Construction is nearing an end along I-94 in Wayne County on the shared connected and automated vehicle (CAV) travel lane.
Construction began along I-94 between Belleville and Rawsonville roads in August and the left lane of westbound I-94 is set to open on Dec. 22.
Work to install pavement markings and delineators is nearly complete and will allow all lanes to be open through mid-January when more work along the shoulder will resume.
According to MDOT, in the late spring of 2024, a high-friction surface treatment will be applied along the project limits.
Then, the CAV corridor pilot will be fully operation and Cavnue, the private company developing the project, will began testing CAVs along the corridor.
That testing will happen in off-peak hours, and signs will notify drivers that the left lane of westbound I-94 is closed to traffic.
According to MDOT, the vision for the corridor is to create CAV lanes to help increase the safety, efficiency, resilience and operations of roadways.
CAV lanes, according to the company, will provide a variety of benefits. The plan would be to have shuttles, that can bring people into areas, allow autonomous vehicles using the lanes to communicate with each other to move faster and more safely, but will also accommodate mixed traffic.
If all goes well, Cavnue said the information they learn could also be used to deploy CAV lans on Michigan Ave. and "potentially grow a network of CAV corridors connecting Southeast Michigan."
