Is the future nigh? The University of Michigan opened a test city for driverless cars.

ABC News reports:

University of Michigan Opens Test “City” for Autonomous Cars

Automakers and researchers say a new simulated city at the University of Michigan could help speed the development of driverless and connected cars.

The 32-acre site on the university’s campus officially opened Monday. The $10 million testing ground will be run by the Mobility Transformation Center, a partnership between the university, state and federal governments and auto and technology companies.

The site has many familiar features of urban driving, including intersections, a railroad crossing, two roundabouts, brick and gravel roads and parking spaces. Moveable building facades and fake pedestrians can be altered for different kinds of tests. There’s a simulated highway entrance ramp. Two features — a metal bridge and a tunnel — will be a special challenge for wireless signals and radar sensors.

Peter Sweatman, the director of the Mobility Transformation Center, says other test sites in Sweden and Japan have some of the same features, but the Michigan site is one of the most advanced autonomous vehicle testing grounds in the world. Automakers, high-tech companies and university researchers will test car-to-car communication systems, which could one day predict accidents and stop cars before a mishap. They’ll also be testing semi-autonomous and driverless vehicles at the site.