Akmal Abdelfatah

Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technologies have become a key enabling technology in modern Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), supporting cooperative awareness, real-time data exchange, and coordinated decision-making among vehicles, infrastructure, and vulnerable road users. This paper presents a systematic survey of recent advancements in V2X-enabled ITS, with emphasis on safety enhancement, collision avoidance, and traffic efficiency optimization. Relevant studies were retrieved from the Scopus and Google Scholar databases, covering the period from 2020 to 2026, in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. To ensure the robustness of synthesized claims, a formal 5-point methodological quality appraisal was applied to the 176 fully accessible included studies, explicitly categorizing them by their evidence maturity (e.g., software simulation vs. real-world field test). To resolve the structural overlap inherent in modern vehicular networks, this survey proposes a novel four-layer cyber–physical taxonomy. The literature is systematically categorized into: (1) Communication and Security Infrastructure, (2) Perception and Human Interaction, (3) Algorithmic and Decision-Making, and (4) Macroscopic Applications. The findings indicate that while V2X-supported coordinated maneuvers and Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control significantly improve road safety and traffic stability, their success is strictly bounded by underlying latency constraints and human behavioral compliance. Furthermore, ML-driven approaches enhance predictive accuracy, communication efficiency, and security mechanisms within V2X systems. Despite notable progress, challenges remain in maintaining reliable communication under dense traffic conditions, strengthening cybersecurity defenses, ensuring system scalability, and fostering user acceptance. By synthesizing recent research advances and identifying open issues, this paper provides a comprehensive reference framework to guide future research and support the practical deployment of safe and reliable V2X-enabled transportation systems.

Plastic waste accumulation poses a critical environmental challenge, while the road construction industry continues to rely heavily on energy intensive, non-renewable binders. Integrating waste plastics into asphalt offers a dual solution to these issues by enhancing pavement performance and promoting circular economy principles. This review provides a comprehensive and data-driven synthesis of global research on plastic-waste-modified asphalt (PWMA), covering six major plastic types and both wet- and dry-processing technologies. Unlike prior reviews, this study employs a systematic PRISMA-based selection framework to evaluate 42 peer-reviewed experimental studies from 2000 to 2024, quantitatively comparing rheological, mechanical, and environmental outcomes. The review identifies polymer bitumen compatibility mechanisms, microstructural interactions revealed through microscopy, and the role of pre-treatment processes (glycolysis and pyrolysis) in improving dispersion and stability. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data reveal 20–35% reductions in carbon emissions and 10–12% life cycle cost savings compared to conventional and SBS-modified asphalt. The review proposes a strategic roadmap addressing performance variability, microplastic emissions, and compatibility challenges. By integrating material science, sustainability assessment, and field implementation data, this review advances a novel multidisciplinary perspective on waste plastic valorization in road infrastructure, bridging the gap between laboratory research and policy-ready, scalable applications.

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) hold strong potential to redefine traffic operations, yet their impacts at varying penetration levels within mixed traffic remain insufficiently quantified. This study evaluates the influence of SAE Level 5 AVs on traffic performance at two typical urban signalized intersections using a hybrid microsimulation approach that integrates behavioral AV modeling and performance evaluation. The analysis covers two typical intersection layouts, one with two through lanes and another with three, tested under varying traffic volumes and left-turn shares. A total of 324 simulation scenarios were conducted with AV penetration ranging from 0% to 100% (in 20% increments) and left-turn proportions of 15%, 30%, and 45%. The results show that 100% AV penetration lowers the average delay by up to 40% in the two-lane intersection scenario and 32% in the three-lane scenario, relative to the 0% AV baseline. Even 20% AV penetration yields about half of the maximum improvement. The greatest benefits occur with aggressive AV driving profiles, balanced approach volumes, and small left-turn shares. These findings provide preliminary evidence of AVs’ potential to enhance intersection efficiency and support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11 and 13, offering insights to guide intersection design and AV deployment strategies for data-driven, sustainable urban mobility.

The electrification of the transportation system is considered one of the most viable solutions to address the pressing need to shift towards sustainable development. However, one of the major challenges to the rapid adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) is the lack of the right charging infrastructure where and when it is needed. Motivated by the necessity for a multidisciplinary approach, this study addresses the complex operational and planning challenges involved in integrating transportation and electrical networks for effective EV charging. Thus, this research aims to survey the literature to identify the adopted technologies, and the application and allocation of the right mix of the technologies to better serve the seamless adoption of EVs. That problem is multifaced where transportation network requirements and the electrical grid are important to support the charging loads at the needed time. The literature survey adopts the PRISMA methodology, contributing to the existing literature by highlighting the following shortcomings: 1) the problem of allocating the charging technology is either purely viewed from a transportation or an electrical perspective, 2) there is a gap in adopting both networks’ requirements comprehensively, 3) the literature predominately focuses on a single technology either battery swapping or wireless charging, 4) introducing new technologies highlights the impact of each on both networks in terms of return of investment, traffic flows, and power grids operational conditions, 5) research direction is focused more towards operation and routing while service allocation is relatively new and has not yet been extensively explored, and 6) transportation network research focuses on a static representation of the transportation network and EV demand. This study’s main contribution besides identifying critical gaps in existing literature and possible future research direction, is the proposal of a novel framework that integrates multiple charging technologies. This framework is designed to optimize infrastructure deployment, enhancing the efficiency and economic viability of EV charging systems across both transportation and electrical networks.

Due to its anticipated impacts on the performance of transportation systems, intelligent transport systems (ITS) have emerged as one of the most extensively investigated topics. The U.S. Department of Transportation has defined route guidance systems (RGSs) as one of the main categories within ITS. Systems like these are essential components when managing travel and transportation. While RGSs play a pivotal role in both present and future transportation, there has been limited research on evaluating the effectiveness and dependability of integrating them with vehicular communication frameworks. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate the RGS architectures proposed to date in the literature, providing comparisons and classifications based on their structures and requirements for communication systems. Moreover, it explores existing, next generation, as well as prospective choices for V2X communication technologies, evaluating how well they contribute to the development of RGS applications by integrating them with potential communication systems. Specifically, this study assesses the suitability of communication technologies in meeting the requirements of RGS applications. In conclusion, it suggests a framework for integrating RGS and V2X systems and offers directions for future research in this area.