Atlanta Joins List of Cities Gunning for Autonomous Car Test Track
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Self-driving vehicles could soon be making their way around the busy streets of Atlanta. Georgia's capital city is just one of several cities vying for autonomous vehicle testing. If current plans come together, Atlanta would become one of the largest urban areas where the technology is being tested.
Many supporters of driverless cars say that they could be part of a broader effort to help rebuild the national infrastructure in the U.S., something President Donald Trump had pledged during his campaign.
Ten states were designated as "proving grounds" for the technology in January by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The list includes North Carolina turnpikes, the eastern Iowa prairie, and the American Center for Mobility that is being built on the 355-acre Willow Run site in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan.
Atlanta isn't on this list, but city officials still hope to make an impact and have been actively seeking proposals from companies for a demonstration of an autonomous vehicle on North Avenue later this year. Such a demonstration could come together as early as September.
North Avenue connects the Georgia Institute of Technology campus with some of the city's tallest skyscrapers. This would make this stretch of road one of, if not the, busiest urban environments yet for such testing.
