Why It Matters
Tennessee’s first smart road pilot program is set to transform a critical freight corridor in West Tennessee, with implications for commercial trucking, highway safety, and the state’s growing industrial economy. The project targets a segment of Interstate 40 — one of the busiest highways in Tennessee — connecting Memphis to the site of Ford Motor Company’s massive BlueOval City manufacturing campus. As autonomous and connected vehicle technologies move closer to mainstream adoption, Tennessee’s investment positions the state as an early testing ground for next-generation freight infrastructure.
What Happened
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has selected Washington, D.C.-based smart road development firm Cavnue, LLC to plan, design, and help test Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) technologies along a segment of Interstate 40 in West Tennessee. The selection was announced in a March 27 news release.
Cavnue will lead a multi-year pilot program evaluating autonomous freight technologies on the corridor, which runs between Memphis and the BlueOval City manufacturing site. The firm specializes in deploying sensors, cameras, and wireless communications systems that notify vehicles of congestion and road hazards and alert emergency responders to incidents in real time.
TDOT selected Cavnue to steer the state’s long-term freight modernization planning, with the goal of understanding how emerging technology can reduce congestion, improve safety, increase efficiency, and support freight management operations across one of Tennessee’s most heavily traveled routes.
Governor Bill Lee endorsed the initiative in the announcement. “This pilot strengthens one of our most important freight corridors and supports continued economic development in West Tennessee,” Lee stated. “By embracing new technology, we’re ensuring our infrastructure keeps pace with the needs of Tennesseans and the industries that drive our economy.”
By the Numbers
- 3 miles: Length of Cavnue’s prior “proof of concept” smart express lane built on Interstate 94 in Michigan, which served as a foundational demonstration of the company’s technology.
- 2028: Expected end date of the Tennessee pilot program, making it a multi-year evaluation spanning at least two years of active testing.
- 1 corridor: Interstate 40 is the sole focus of the pilot, running the entire east-to-west length of Tennessee and serving as a primary artery for commercial freight movement.
- $5.6 billion+: The estimated investment in Ford’s BlueOval City complex in Stanton, Tennessee, which is anticipated to significantly increase freight volumes along I-40 in the coming years.
- 6,000+ jobs: Projected employment at BlueOval City upon full operation, underscoring the scale of industrial activity expected to drive additional freight demand along the corridor.
Zoom Out
Tennessee’s smart road pilot reflects a broader national push to modernize highway infrastructure in anticipation of autonomous and connected vehicle deployment. Several states have moved to develop dedicated CAV corridors or testing environments in recent years.
Michigan, where Cavnue conducted its earlier proof-of-concept work on I-94, has been among the most active states in autonomous vehicle infrastructure development, largely driven by its ties to the automotive manufacturing industry. Texas and Arizona have also established regulatory frameworks and physical corridors to support autonomous freight testing.
Federally, the U.S. Department of Transportation has prioritized CAV integration through programs tied to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which allocated significant funding for emerging transportation technologies. States that develop early pilot data and operational frameworks are expected to be better positioned to access federal infrastructure dollars as autonomous freight regulations evolve.
The Tennessee project is notable for its direct alignment with a major industrial development — BlueOval City — giving the pilot a concrete, near-term freight use case rather than a purely speculative testing environment.
What’s Next
Cavnue’s immediate responsibilities include analyzing the existing infrastructure along the designated I-40 corridor and developing a formal design plan for the pilot. The firm will then proceed to install temporary roadside and vehicle-based technologies before beginning active data collection.
TDOT must review and approve the planning and design phases before full implementation moves forward. Throughout the pilot, Cavnue will engage stakeholders, collect real-time performance data, and evaluate safety impacts and freight operation benefits.
Final findings from the pilot are expected to inform Tennessee’s long-term freight infrastructure strategy. TDOT has not yet announced a timeline for publishing results or outlining potential permanent deployment based on the pilot’s outcomes. The program is scheduled to run through 2028.