New technologies and innovative approaches can benefit communities if they are used to improve local transportation efficiency and safety.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program, which provides grants to eligible public sector agencies to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced smart community technologies and systems. Funded projects must leverage at least one of eight technology domains identified in BIL: connected vehicles, coordinated automation, commerce and delivery logistics, leveraging use of innovative aviation technology, intelligent sensor-based infrastructure, smart grids, systems integration, and smart technology traffic signals.

The SMART Grants Program’s guiding principles focus on purpose-driven innovation and building data and technology capacity for state, local, and tribal governments. U.S. DOT’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R) and the U.S. DOT Volpe Center applied these principles as they developed program priorities and merit criteria and crafted an initial Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The program received 389 applications. In March 2023, U.S. DOT announced that 59 projects across 33 states were selected for funding—the first round granting over $94 million. The program received 321 applications for its second NOFO. In March 2024, the Department announced that 34 projects, spanning 22 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico were selected for funding—awarding more than $54 million. In May 2024, the program released its final Stage 1 NOFO. The program, with assistance from the U.S. DOT Volpe Center, released its first Stage 2 NOFO in in May 2024. Applications were due July 12, 2024.

In addition to helping establish the SMART Grants Program and drafting the NOFO language, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center SMART team managed the application evaluation process through the Valid Eval web application. This included training evaluators, facilitating meetings to arrive at a consensus rating, and developing materials for the senior review team. Many U.S. DOT Volpe Center staff members also served as application evaluators. The U.S. DOT Volpe Center team also worked on communications content for the SMART Grants Program website. U.S. DOT Volpe Center technical advisors will provide ongoing subject matter expertise to grantees based on the technologies to be deployed.

The selected projects address immediate local challenges, using technology to improve curb management, pedestrian safety, transit reliability, package delivery, traffic efficiency, and more while demonstrating innovative technologies’ safety, equity, climate, and efficiency benefits to other communities across the country. Eventually, the grantees’ reports and a program evaluation will be incorporated into a report to Congress with the help of the U.S. DOT Volpe Center team.

The team also supports the planning and programming efforts for annual SMART Grantee Summits, in-person events which allow grantees to network with other SMART grant project teams. Looking toward the future, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center and OST-R are preparing additional SMART NOFOs and planning for the program’s coming years.

About the U.S. DOT Volpe Center

Celebrating more than 50 years of federal service to the nation, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center’s mission is to transform transportation for all.

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