Imagine Not Sitting In Traffic Again; The Dream Starts In Detroit

There was a big press conference today announcing plans to create a high tech roadway (most likely, iconic Michigan Ave) in the Detroit area that will become a futuristic haven for driver-less technology. The State of Michigan and an entity called CAVNUE, along with Ford, are hoping to turn a forty mile stretch of road into something that will be the envy of the rest of the country.

While Michigan Avenue hasn't been officially selected, most of the officials involved are pushing for that to be the selection, and many talked like it will be.

The first phase of the project, according to Patch.com, should start in the next couple of years, and will create lanes that will attempt to maximize the capabilities of "connected autonomous vehicles". This means vehicles that can, among many other capabilities, wirelessly communicate with traffic signals along the road. Ultimately, if this is successful, it could be a solution to many urban traffic headaches.

MDOT which is involved in this, too, says in the past ten years, there have been 10,000 fatal auto crashes in Michigan. The National Highway Traffic Administration adds that 94% of crashes are tied to human error.

The press conference was in front of the formerly abandoned Michigan Central Station, which Ford bought two years ago and is currently being rehabbed. It will be one hub in this corridor. In the Detroit Free-Press story, Ford Chairman Bill Ford says "“The mobility corridor will serve as a proving ground to test and innovate.”