The Ray was founded in 2015 to reimagine highway transportation in a clean, efficient and safe way—not only in Georgia but across America. 

The Ray C. Anderson Memorial Highway is an 18-mile stretch of Interstate 85 from the Georgia-Alabama state line to the City of LaGrange that serves as a testing ground. Over the last nine years, we have partnered with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), private companies and other community organizations to install more than a dozen resilient and sustainable projects on and along the highway. This innovative partnership is the ideal model for decarbonization efforts in transportation across the United States. Our work is changing the facts on the ground and building confidence in government sectors, proving that the net-zero technologies needed to transform the transportation system already exist.

From our perspective, the purpose of The Ray is to “design and deploy transportation infrastructure in ways that position the United States to lead the global clean transportation market and create millions of good paying jobs for American workers,” as stated by Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Acknowledging that the transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the industry must undergo a policy imperative to reverse its impact on the climate crisis and improve the quality of life in cities, towns, and rural communities for all Americans. However, policies and legislation alone do not break ground—new methods and technology are essential. 

National expansion of our private-public-philanthropic partnerships (P4) will speed up the implementation of the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization to achieve “the goal of net-zero GHG emissions economy-wide by 2050.” Our P4 strategy supports community design and creative land-use planning to promote affordable, accessible and reliable transportation options. By offering technical assistance, cutting-edge tools and creative procurement strategies, The Ray seeks to electrify the dominant modes of movement to be convenient, efficient and clean. Taking a systems-level approach to mitigating climate change, we are committed to initiating bold action across the entire transportation system to establish U.S. leadership globally by 2030. 

The Ray Highway is America’s test site for research, development and demonstration (RD&D) for decarbonized infrastructure. Identifying and scaling net-zero transportation technologies is our business. As we look forward to 2024, we are proud to be active in 30 states, working with 22 DOT agencies, 20 local partners and 15 networked communities to help them capture opportunities, solve challenges and reimagine how they use their infrastructure. From pollinator-friendly roadside solar arrays in Augusta, Maine, to connected and autonomous vehicle-enabling infrastructure in Austin, Texas, to tire safety monitoring stations in South Florida—The Ray is transforming how the world builds and operates transportation systems.

This interactive annual report highlights our growth and accomplishments in 2023, as well as ongoing and expanding partnerships with local communities and regional agencies. As we look forward to the future, we also want to share how far we’ve come. 

Here are additional resources that provide a brief history of The Ray today:

2015 – SOLAR-POWERED VEHICLE CHARGING
2016 – TIRE SAFETY CHECK STATION
2016 – SMART PLANTING
2016 – BIOSWALES
2016 – CLIMATE MODELING
2016 – POLLINATOR GARDEN
2018 – RUBBER ROADS
2019 – V2X CONNECTED TECHNOLOGY
2019 – ROAD STRIPING
2022 – ANNUAL REPORT

We would like to recognize our Georgia-based partners who have collaborated with us along the way:

In addition, the national companies and technologists that make our work possible: