AASHTO Journal - FHWA, FTA Award $49M in Technology Grants

The Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration issued a combined $49.2 million in technology grants through two separate yet related programs to improve “mobility and multimodal connections” for those using the U.S. highway and transit systems.

[Above photo by the Alabama Governor’s Office]

The two agencies said those grants apply to technologies ranging from systems that detect and prevent wrong-way crashes to advanced technology that improves trucking operations and terminal operator activities at a port.

The FHWA awarded $45.2 million in Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment or ATCMTD grants to 10 projects using advanced intelligent transportation systems technologies that improve mobility and safety, reduce congestion and support underserved communities.

Meanwhile, the FTA awarded $4 million in Enhancing Mobility Innovation or EMI grants to nine transit agencies and organizations in six states and the District of Columbia to improve access and mobility for transit riders.

The FHWA said in a statement that its ATCMTD program funds early deployments of “forward-looking” technologies that can serve as national models.

In addition to ITS technologies to reduce congestion on highways, its 2022 round of grants will fund projects supporting ports, rural transportation and ferries. To date, the ATCMTD program – established by the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation or FAST Act – has provided more than $300 million to more than 55 projects.

FHWA added that the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, enacted in November 2021, maintains the ATCMTD program from 2022 through 2026 at the same level of funding with a greater focus on rural transportation, transit, paratransit, and environmental protections.

It also adds several new eligible activities such as advanced transportation technologies to improve emergency evacuation and response by federal, state and local authorities, integrated corridor management systems, advanced parking reservation or variable pricing systems and technologies that enhance congestion pricing and automated vehicle communications.

Meanwhile, the FTA’s EMI program supports innovations that improve options for how people get around and encourage people to ride transit, such as integrated fare payment systems and user-friendly apps for on-demand public transportation.

By focusing on innovative service delivery approaches, creative financing, and novel partnerships, those EMI grants should help accelerate the transit industry’s progress on adapting technology to improve access and on-board experiences, the agency said.