The US Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration will award up to $60 million to projects to develop model deployment sites for large scale installation and operation of advanced transportation technologies to improve safety, efficiency, system performance, and infrastructure return on investment.These model deployments are expected to provide benefits in the form of: reduced traffic-related fatalities and injuries; reduced traffic congestion and improved travel time reliability; reduced transportation-related emissions; optimized multimodal system performance; improved access to transportation alternatives, including for underserved populations; public access to real time integrated traffic, transit, and multimodal transportation information to make informed travel decisions; cost savings to transportation agencies, businesses, and the traveling public; or other benefits to transportation users and the general public.Projects funded under this initiative will deploy advanced transportation and congestion management technologies, including:
- Advanced traveler information systems.
- Advanced transportation management technologies.
- Infrastructure maintenance, monitoring, and condition assessment.
- Advanced public transportation systems.
- Transportation system performance data collection, analysis, and dissemination systems.
- Advanced safety systems, including vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to- infrastructure communications, technologies associated with autonomous vehicles, and other collision avoidance technologies, including systems using cellular technology.
- Integration of intelligent transportation systems with the Smart Grid and other energy distribution and charging systems.
- Electronic pricing and payment systems.
- Advanced mobility and access technologies, such as dynamic ridesharing and information systems to support human services for elderly and disabled individuals.
USDOT is particularly interested in deployment programs and projects in the following areas:
- Multimodal Integrated Corridor Management (ICM). ICM is the coordination of individual transportation network operations of adjacent facilities across all government or other operations agencies that creates a unified, interconnected, and multimodal system capable of sharing cross-network travel management to safely and efficiently improve the movement of people and goods. All corridor transportation assets and information services (i.e., local, county, regional, State) are brought to bear when prevailing or predicted transportation conditions trigger alerts. Through an ICM approach, transportation agencies manage the corridor as a multimodal system and make operational and safety decisions for the benefit of the corridor as a whole. The DOT is interested in increasing deployment of ICM.
- Installation of Connected Vehicle Technologies at Intersections and Pedestrian Crossing Locations. Deployment of connected vehicle wireless communications technologies at intersections to enhance motorized and non- motorized traveler safety, or actively improve the management, operation, and maintenance of traffic signal systems through real-time data collection and signal control. Example technologies include vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle- to-pedestrian (V2P) deployments, such as at intersections or midblock pedestrian crossings, to support activities and initiatives of the V2I Deployment Coalition and non-motorized traveler applications, or technologies to support automated traffic signal performance measures. Such technologies should provide information, notifications, and alerts in accessible formats to assist all users navigate safely through intersections including providing contextual information for situational awareness and localization. The DOT has been working to accelerate the implementation of technologies that advance these strategies.
- Unified Fare Collection and Payment System Across Transportation Modes and Jurisdictions. Technological advancements in payment systems allow convergence across both publicly-delivered and privately-delivered mobility services. However, field implementations have been achieved only sparingly and in small projects. Convergence will enhance consumer payment options and mode choices and forge partnerships among providers to achieve a seamless, accessible, and flexible transportation network across the Nation. DOT is engaged in efforts which will assist in identifying technical, institutional, and policy solutions to achieve unified transportation payment systems.
- Freight Community System. A Freight Community System (sometimes called port community system) is an electronic platform which connects the multiple systems operated by a variety of organizations that make up a freight transportation community, including seaports, airports, rail yards / inland ports and distribution centers. It is shared in the sense that it is set up, organized and used by firms in the same sector – in this case, a freight community – to provide a neutral and open electronic platform enabling an intelligent and secure exchange of information between public and private stakeholders in order to improve the efficiency and competitive position of the ports’ community(ies). It optimizes, manages and automates smooth port and logistics processes through a single submission of data by connecting transport and logistics chains. This focus area is important to the Departmental goal of integrating freight infrastructure within the surface transportation system, particularly maritime ports, while at the same time providing a platform to reduce the impacts of national freight movement on local communities.
- Technologies to Support Connected Communities. Deployment of technologies for a multimodal transportation system provides safe, reliable, and affordable connections to employment, education, obtain and provide healthcare, and other essential services. Examples include dynamic ridesharing through the latest communications technologies and social network structures to bring drivers and riders together quickly and efficiently, technologies to mitigate the negative impacts of freight movement on communities, or technologies that support workforce development, particularly for disadvantaged groups, which include low-income groups, persons with visible and hidden disabilities, elderly individuals, and minority persons and populations. Any of these example technologies should include the elements of universal design and inclusive information and communication technology solutions, and may include deployment of autonomous vehicles through geographically contained ridesharing pilot programs, including the benefits of the technology with groups that might otherwise have limited transportation options, such as older Americans who no longer drive or those with disabilities or no driver’s license. The DOT is interested in using advanced technologies to improve the public’s connections to employment, education, healthcare, and other essential services.
- Infrastructure Maintenance, Monitoring, and Condition Assessment. Timely, accurate and efficient assessment of infrastructure condition is critical to effective infrastructure asset management. Current state-of-the-practice technologies for condition assessment represent a good start, but have a variety of limitations. Opportunities for advancement include: implementation of friction management programs founded on highway-speed friction testing; highway speed deflection monitoring for pavement structural evaluation; sensor systems for infrastructure condition monitoring; use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for condition inspection; development of holistic and virtual data visualization technologies; and advancement of bridge load rating technologies. Implementation of these emerging technologies will enable improved highway safety and more timely intervention to address structural deficiencies and infrastructure deterioration with relatively low-cost solutions.
- Rural Technology Deployments. Deployment of advanced technologies to enhance safety, mobility, or economic vitality. Example technologies include improved access to transportation services, corridor freight platooning, mobile work zone alerts, improved roadway weather management, improved emergency response services and traffic incident management, curve warning systems, or animal intrusion detection and warning. The DOT is interested in geographically diverse application of technologies to include rural deployments.
Eligible applicants are State or local governments, transit agencies, metropolitan planning organizations (MPO) representing a population of more than 200,000, or other political subdivisions of a State or local government (such as publicly owned toll or port authorities), or a multi-jurisdictional group or consortia of research institutions or academic institutions. DOT encourages partnership with the private sector or public agencies, including multimodal and multi-jurisdictional entities, research institutions, organizations representing transportation and technology leaders, or other transportation stakeholders.