The closure comes after an autonomous Uber vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe in March, and stems from an internal safety assessment the company took on following the incident.

Arizona has seen a steady decline of manufacturing jobs spanning decades, but hopes are a boom in automotive research will bring it to an end.

The move by Waymo, which started Oct. 19 with an automated Chrysler Pacifica minivan in Chandler is a major step toward vehicles driving themselves without human backups on public roads.

Google’s self-driving car project Waymo and Chandler’s police and fire departments held a demonstration at the city’s Municipal Utilities Center on June 28, showcasing how the company’s cars respond to emergency vehicles.