The $94 million funds 59 projects across 33 states. Each project was awarded a maximum of $2 million for this round of funding. Some of the projects receiving a funds from this round of grants include connected vehicle projects, sensor deployments, curb management and “smart” traffic signal technologies, according to a news release.
The SMART grant program, announced in September, was established by the 2021 infrastructure spending bill. The bill includes $500 million for transportation over five years with the aim of using technology to create safer, more equitable, efficient and innovative transportation systems.
Another five state DOTs plan to use the funds for projects to improve safety for workers and drivers in work zones, including a multi-state collaboration that will deploy automated truck-mounted crash attenuators and projects using a specification for data-sharing called the Work Zone Data Exchange, the news release said.