TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) – The head of Ohio’s toll road says it is moving closer to opening up the highway for the testing of self-driving vehicles.

The Ohio Turnpike’s executive director tells The Associated Press that testing is likely to begin within 12 months, and possibly before the end of the year.

Randy Cole says the route that takes Interstate 80 from Pennsylvania to Indiana is set up well for it because it already has a fiber network along the entire roadway.

Ohio is among several states competing to play a role in the testing of self-driving vehicles.

Ride-hailing service Uber said Thursday that it will start hauling passengers in self-driving cars with human backup drivers in Pittsburgh within the next several weeks.