I-94 could host self-driving vehicle lanes between Ann Arbor and Detroit.

[Airforceguy]

MLive had a great article on the proposed automated lane project along I-94 today. The project will stretch from Ann Arbor-Saline Rd to the Lodge Freeway using the existing far left lane. The lane would have barriers set up to separate it from the existing lanes and entry points would be designated. If a future phase as automated cars become more common, a lane would be built exclusively for them using private funds.


I-94 could host self-driving vehicle lanes between Ann Arbor and Detroit. Here’s how to learn more

When fully complete, it would stretch from Ann Arbor-Saline Road in Ann Arbor to M-10, the Lodge Freeway, in Detroit, officials said.


MDOT previously announced open houses in the Ann Arbor area in March for the project but then postponed them, saying officials and Cavnue needed “further alignment” on an environmental study necessary for the project before presenting it to the public. The Belleville event is meant to discuss the environmental study, and more meetings are anticipated at different points along the proposed corridor in Wayne and Washtenaw counties in 2023, MDOT officials said.


The Ann Arbor meetings haven’t yet been rescheduled, though MDOT anticipates hosting an open house in Washtenaw County sometime this year, spokesperson Rob Morosi said in an email.


Officials have said the project would involve designated I-94 lanes with equipment for autonomous vehicles and smart technology, including sensors to detect traffic, weather and road conditions, while allowing driverless vehicles to communicate with each other.


“At its core, the project is designed to be ‘future-proofed’ and evolve to meet transportation goals, beginning with connected buses and shared mobility vehicles such as vans and shuttles, and expanding to additional types of [[connected and automated vehicles) such as freight and personal vehicles,” reads a project description on MDOT’s website. The lanes will likely be physically separated from the rest of the highway, accessible only at certain points. At the start of the project, all vehicles will be able to use them, but as self-driving vehicles become more common and their usage exceeds a certain threshold, the lanes may be restricted to only the high-tech vehicles, according to a question and answer page for the project.


Construction will bring improved pavement and updated striping on the far-left lane of I-94 in both directions, as well as new poles to support camera and sensor equipment installed along the median and new signs to identify lane entrances and exits, according to MDOT.


The building of the specialized lanes is expected to be privately funded, the agency says. They would be built in three phases, with the first stretching from U.S. 23 in the west to Oakwood Boulevard in the east.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor...earn-more.html

[5939DT]

I wish they would just widen I-94 through Ann Arbor, like they've done in Kalamazoo and Jackson. It's a parking lot between Ann Arbor-Saline and State every weekday between 4 and 7 PM.

[Gistok]

I wish they would just widen I-94 through Ann Arbor, like they've done in Kalamazoo and Jackson. It's a parking lot between Ann Arbor-Saline and State every weekday between 4 and 7 PM.

Amen to that! Did they ever widen the stretch from M-23 and State St.?

[1953]

If you have to give them their own lanes, are they really self-driving cars?

[Jimaz]

If you have to give them their own lanes, are they really self-driving cars?

Good point.

Does that mean they aren't capable of replacing human drivers outside of that special lane? Or just that we can't trust them to do so safely?

[gratiotfaced]

This seems like a gigantic waste of money when a perfectly good state-owned rail line already runs between Ann Arbor and Detroit. It just needs a couple new stations and operational funding.

[Honky Tonk]

This seems like a gigantic waste of money when a perfectly good state-owned rail line already runs between Ann Arbor and Detroit. It just needs a couple new stations and operational funding.

Either or, you're still going to have to get your "driverless car" from your residence to the lane on 94, or to the train station. Then there's the issue of getting yourself from the train station, or 94, to where you're going at the other end.

[gratiotfaced]

Then there's the issue of getting yourself from the train station, or 94, to where you're going at the other end.

Buses

[Hypestyles]

I would rather there be transit trains between Detroit and Ann Arbor in those "lanes". Alas.

[Jimaz]

Autonomous Car Drives Itself Into Wet Concrete

[JBMcB]

This seems like a gigantic waste of money when a perfectly good state-owned rail line already runs between Ann Arbor and Detroit. It just needs a couple new stations and operational funding.

I have friends who take the train from Detroit to Ann Arbor a couple of times a year, just for fun. They say the trains are usually about 20% full. I don't think the underlying issue is lack of infrastructure or funding.

[5939DT]

The big issue here is that the existing Norfolk Southern line goes nowhere near a significant traffic generator {drumroll} - DTW. The former Wabash line that skirts DTW goes nowhere else significant unless you count Milan.
There's already an A2D2 bus between the two cities. I've never taken it but have taken the Michigan Flyer bus from A2 to DTW several times and found it to be satisfactory.

[Hypestyles]

...hmm.. curious. best of luck but more commuter rail lines needed for sure.

[Jimaz]

TV journalist documents wild ride inside Waymo self-driving car in San Francisco

Ever wonder what it's like to ride in a robo taxi? Watch as ABC7 News reporter Lyanne Melendez takes a wild ride inside a self-driving Waymo car in San Francisco....

I'm starting to get the impression that all this talk about A.I. and self checkout and autonomous cars, etc. is just a sneaky way of conditioning human consumers to accept the idea of paying for services that don't require paying human employees — despite how crappy that service is.

Is it all just a greedy corporate money grab? Are we being harvested?

And note how much money is being invested into these "improvements"!

[13606Cedargrove]

Jimaz: The answers to your questions are Yes, and Yes. The agenda is to restrict, limit, or possibly eliminate private autos. I can't prove it, but all the signs are there.