USDOT awards more than $94 million through SMART Grants Program

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has announced the first round of grants, totalling over $94 million, for 59 projects across the country through the new Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program. 

The competitive grant programme, established by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides state, local and Tribal governments $500 million over five years to leverage technology to create safer, more equitable, efficient and innovative transportation systems.

“Every major advancement in the history of U.S. transportation has involved technological progress,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The investments we are making today are about fostering innovations that improve people’s day-to-day lives, making transportation safer, more reliable, more efficient and more sustainable.”

The SMART Grant Program will award funds to transit projects across the U.S, supporting a diverse array of topics and communities.

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“We are thrilled to see the interest in SMART during its inaugural year. This shows the important role this new programme can play in helping support state, local and Tribal efforts to advance technology applications,” said Dr. Robert C. Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology and Chief Science Officer.

Awardees in 2023 will build internal teams and partnerships as they refine their concepts, focus on technology procurement and demonstration, develop labour and workforce roadmaps, and position their projects for impact in their communities.

The awards total $94,783,781, with the maximum award per project being $2,000,000 for this round of funding. The next funding opportunity of $100 million is expected to be released in Autumn 2023.