Page 4 - The Wayne Dispatch

The “road of the future” coming to Wayne

By Carolyn Marnon work with MDOT to establish five
The majority of motor vehicle Working Groups to strategically ad-
crashes involve human inattention dress key dimensions of the project.
or error according to the NHTSA Once established, those groups are
(National Highway Traffic Safety Ad- expected to deliver a set of goals
ministration.) The road of the future within six months.
could change those statistics. The City of Wayne and its resi-
On August 13, Trevor Pawl, Chief dents would most likely be inter-
Mobility Officer of the State of Michi- ested in the Routes, Community
gan’s new Office of Future Mobility Engagement, and Economic Develop-
and Electrification, announced along ment Working Groups since Wayne
with other federal, state and local will be along the futuristic corridor.
partners, that SE Michigan regional A Cavnue concept rendering of the new Michigan Connected Corridor vehicles. Photo The six-month deliverables of this
transportation is going to be trans- Courtesy of Cavnue group include:
formed. Michigan is doing something was that this corridor could serve as personal vehicles. Connecting De- • Finalize a set of key points of in-
that has never been done that will a proving ground where Ford and troit to Ann Arbor with communities terest and route options.
change the world-creating the road partners could design, test and inno- along Michigan Avenue and Inter- • Develop a process for commu-
of the future. “Today,” he said, “we vate on services and solutions that state 94 that link to destinations like nity engagement with residents along
begin building the road of the future: would connect communities and pro- University of Michigan, Detroit Met- and affected by the Project, including
a self-driving vehicle corridor be- vide affordable and equitable trans- ropolitan Airport and Michigan Cen- evaluating the need to engage an ad-
tween Detroit and Ann Arbor.” portation.” The vision is to build for tral Station is the vision. visor or firm with a track record of
The proposed corridor will im- the world we are moving into. Phase One of the CAV-C project success in Michigan community en-
prove access to transportation for Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan com- will focus on testing technology and gagement.
those who have had trouble access- mented, “Today is a day that I think roadway design and exploring differ- • Provide an initial analysis of
ing it in the past. Pawl proclaimed nobody would have predicted five ent viable financing models to deter- critical factors on potential routes,
that Michigan will be an early leader years ago.” People thought the expert- mine the feasibility of the project. including traffic patterns, demo-
in a new way of transport, one that ise was in Silicon Valley and North- This phase is expected to last 24 graphics, physical characteristics,
has a smarter and safer infrastruc- ern California. He said that Waymo months, with construction and im- utility and contamination surveys,
ture for the next generation. is installing self-driving systems in plementation part of future phases. redevelopment, and land assemblage
Michigan Governor Gretchen vehicles at a Detroit plant nearby. Ac- During the feasibility analysis in activities.
Whitmer said that in 2019, Michigan cording to Duggan, Michigan Avenue Phase One, work will focus on tech- • Identify key economic develop-
had record-breaking investments in has the width needed to provide this nology testing and roadway design, ment objectives and opportunities.
next generation automotive, ad- futuristic transportation corridor. and exploring different financing
vanced manufacturing and cutting- Ford is investing $750 million models with an aim toward deter- 12-Month deliverables include:
edge technology. Michigan will close and 5000 people into Michigan Cen- mining project viability from both a • Begin an ongoing community
transportation gaps with the ambi- tral Station to design and engineer technology and business perspective. and public engagement process to
tious project of building the “world’s the vehicles of the future. Now, there Subsequent construction and imple- garner feedback and align on sup-
most sophisticated roadway.” is a need for a place to test those ve- mentation would be part of future port by stakeholders.
“With opportunity also comes re- hicles. phases of the project, to be deter- • Based on engagement with
sponsibility to advance our State’s No longer will the road of the fu- mined following the initial 24-month stakeholders, identify key opportuni-
technology and automotive land- ture be considered science fiction. It period. ties for encouraging economic devel-
scape in a way that also has the po- will be coming said Jonathan Winer, According to a Fact Sheet pro- opment.
tential to improve the quality of life co-founder and co-CEO of SIP (Side- duced by Cavnue, “While billions
for countless individuals in our State walks Infrastructure Partners.) He have been invested into developing 24-Month deliverables:
that includes our workforce, small and his partners have formed on-vehicle technologies - including • Complete Phase 1 community
business owners and residents in Cavnue, the company that will work advanced driver assistance systems engagement, supporting alignment
communities all along the corridor,” with MDOT and other stakeholders (“ADAS”) and fully autonomous driv- with residents along and affected by
said Gov. Whitmer. to implement this project. The inter- ing solutions - a small fraction has the Project.
Two years ago, Ford Motor Com- state system, launched in 1956, been spent on developing infrastruc- • Complete analysis of economic
pany Chairman Bill Ford stood out- changed how people across the US ture to support and enhance ad- development opportunities.
side Michigan Central Station and connected with each other through a vanced roads. Cavnue is developing • Finalize a route and phasing
announced its purchase with the in- high-speed, high-capacity system and integrating technologies that will proposal for the Project, drawing on
tention of restoring it and making it without stoplights and with exits power the world’s most technologi- civil engineering, environmental, and
a hub of mobility for Corktown and spaced at least a mile apart. The cally connected roads. Cavnue’s ap- other key analyses.
Detroit. He wanted to make trans- CAV-C (Connected and Autonomous proach is centered around creating a Intelligent vehicles are here. Au-
portation more convenient and help Vehicle Corridor) is the next major digital model of a roadway that ana- tonomous vehicles are coming.
restore a Detroit icon to beyond its transportation infrastructure move lyzes and optimizes road conditions Michigan is getting ready.
former glory. to the future. in real-time, shares information, and “This is great news to have Ford
“When I announced the purchase The project is expected to begin provides proactive guidance to vehi- Motor Company and Google working
of Michigan Central Station, I laid with connected buses and shared cles and drivers. This supports en- together to create the road of the fu-
out a vision for a mobility corridor mobility vehicles such as vans and hanced safety, efficiency, and road ture and to have Wayne be in the
that would span from Detroit to Ann shuttles, later expanding to addi- operating environments.” middle of it all,” said Wayne Mayor
Arbor,” Ford said. “And my vision tional types of CAVs like freight and Moving forward, Cavnue will John Rhaesa.
4 · September 2020 · The Wayne Dispatch