The first phase of the project will see Cavnue testing potential technologies and roadway designs. The firm will work with other companies in the space, including Ford, GM, BMW, Toyota and fellow Alphabet subsidiary Waymo to develop standards for use in future autonomous roadways across the country. According to the state, the goal of the project is to design something that is futureproof. What will start as a roadway for autonomous buses will hopefully one day allow work for freight and personal vehicles as well.  

“The action we’re taking today is good for our families, our businesses, and our economy as a whole. Here in Michigan, the state that put the world on wheels, we are taking the initial steps to build the infrastructure to help us test and deploy the cars of the future,” said Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. 

Cavnue expects the initial phase of the project to take about 24 months. The important point here is that construction on the project won’t start, if it begins at all, until that part of the project is complete. It could be years before Cavnue builds the first parts of the corridor, but what comes out of the project could be transformational.