UPDATED: Cavnue’s 1st MI Self-Driving Car Corridor on I-94 Will Run “Detroit Airport to Ann Arbor”
Given the updated parameters, the most likely initial 25-mile autonomous lane stretch on I-94 runs from the bustling Ann Arbor / Saline Rd Exit 175 to Exit 200 at Ecorse Rd, just east of DTW. This would include the State St. Exit 177 where the City of Ann Arbor just approved a massive high-density mixed-use development located just south of Michigan Stadium. It’d run through Ypsilanti, directly past Ford Lake, then past all three exits for Belleville Lake: Exit 187 Rawsonville Rd. (Belleville Lake West, Ford Dam, Hydro Park, Willow Run, ACM, Ford, Amazon), Exit 190 Belleville Rd. (Downtown Belleville, VBT), and Exit 192 Haggerty Rd. (Belleville Lake East, Amazon). It’d then cross 275, run through Romulus and past several exits for Detroit Metro Airport.
BELLEVILLE & DETROIT: When looking to the future of Belleville, MI and the 48111, we can plainly see that population pressure, a re- energized automobile industry and the overall post-Covid/remote worker shift to rural and more scenic areas are likely to continue to boost local population growth, lake tourism, business interest, retail, etc. The emergence of the American Center for Mobility at Willow Run as a primary autonomous vehicle testing and validation facility has added some serious spice to the mix, attracting international mega-companies to its one-of-a-kind, primely located campus.
And now, a lightning rod…?!
The long-anticipated project by Cavnue Inc, a Google spin-out created by Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, is coming to fruition and will impact Belleville more directly and quickly than initially expected. A renewed national focus on domestic tech and supply chains, together with the State of Michigan’s big electrification and mobility modernization push, seems to have more than adequately filled the sails, and coffers, for a serious, real-deal test build-out.
At the recent Detroit Mobility Meetup presented by MICHauto and the Michigan Economic Development Corp., Mark de la Vergne, VP Product Development at Cavnue, addressed the audience about the project and confirmed that the initial 25-mile stretch “will run from Detroit Airport to Ann Arbor”.
Accordingly, Cavnue has announced the completion of a massive $130 million fundraising round and the inclusion of a host of industry-leading partners (Ford, Openvia, Globavia Group and Landstar) as well as Phase 2 of its project to build dedicated lanes for autonomous vehicles here in South-East Michigan.
Mark de la Vergne, VP Product Development at Cavnue, addressed the audience about the project and confirmed that the initial 25-mile stretch “will run from Detroit Airport to Ann Arbor”.
Together with input from the Michigan Department of Transportation, Cavnue has slightly adjusted the master plan to initially prioritize the creation of a 25-mile test corridor on I-94 between Detroit and Ann Arbor. Previously, the intention was to first focus on Michigan Ave, which remains a key artery in the project.
After evaluating the feasibility of various CAV corridors, Cavnue and MDOT have identified an approximately 25-mile segment of Interstate 94 for the initial deployment that will serve as the country’s first corridor of tech-enabled infrastructure for connected and autonomous vehicles. Based on a study of traffic patterns and an assessment of existing infrastructure and investments made by the state and local communities, our identification of the I-94 segment signals MDOT’s continued commitment to the project and a commitment to closing long-standing gaps in access to transit and transportation across the region.
The agreement details a commitment to mutually develop an associated work plan, which provides for further traffic studies, environmental analysis, road design and operational planning, as well as public engagement and outreach exercises to ensure community involvement. Learnings and insight gathered from the I-94 deployment will be used to further evaluate a deployment on Michigan Avenue and potentially grow a network of CAV corridors connecting Southeast Michigan.
At the recent Detroit Mobility Meetup presented by MICHauto and the Michigan Economic Development Corp., Mark de la Vergne, VP Product Development at Cavnue, addressed the audience about the project and confirmed that the initial 25-mile stretch “will run from Detroit Airport to Ann Arbor”. (Earlier, The Beat speculated the route might span from Rawsonville to Corktown and the big new Michigan Central project…)
Why the switch to this particular stretch of highway? According to de la Vergne, the key factor was the lower number of utilities and other infrastructural obstacles present - compared to Michigan Ave and stretches of I-94 closer to Detroit and Michigan Central.
It makes sense that the first, most scrutinized demonstration Cavnue route will be deployed along the section of I-94 with the least development obstacles while still managing to connect a powerful trifecta of mobility nodes - 1) Detroit Airport, 2) the American Center for Mobility & Willow Run, 3) University of Michigan & MCity.
According to de la Vergne, the key factor was the lower number of utilities and other infrastructural obstacles present - compared to Michigan Ave and stretches of I-94 closer to Detroit and Michigan Central.
Given the updated parameters, the most likely initial 25-mile autonomous lane stretch on I-94 runs from the bustling Ann Arbor / Saline Rd Exit 175 to Exit 200 at Ecorse Rd, just east of DTW. This would include the State St. Exit 177 where the City of Ann Arbor just approved a massive high-density mixed-use development located just south of Michigan Stadium. It’d run through Ypsilanti, directly past Ford Lake, then past all three exits for Belleville Lake: Exit 187 Rawsonville Rd. (Belleville Lake West, Ford Dam, Hydro Park, Willow Run, ACM, Ford, Amazon), Exit 190 Belleville Rd. (Downtown Belleville, VBT), and Exit 192 Haggerty Rd. (Belleville Lake East, Amazon). It’d then cross 275, run through Romulus and past several exits for Detroit Metro Airport.
This remarkable project offers Belleville, VBT and the Belleville Lake communities a once-in-a-generation opportunity to surf the mobility wave and sandbox some
of the most interesting connected mobility projects on the planet. The efficient development of autonomous vehicles and connected mobility platforms will require real-world use cases, real-world testing, real-world content, which all requires real- world buy-in.
In the short term, we can likely expect an initial small influx of researchers and business development folks, followed by software, infrastructure and vehicles engineers. Hopefully this can then translate into abundant testing and deployment jobs for locals and a general uptick in local retail. Ultimately, the 48111 could become a key part of a world-leading connected transportation ecosystem and house some next- gen homegrown startups (not unlike NiFTgo.com).
When we asked him how the citizens of Belleville could participate in the development of the new autonomous vehicle corridor, de la Vergne said, “We’ll be hiring soon. Stay tuned to our website. Stay interested in our project.”
Finally, the million dollar question. Knowing that this is all coming, what new business(es) could possibly go into the currently vacant Dunham’s Plaza at Exit 187?? Exactly halfway along the Cavnue corridor. And how might Belleville Lake & the West Coast of Wayne County figure into Michigan’s burgeoning connected mobility movement. ... We’d love to hear your hunches and ideas at facebook.com/bellevillebeat
