The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have handed out $49.2 million for ITS projects designed to improve mobility and multimodality.
The innovative technology grants are aimed at highway and transit initiatives in the US - although only $4m in this tranche went to transit.
Click here for a list of recipients.
The FHWA awarded $45.2 million in Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) grants to 10 projects using ITS to "improve mobility and safety, reduce congestion and support underserved communities".
The initiative "funds early deployments of forward-looking technologies" and this year supports congestion-easing tech as well as projects aimed at ports, rural transportation and ferries.
ATCMTD was established under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (Fast) Act and has provided more than $300 million to more than 55 projects over six years.
The FTA gave $4 million in Enhancing Mobility Innovation (EMI) grants to nine transit agencies and organisations 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,” said transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg.
“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," said Stephanie Pollack, acting Federal Highway Administrator - the role for which Shailen Bhatt has been nominated.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is set to continue the ATCMTD programme from 2022 through 2026 at the same level of funding with a greater focus on rural transportation, transit, paratransit and protecting the environment.
It also adds several new eligible activities including "variable pricing systems and technologies that enhance congestion pricing and automated vehicle communications".
“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,” said 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.”
Integrated fare payment systems and user-friendly apps for on-demand public transportation are among the focuses here.
FTA says it encouraged proposals that advance the objectives of the Administration’s Justice40 initiative by investing in innovations that benefit disadvantaged communities.
