Canada’s Highway 407 ETR Tests High Contrast AV Highway Markings

July 29, 2019

William Kucinski

Image courtesy: CNW Group/407 ETR Concession Company Limited

407 Express Toll Route Concession Company Limited is optimizing kilometers of Canadian highway for automated vehicles (AVs) in partnership with 3M Canada . 407 ERT has applied high-contrast 3M pavement marking tapes for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) on lanes on Canada’s Highway 407 ETR. 407 ETR is inviting drivers of ADAS-equipped vehicles to provide feedback and share their experience via social media.

3M's ADAS-optimized Contrast Tape delivers a unique contrast between black and white and allows for improved detection, especially on a low contrast pavement such as concrete. This initiative, part of the 407 ETR Living Labs program of promoting safety and next generation transportation, replaces the previous generation of lane markings on the road eastbound from Highway 427 with some being traditional white and the rest being contrast tape markings. The installation was performed in one night, by Total Traffic Services Inc.

William Kucinski is content editor at SAE International, Aerospace Products Group in Warrendale, Pa. Previously, he worked as a writer at the NASA Safety Center in Cleveland, Ohio and was responsible for writing the agency’s System Failure Case Studies. His interests include literally anything that has to do with space, past and present military aircraft, and propulsion technology.

Contact him regarding any article or collaboration ideas by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..