Türkiye is preparing to expand its 5G-enabled smart road infrastructure to the capital as part of its efforts to advance connected and autonomous vehicle technologies, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced.
The ministry aims to build a new Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) Test and Application Corridor on the Ankara Ring Motorway, drawing on experience gained from Türkiye’s first such corridor between Hasdal and Istanbul Airport.
The existing 40-kilometer route serves as a testing ground for intelligent transport technologies, where vehicles, roadside units and traffic control centers exchange real-time data over a 5G communication network. According to Uraloğlu, the pilot project has provided valuable operational experience that will guide the rollout of future smart transport infrastructure.
The Ankara project, currently in the planning phase, is expected to expand testing and deployment of connected and autonomous vehicle technologies over a broader road network. It will integrate intelligent transport infrastructure with advanced communication systems, supporting the development of vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-center communication technologies and improving road safety, travel efficiency and driving comfort.
Uraloğlu also noted that the country’s highway network is already monitored in real time through Intelligent Transport Systems centers, facilities that oversee a range of technologies, including traffic signaling, variable message signs, weather monitoring stations, camera surveillance, vehicle detection systems, incident detection, electronic toll collection and tunnel control systems.
To support the nationwide expansion of smart transport systems, Türkiye also plans to extend its highway fiber-optic network to more than 20,000 kilometers. Of the targeted 20,141 kilometers, 7,931 kilometers have been completed, while construction and planning continue on the remaining 12,210 kilometers, according to the minister.
