Uber acquires 600 acre in Pittsburgh to build test track

San Francisco, Dec 27 (IANS) Uber Technologies has finally announced the purchase of an almost 600-acre parcel in Findlay Township in Pittsburgh that will be used for a self-driving test track.The San Francisco ride-hailing giant bought the parcel through Uber affiliate 3 Rivers Holding LLC from real estate developer Imperial Land Corp. for $9.5 million, news portal post-gazette.com reported.According to Uber spokeswoman Sarah Abboud, Uber plans to use the space as a new test track for its self-driving cars when the track is complete. Earlier in November, Abboud said that the the company was looking for more space to conduct testing as its Pittsburgh footprint continues to grow. Global ride-hailing major has been expanding in Pittsburgh over the last decade, with an Advanced Technology Center that opened in the Strip District in February 2015 to work on self-driving cars.As per report, the new nearly 600-acre track will employ roughly 200 people and will also include an observation deck.Earlier, Uber was reportedly planning to buy 400-acre land for the very same purpose in South Fayette Township in Pittsburgh, but ultimately rejected the plan.
--IANS wh/rt