FHWA Issues $96.5M in Advanced Technology Grants

November 1, 2024

The Federal Highway Administration recently issued more than $96.5 million to 20 projects in 16 states via its Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation or ATTAIN program.

[Above photo by FHWA]

The agency said ATTAIN program promotes advanced technologies to improve safety and reduce travel times for highway users and transit riders while also serving as “national examples” of innovation to improve transportation options for all U.S. communities.

FHWA’s Kristin White touring Hurricane Helene damage with Tennessee DOT Commissioner Butch Eley. Photo by FHWA.

“These projects are a critical opportunity to invest in our future, by leveraging technology and innovation,” noted Kristin White, FHWA’s acting administrator, in a statement. “These investments offer new and transformative transportation options, including communities who have lacked efficient and affordable means of transportation.”

Overall, the 20 selected projects will help advance the deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems or ITS technologies, including transit and light rail signal timing programs; pedestrian and intersection safety systems; and trip planning.

FHWA noted that that these ATTAIN awards dovetail with the vision laid out in the “Saving Lives with Connectivity: A Plan to Accelerate V2X Deployment” plan issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation in August.

The agency said that overarching USDOT plan will guide the implementation of vehicle-to-everything or V2X technologies across the nation while supporting USDOT’s commitment to pursue a “comprehensive approach” to reduce the number of roadway fatalities to zero.

Several projects overseen by state departments of transportation are receiving grants from FHWA via this round of ATTAIN program disbursements. Those are:

  • The California Department of Transportation will receive $5.6 million for its “Interoperable V2X Deployment” project that seeks to expand connected vehicle infrastructure.
  • The Colorado Department of Transportation will receive more than $1.4 million to deploy a light detection and ranging or LiDAR system and to streamline and automate the agency’s statewide data collection system.
  • The Maine Department of Transportation will receive $5.2 million for a statewide and standardized hazard notification system for connected vehicles.
  • The Michigan Department of Transportation will receive more than $551,000 to install thermal imaging cameras on transit vehicles to improve detection of vulnerable road users in a variety of lighting conditions and operating environments.
  • The North Carolina Department of Transportation will receive nearly $12 million to improve mobility, safety, and resiliency of rural and disadvantaged communities by interconnecting approximately 1,000 isolated and closed loop system signals throughout the state, while also implementing advanced transportation management technologies.
  • The Vermont Agency of Transportation will receive nearly $8 million to implement the Vermont Intelligent Transportation Systems Initiative with the aim of optimizing the safe and efficient movement of people and goods on the state’s largely rural transportation network.
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