The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have awarded US$49.2 million in innovative technology grants to improve mobility and multimodal connections on America’s highway and transit systems.
The FHWA awarded US$45.2 million in Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) grants to ten projects using advanced intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies that improve mobility and safety, reduce congestion and support underserved communities.
The FTA awarded US$4 million in Enhancing Mobility Innovation (EMI) grants to nine transit agencies and organizations in six states and the District of Columbia to improve access and mobility for transit riders.
“With these grants, the Biden-Harris Administration is helping communities deliver modern transportation systems that connect people to where they want to go more affordably, efficiently, and safely,” says US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We’re pleased to support these innovative solutions that will improve driving and public transit for Americans in urban, suburban, and rural areas alike.”
“ATCMTD grants promote innovations that help expand access to transportation for communities in rural areas and cities alike, improve connectivity, and prepare America’s transportation systems for the future,” says Stephanie Pollack, Acting Federal Highway Administrator. “The program uses advanced technologies and innovation to promote safety for drivers and transit riders and funds projects across the nation that others can learn from as national models.”
“FTA’s Enhancing Mobility Innovation program provides more tools to improve mobility and make all modes of transit easier to use and more attractive to riders,” says FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez. “This funding will help recipients test new innovations with a goal of deploying long-lasting solutions that improve the lives of people in their communities.”
ATCMTD FY 2021 projects and amounts:
Alabama
Alabama Department of Transportation US$5,000,000
Proactive Route Operations to Avert Congestion in Traffic (PROACT) Alabama with advanced technologies to improve operations on I-65.
California
Port of Los Angeles US$3,000,000
Port of Los Angeles Gateway – advanced technologies to improve trucking, drayage and terminal operator activities.
Illinois
City of Chicago US$3,990,000
Chicago Centralized Transit Signal Priority Project – that prioritizes buses at traffic lights.
Kansas
Kansas Department of Transportation US$6,679,072
Great Plains Rural Freight Technology Corridor Project advanced technologies — to deliver traffic, weather, and other operational information to commercial trucking to optimize freight routing.
Kentucky
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet US$5,147,300
Kentucky’s Wrong Way Driving and Integrated Safety Technology – that uses ITS to detect and deter wrong-way incidents.
New Jersey
South Jersey Transportation Authority US$8,748,763
Smart and Connected Atlantic City Expressway deploying cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technologies to support future connected and automated vehicles.
North Dakota
North Dakota Department of Transportation US$1,449,000
Electric Vehicle User Range Anxiety Solution for Rural North Dakota – to provide additional EV charging stations.
Ohio
NEORide US$1,493,313
EZConnect – An Open and Cloud-based Mobility Center Providing One-Stop Access for Travel Needs of Underserved Customers.
Tennessee
City of Chattanooga US$4,577,721
An End-to-End Decision Support System for Integrated Smart Electric Grid and Transportation System Management.
Washington
Washington State Department of Transportation US$5,122,345
Washington State Ferries Terminal Wait Times Traveler Information System.
EMI FY 2021 projects and amounts:
California
Metropolitan Transportation Commission US$500,000
San Francisco Bay Area Regional Demand Responsive Transit Brokerage Service.
City of Richmond US$250,000
Unify Richmond Moves
City of Santa Monica US$330,432
Anonymous and Recurring Digital Intercept Survey for Big Blue Bus.
District of Columbia
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments US$250,000
Vanpool Microtransit Pilot: Creating Software to Increase Vanpooling as a Viable Public Transit Mode for Transportation Disadvantaged Populations.
Maryland
University of Maryland-College Park US$800,000
Software-based solutions for smart and equitable travel demand management.
New York
Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority US$283,219
Verifying Low-Income Fare Eligibility via Connections to other State Databases.
Ohio
NEORide US$338,600
Real-Time Open Data Exchange for Demand Response Software Using Transactional Data Standard for EZConnect Mobility Hub.
Oregon
MobilityData US$798,000
Improving traveler experience through openly available high quality multimodal service information.
Texas
NTT Data Inc US$500,000
Transit Data Twin and Simulator.
Images: Adobe Stock, USDOT
