An article (108; 440) that is a pathway article, comprising: a physical surface having a code (127; 440) embodied thereon, the code (127; 440) including authentication information comprising a unique identifier corresponding to the article and an indication of a type of the article; wherein the authentication information corresponds to information stored by a blockchain managed by a consensus network of nodes for use in authenticating the article by a computing device (116; 116A; 116B) onboard a vehicle that is operative to determine an expected type of the article based on the information that is stored by the blockchain, wherein the computing device (116; 116A; 116B) queries a node of the consensus network to determine the expected type of the article (108; 440), the query specifying the unique identifier corresponding to the article (108; 440), compare the type of the article to the expected type of the article, and determine that the article is authentic in response to determining that the expected type of the pathway article corresponds to the type of the pathway article, wherein the code (127; 440) is associated with pathway information in transaction data stored by the blockchain managed by the consensus network of nodes, wherein the pathway information indicates one or more characteristics of a vehicle pathway, wherein the pathway information provides at least: vehicle operation instructions associated with a portion of the vehicle pathway for causing, by the computing device (116; 116A; 116B), execution of a vehicle control action responsive to determining the article (108; 440) to be authentic. a physical surface having a code (127; 440) embodied thereon, the code (127; 440) including authentication information comprising a unique identifier corresponding to the article and an indication of a type of the article; wherein the authentication information corresponds to information stored by a blockchain managed by a consensus network of nodes for use in authenticating the article by a computing device (116; 116A; 116B) onboard a vehicle that is operative to determine an expected type of the article based on the information that is stored by the blockchain, wherein the computing device (116; 116A; 116B) queries a node of the consensus network to determine the expected type of the article (108; 440), the query specifying the unique identifier corresponding to the article (108; 440), compare the type of the article to the expected type of the article, and determine that the article is authentic in response to determining that the expected type of the pathway article corresponds to the type of the pathway article, determine an expected type of the article based on the information that is stored by the blockchain, wherein the computing device (116; 116A; 116B) queries a node of the consensus network to determine the expected type of the article (108; 440), the query specifying the unique identifier corresponding to the article (108; 440), compare the type of the article to the expected type of the article, and determine that the article is authentic in response to determining that the expected type of the pathway article corresponds to the type of the pathway article, wherein the code (127; 440) is associated with pathway information in transaction data stored by the blockchain managed by the consensus network of nodes, wherein the pathway information indicates one or more characteristics of a vehicle pathway, wherein the pathway information provides at least: vehicle operation instructions associated with a portion of the vehicle pathway for causing, by the computing device (116; 116A; 116B), execution of a vehicle control action responsive to determining the article (108; 440) to be authentic. <EOS>