that promised more immediate payoff. The primary focus: sophisticated sensors and communication systems for cars and roads designed to give drivers immediate information to avoid accidents and navigate around traffic, and to give authorities new tools for managing increasingly clogged streets and highways.

The 27-mile drive from downtown Washington to Dulles International Airport in Virginia is a virtual showcase of this technology. The route is lined with traffic cameras, providing real-time views to commuters via computers or Web-enabled phones. State and local officials also tap the cameras and other sensors to adjust traffic signals and sign messages, helping regulate the flow on and off of Interstate 66. And on the toll road between the interstate and the airport, small transponders that attach to windshields allow drivers to pay their fees electronically and zip past lines of idling motorists.

Transponders also will be central to the High Occupancy Toll lanes, now under construction on Washington’s Beltway. Such HOT lanes will automatically charge drivers for access, unless they are carpoolers, with the fee fluctuating based on traffic volume. Such demand-based pricing is high on the agenda for many transportation planners, who see it as an essential way to help wring more use out of existing roadways, particularly in places where adding lanes is not an option.

Accelerating Progress

Advanced roadway technology is slowly becoming commonplace in the country’s most congested communities, in part thanks to federal assistance from the Transportation Department, which has several programs aimed at countering congestion, reducing traffic-related energy costs and helping the environment. Some of the research is specifically focused on future vehicles — particularly on sensors and communications tools designed to avoid accidents, which also contribute to traffic and pollution. These onboard devices won’t immediately lead to cars that drive themselves, but they could tie in to roadway systems and government networks to provide alerts about looming tie-ups, bad weather or even open parking spaces.

Collision avoidance technology is already available in some high-end cars, such as a laser-based sensor system offered in certain new Volvos that automatically brake to prevent low-speed accidents. Other systems might monitor driving habits and helpfully suggest changes (“brake gently” or “increase following distance”) based on real-time data about traffic, road conditions and energy performance.

Government can speed up adoption of these systems — perhaps by setting timelines for increasing their use as a condition for any proposed auto industry bailout. Or what about tax or insurance incentives for drivers whose car computers show they drive safely and avoid idling? Likewise, future highway dollars could be tied to funding formulas that encourage states and localities to document how they plan to use technology to offset traffic and maximize the infrastructure investments taxpayers have already made. Benchmarks, after all, are better than earmarks.

For most of the past two decades, much of the spending on intelligent transportation systems has been limited to regional test projects. The upcoming debates about infrastructure, energy and global warming may be just what it takes for a few innovative Internet-age ideas to finally accelerate into the fast lane.

Mark Stencel is editor and deputy publisher for Congressional Quarterly Inc.’s Governing magazine and its Web site, Governing.com. For a complete listing of his column, click here.