3/23/2016, WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced $60 million in grants to fund cutting-edge transportation improvement technologies that will improve safety, efficiency, system performance, and infrastructure return on investment.

“This program will take technological innovation to a new level and help to make the entire transportation network more reliable for commuters, businesses, and freight shippers,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “An efficient transportation system is the foundation of a strong economy.”

The new program—Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Program (ATCMTD)—is aimed at addressing the concerns outlined in

Beyond Traffic, the USDOT report issued last year that examines the challenges facing America's transportation infrastructure over the next three decades, such as a rapidly growing population and increasing traffic. Gridlock nationwide is expected to increase unless changes are made soon.

“Innovative technologies offer exciting solutions that can help meet the challenges outlined in Beyond Traffic and can improve safety and efficiency of transportation across the nation,” said Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. “This new program will help harness and support these technologies and push the boundaries of what is possible for the future of transportation in our country.”

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pressroom/fhwa1616.cfm

GovTech -- As the private sector races to develop self-driving cars and regulators push to connect vehicles to make them safer and more efficient, America’s cities are increasingly becoming literal testing facilities for innovation.

The need for an urban environment to pilot technologies vying to revolutionize transportation has been well documented: As Google has put self-driving cars on public streets in Mountain View, Calif., and Austin, Texas, researchers at the University of Michigan have set up a “fake city” with traffic signals and streets to test out vehicle connection concepts. But during the past two days, leaders trying to pave the way for futuristic vehicle tech have asserted that cities should be doing more than just serving as the physical settings in which new ideas become realities — they should be doing all they can to accelerate those ideas into more concrete formations.

The first step was the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announcing Monday the availability of $50 million in funding for cities to implement high-tech transportation improvement projects revolving around concepts like vehicle-to-infrastructure connections. Next was a daylong conference held Tuesday, Dec. 8, at the Telecommunications Industry Association’s headquarters in Arlington, Va., where government and private-sector leaders discussed the role cities can and should play in helping that kind of technology develop.

Brian Cronin, a team leader in the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office, said during the conference that technology has progressed to the point where the adoption of futuristic-sounding technologies like vehicles that flow seamlessly through intersections isn’t too crazy to consider. From a municipal perspective, he said, there isn’t anything stopping public servants from beginning to prepare for the ideas.

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.govtech.com/fs/Cities-Should-Help-Bring-About-the-Smart-Car-Transportation-Tech-Leaders-Say.html