Judy Huynh

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Autonomous Vehicles at Port Authority

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Driverless shuttles for the short, awkward trips inside Newark Airport

My roleInnovation Intern, Planning and Regional Development. I made the 3D renderings and the StoryMap

WhenSummer 2023

WithThe Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

ForPresented to the Port Authority’s Chief Development Officer

ScaleOne gap at Newark, with pilots proposed at Newark, JFK and LaGuardia

01

The question

If cars drive themselves, what should an airport’s front door look like? At Newark Airport I looked at the short trips: getting from a far parking lot to your terminal, or from the AirTrain to the new Terminal A with your bags. I wanted to see if driverless shuttles could take care of those.

I rendered it in 3D because a 6% slope and 20 feet of clearance are hard to picture from numbers alone.

02

The hard part

Newark Airport sits on different levels. The AirTrain stop at parking lot P2 is on Level 2, and Terminal A is at ground level, with a noticeable gap between them. Today passengers walk it across changing heights or wait for shuttles that do not always show up on time. Any vehicle I proposed had to get down that height difference safely, over roads that are still carrying traffic.

I also had one summer, and the idea had to make sense to people who had not been in the room while I worked on it. So I needed pictures people could follow without me there to explain them.

03

How I ran it

  1. June to August 2023Start from the agency’s own testsThe Port Authority had already run two driverless shuttle tests at JFK: two shuttles as a pair in October 2022, and a three vehicle convoy tested by staff in June 2023. It was planning the next one at Newark, in mixed traffic, with Perrone Robotics and STV. The StoryMap ends with these.
  2. June to August 2023Map who needs the connectionI mapped the region’s transit network and the airports against federal Justice40 areas. Around Newark Airport, heavy car use goes with traffic and higher asthma rates.
  3. June to August 2023Model two options in 3DI built the airport in Rhino and rendered it in V-Ray, then drew two ways to close the gap between the AirTrain and Terminal A.
  4. July to August 2023Build the StoryMapPut the map, renderings and videos into one ArcGIS StoryMap. I started it in mid July and last edited it on 16 August.
The StoryMap’s regional transit map, with Newark, LaGuardia and JFK marked over Justice40 areas
The region’s transit, with Justice40 areas in yellow

I aimed the shuttles at the short connections, from a far parking lot or the AirTrain to a terminal, because that is where passengers struggle.

04

What I built

An ArcGIS StoryMap, Connector Technology at Port Authority, that walks through how Newark Airport works today and two possible futures, with an interactive map of the region’s transit and a set of 3D renderings you can swipe through. That summer I also worked on an electric bus fleet analysis for the agency’s sustainability strategy, and proposed ways to reuse existing spaces with passengers’ experience in mind.

View the StoryMap →
Port Authority Employees Helm Driverless Airport Vehicle Platoon (27 June 2023) →

Rhino · V-Ray · ArcGIS StoryMaps · ArcGIS Online · 3D Modeling · Transportation Planning

I reused the P2 AirTrain structure, which gives a more direct link to Terminal A and lined up with the Port Authority’s $2 billion AirTrain replacement.

I brought the shuttle track down at a 6% slope, inside transit guidelines and gentle for riders, with 20 feet clear so traffic keeps running.

05

What we proposed

  • Option 1, Elevating Design: retrofit the P2 AirTrain so driverless shuttles run from P2 Level 2 down to a dedicated green lane at Terminal A.
  • Option 2, The Slim Shift: small personal pods on narrow guideways, from P2 into the CONRAC building, then from CONRAC to the pedestrian bridge.
  • Start with pilots on short connections at Newark, JFK and LaGuardia, and look further at places like the Lincoln Tunnel bus lane.
  • Work with NJ Transit, MTA and Amtrak on the connections.
Rendering of a guideway crossing from the P2 AirTrain toward Terminal A at Newark Airport
Option 1: from the AirTrain down to Terminal A

06

Where it went next

  • Summer 2023: the StoryMap was presented to the Port Authority’s Chief Development Officer.
  • Fall 2023: I carried the same interest in how people get around into my NYU Wagner capstone on NYC DOT’s Smart Curbs pilot, as the team’s link to DOT.

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