AASHTO Journal - State DOTs Share in $52M Worth of FHWA ATTAIN Grants

The Federal Highway Administration has issued more than $52 million in grants to eight projects in eight states from its Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation or ATTAIN program, which promotes advanced technologies that improve safety and reduce travel times for drivers and transit riders alike – technologies that can also serve as national examples of innovation to improve access to transportation for all communities.

[Above photo by the Utah DOT]

“These grants will help deliver a more leading-edge transportation system designed to reach everyone and to work for everyone, especially those in communities that have lacked access to efficient transportation,” noted FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt in a statement.

The FHWA said those eight projects will help advance intelligent transportation system or ITS technologies that improve mobility and safety; including the extension of real-time traffic information and signal timing systems, especially for transit buses, along with other advanced systems.

Four state departments of transportation and one state DOT transit division received funds as part of this $52 million ATTAIN program disbursement, noted FHWA. They are:

The California Department of Transportation: Caltrans will receive over $7.7 million to deploy its “Southern California Mobility Wallet” project for open-loop payments technology to offer seamless payment to highway and transit services for Los Angeles County residents. The project area includes areas of persistent poverty and disadvantaged communities.
The Delaware Department of Transportation: The agency will receive $5 million to support a project in rural Sussex County to improve safety by optimizing transportation systems before and during flood events. The project uses advanced technologies to improve detection of local road users, including pedestrians and bicyclists.
The Maryland Department of Transportation: The Maryland DOT will receive nearly $12 million to deploy new technologies and traffic sensors for traffic prediction, signal timing, curve warning and other messaging to improve safety and mobility along 113 miles of U.S. Route 50. The project area includes disadvantaged communities.
The Utah Department of Transportation: The agency will get $5 million for its “Connected Communities” program to expand connected vehicle technology and capabilities statewide; including vehicle-to-infrastructure or V2X technology. The project area includes disadvantaged communities in both rural and urban parts of Utah.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority: A division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, MBTA is getting nearly $3 million for its Boston Regional Transit Signal Priority program, designed to make transit service more reliable and efficient. The project includes transit-dependent but underserved communities in the Boston area.