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U-Mich Building Connected-Car Test Facility
The University of Michigan expects to complete a $7 million complex in Ann Arbor, Mich., to test connected and autonomous vehicles by autumn.
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The University of Michigan expects to complete a $7 million complex in Ann Arbor, Mich., to test connected and autonomous vehicles by autumn.
The 30-acre facility will house three lane-miles of concrete and asphalt roadway complete with intersections, roundabouts, sidewalks, simulated buildings, traffic signals and signs, streetlights, pedestrian benches and such obstacles as construction barriers.
The facility is part of the university's year-old Mobility Transformation Center. MTC also is working with the Michigan Dept. of Transportation to install infrastructure to support 20,000 connected vehicles operating across southeast Michigan. That program will expand a just-ended three-year test involving 3,000 connected vehicles in Ann Arbor.
MTC Director Peter Sweatman describes the new test facility as an "essential step" in implementing connectivity systems that promise to lower fuel use, reduce traffic jams and cut vehicle-related emissions and make driving significantly safer.
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