The American Center for Mobility (ACM) today announced a $24 million contract to Angelo Inafrate Construction Co. to oversee building of the first phase of its connected and automated proving ground at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti.
The project will include building a 2.5-mile highway loop with on and off ramps, curved tunnels, a customer garage, and operations center.
The purpose-built facility is designed to test, develop, and validate connected and automated vehicle technologies, and to expedite the creation of voluntary industry standards, workforce, and education.
“The American Center for Mobility is attracting worldwide interest from private and public entities that have a need for developing and testing advanced connected and driverless vehicle technologies,” says John Maddox, president and CEO of ACM.
“We’ve been rapidly crafting this world-class purpose-built facility, with careful consideration of critical features and fidelity to real-world driving conditions. We feel the Angelo Iafrate Construction Co. has the real-world expertise and proven capability necessary to handle a project of this magnitude.”
The project is expected to be completed and open for testing in December. Additionally, the Michigan Department of Transportation has also started work on a 1.5-mile section of US-12 between Ecorse Road and Airport Industrial Drive.
Crews will repurpose the west-bound lanes of the divided road for part of ACM’s closed track, and the east-bound section will be converted into two-way traffic for public use.
