Description

Transformational Technology and the Future of Transportation Planning

“Where technology meets trust: preparing Chester County for intelligent mobility.”

Headlining Derrick Herrmann, P.E., Chief of Transformational Technology, Strategic Development and Implementation at Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, this executive Breakfast Briefing brings Chester County inside the fast-moving intersection of artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and modern transportation planning.

AI is no longer theoretical. It is already modeling transportation scenarios, analyzing massive datasets, informing design decisions, and reshaping how infrastructure investments are prioritized. Autonomous vehicles are advancing in parallel—raising new opportunities for safety, efficiency, and access, while also introducing complex questions around ethics, liability, governance, and public trust.

This conversation is designed for transportation professionals, elected officials, and business and community leaders who want clarity, not hype, about what’s coming next. Attendees will gain a practical understanding of how digital twins, AI-driven analytics, and emerging vehicle technologies are advancing in Pennsylvania, strengthening Transportation Demand Management strategies, reducing carbon emissions, and help communities prepare for a future where intelligence, both human and artificial, guides sustainable mobility decisions.

Key Discussion Points

• AI in Real-World Transportation Planning
  How artificial intelligence is already being used to model scenarios, forecast demand, and support smarter, faster planning decisions at scale.
• Autonomous Vehicles: Readiness, Reality, and Risk
  What municipalities, employers, and planners should realistically expect from autonomous vehicle deployment—and what preparation looks like today, not someday.
• Digital Twins, Data Governance, and Ethics
  As digital replicas of transportation systems become common, who owns the data, who is liable for decisions, and how do public agencies ensure transparency and trust?
• District 6 Updates
  • ​Flexible lanes and technology
  • Variable Speeds
  • Corridor Management of Traffic Signals