Road Tested

Transportation-infrastructure expert Kirk Steudle reflects on the rapid progress toward the connected-AV future and the challenges ahead.

In the auto industry, mechanical and electrical engineers work from the tire up. Civil engineers work from the tire down,” quips Kirk Steudle. “And although it's taken a while for both to understand each other's jargon, the connected-and-autonomous vehicle is forcing them all together-to solve problems for society's mobility.”

Steudle, a registered professional engineer, has been at the vehicle-to-road nexus his entire career. Last October he retired as director of the Michigan Dept. of Transportation where, among many achievements, his leadership helped put the state and its core industry in the vanguard of connected-car and AV-related developments, testing, and infrastructure standards. During his final year at MDoT, he also served as interim CEO of the American Center for Mobility, the new 500-acre AV proving ground and test center near Ann Arbor.