USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Policy & Planning

Awardees Announced for U.S. DOT’s SBIR FY17.1 Solicitation

On March 21, the U.S. DOT SBIR program announced 15 recommendations for awards for SBIR’s fiscal year 17.1 solicitation. The awarded small businesses competed in a field that included 106 proposals for 9 research topics. The selected small businesses are conducting important research, leading to...

A Look Back on 2016 with Volpe’s Annual Accomplishments

Each year, Volpe collaborates with the U.S. Department of Transportation, other federal agencies, and the broader transportation community on hundreds of projects that shape how people and goods move throughout the U.S. and abroad. Our Annual Accomplishments report highlights some of Volpe’s...

National Transportation Noise Map Released

To better understand transportation sound levels, a Volpe Center team developed a simplified noise modeling tool for the Bureau of Transportation Statistics that makes it easy to track trends in noise levels over time. The tool was released on March 21.

Government at the Speed of Silicon Valley

To create major new technologies like self-driving cars, rather than focusing on an end result or product, it’s much more effective to focus on creating prototypes—“very much a Silicon Valley approach,” said J. Christian Gerdes, U.S. DOT’s first chief innovation officer, who...

Protecting Endangered Bats, Streamlining Highway Projects

As pollinators and insect consumers, bats generate $3 billion each year in economic value. However, the population of a key species has declined by nearly half since 2005—due, in large part, to human disturbance. A new federal strategy will help facilitate conservation of these bats while...

Reformulating Cities Using People-Centric Design

Residential density, intersection density, public transport density, and number of parks are physical elements that can have real, positive impacts on a city’s residents, according to Jeff Risom, partner and managing director of Gehl Studio in the U.S. Achieving people-centric design...

Secretary Foxx Looks Toward the Future of Transportation

Transportation connects people—and connections provide economic opportunity. That’s the message that U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx brought during his June 27 keynote address kicking off Volpe’s new speaker series, The Future of Transportation: Safety, Opportunity, and...