The first round of grants awarded through the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) program will invest more than $94 million in 59 projects around the country, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced March 21.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg touted the rewards communities can expect from the funding in a social media post announcing the grants.
"Less traffic, safer streets, more efficient transit, accessibility for people with disabilities, early flood warnings, protecting workers - just a few of the benefits we're looking for in the technologies we're piloting in 59 communities," Buttigieg wrote in a March 24 Twitter post.
The SMART competitive grant program, established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides $500 million in grant funding over five years to state, local and tribal governments to invest in technology "to create safer, more equitable, efficient, and innovative transportation systems," according to the news release.
The grants will support projects that focus on worker safety in work zones; transit reliability and accessibility improvements; and using sensors and data to improve sidewalk curb management practices, the news release reports. The program is oversubscribed, with $6 in applications for every $1 available for grants, which highlights the need for supporting state, local and Tribal efforts to advance technology applications, according to the DOT.
Buttigieg's Twitter post linked to an article in the Verge published March 22 that reported DOT "is making a big bet on smart city technology" with release of the federal grant funding. Buttigieg said in the article that not every project "is going to prove out."
Buttigieg told the Verge that the SMART grants funding will support projects to, among other things, improve worker safety and transit reliability, all with the goal of using technologies to achieve many of the improvements. Buttigieg also said that some skepticism about smart cities is warranted but that using technology in hopes of improve people's lives is worth the effort.
"Every major advancement in the history of U.S. transportation has involved technological progress,” Buttigieg said in the DOT news release. “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.”