The U.S. Department of Transportation just announced this afternoon that it is accepting applications for two programs that will make ~$160 million available annually for the next five years for projects that use technology to improve our transportation infrastructure and make communities safer.
Instead of tax-cuts for the super-rich, here comes the new Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program. It’s an idea whose time has come again – going back to canal building, railroads, land-grant colleges and the interstate highway system, among other effective examples.
The SMART Grants Program – the latest example of how government can effect positive change for its people – comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by President Biden on 15 November 2021. The Infrastructure law – almost universally opposed by the Republican party, whose members are still trying to overturn the last election while endorsing political violence – will offer up to $100 million in grants annually over the next five years. It will fund “projects that use data and technology to solve real-world challenges facing communities today,” the Administration said in a release.
“As we undertake the most ambitious infrastructure investment in generations, thanks to the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can and must plan for the transportation needs of the future,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “From connected vehicles that make driving safer, to smart traffic signals that reduce congestion, to sensors to detect the quality of pavement to help prioritize repair, our SMART grants will fund technology that makes people’s lives better in communities across America.”
Speeding alongside Smart Grants, is the Federal Highway Administration’s $60 million Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation (ATTAIN) program to promote advanced technologies to improve safety and reduce travel times for drivers and transit riders and that can serve as national examples. As a result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, ATTAIN-eligible projects will be evaluated on how they consider climate change and environmental justice impacts – including how they reduce transportation-related air pollution and address the disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged communities. In addition, projects are evaluated on their economic impact and potential to create jobs.
The SMART program will fund innovation and focus on building data and technology capacity and expertise. The Program seeks proposals from public sector entities that will carry out demonstration projects in the following domains to address key transportation priorities:
- Vehicle technology, like automation and connectivity
- Systems innovation, like delivery and logistics, traffic signals, smart grid, and data integration
- And new ways to monitor and manage infrastructure, like sensors and UAS
The Attain Program will promote – the Administration claimed – advanced technologies to improve safety and reduce travel times for drivers and transit riders and that can serve as national examples. “ATTAIN-eligible projects will be evaluated on how they consider climate change and environmental justice impacts – including how they reduce transportation-related air pollution and address the disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged communities. In addition, projects are evaluated on their economic impact and potential to create jobs.”
The SMART Notice of Funding (NOFO) is open now and can be found at www.grants.gov. Applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM EDT on Friday, November 18, 2022. Eligible entities are state, local, and tribal governments and agencies. For more information visit https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SMART.
The ATTAIN NOFO can also be found at www.grants.gov. State departments of transportation, local governments, transit agencies, metropolitan planning organizations and other eligible entities are invited to apply. Applications must be submitted by Friday, November 18, 2022. For more information, visit the FHWA web site.
An Idea Whose Time has Come – Smart Infrastructure
The U.S. Department of Transportation just announced this afternoon that it is accepting applications for two programs that will make ~$160 million available annually for the next five years for projects that use technology to improve our transportation infrastructure and make communities safer.
Instead of tax-cuts for the super-rich, here comes the new Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program. It’s an idea whose time has come again – going back to canal building, railroads, land-grant colleges and the interstate highway system, among other effective examples.
The SMART Grants Program – the latest example of how government can effect positive change for its people – comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by President Biden on 15 November 2021. The Infrastructure law – almost universally opposed by the Republican party, whose members are still trying to overturn the last election while endorsing political violence – will offer up to $100 million in grants annually over the next five years. It will fund “projects that use data and technology to solve real-world challenges facing communities today,” the Administration said in a release.
“As we undertake the most ambitious infrastructure investment in generations, thanks to the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can and must plan for the transportation needs of the future,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “From connected vehicles that make driving safer, to smart traffic signals that reduce congestion, to sensors to detect the quality of pavement to help prioritize repair, our SMART grants will fund technology that makes people’s lives better in communities across America.”
Speeding alongside Smart Grants, is the Federal Highway Administration’s $60 million Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation (ATTAIN) program to promote advanced technologies to improve safety and reduce travel times for drivers and transit riders and that can serve as national examples. As a result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, ATTAIN-eligible projects will be evaluated on how they consider climate change and environmental justice impacts – including how they reduce transportation-related air pollution and address the disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged communities. In addition, projects are evaluated on their economic impact and potential to create jobs.
The SMART program will fund innovation and focus on building data and technology capacity and expertise. The Program seeks proposals from public sector entities that will carry out demonstration projects in the following domains to address key transportation priorities:
The Attain Program will promote – the Administration claimed – advanced technologies to improve safety and reduce travel times for drivers and transit riders and that can serve as national examples. “ATTAIN-eligible projects will be evaluated on how they consider climate change and environmental justice impacts – including how they reduce transportation-related air pollution and address the disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged communities. In addition, projects are evaluated on their economic impact and potential to create jobs.”
The SMART Notice of Funding (NOFO) is open now and can be found at www.grants.gov. Applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM EDT on Friday, November 18, 2022. Eligible entities are state, local, and tribal governments and agencies. For more information visit https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SMART.
The ATTAIN NOFO can also be found at www.grants.gov. State departments of transportation, local governments, transit agencies, metropolitan planning organizations and other eligible entities are invited to apply. Applications must be submitted by Friday, November 18, 2022. For more information, visit the FHWA web site.