Edmond prepares for self-driving cars

EDMOND, Okla. (AP) – A city in central Oklahoma is spending millions of dollars to prepare for self-driving cars while working to alleviate traffic problems.

Edmond Traffic Engineer Tom Minnick tells The Oklahoman that the city is laying down infrastructure for autonomous vehicles. The $5 million intelligent traffic system project involves improvements at more than 20 intersections and the addition of 10 miles of fiber-optic cable.

The system will allow city staff to monitor traffic flow and adjust traffic signals from an office in the Public Works Center.

City officials have been looking into how an intelligent traffic system could lessen congestion issues since 2007. The U.S. Department of Transportation is encouraging cities to develop such systems, which relay information to cars about intersections and where things are located.