The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced $8.8 million in grants to support ten innovative projects across eight states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) said in an Aug. 22 news release.

"Innovation is essential for the future of transportation infrastructure, and these grants will help our state, local, and tribal partners to improve safety, increase the resilience of our transportation infrastructure, and combat the climate crisis," FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt said in the announcement.

The grants aim to support a variety of advancements, including digital mapping technologies, ultra-high-performance concrete applications, and new safety protocols for work zones and bridges, according to the press release.

The grant program is part of the FHWA's Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration initiative, which is backed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the press release said. It aligns with President Biden's broader "Investing in America" agenda, aiming to modernize the nation's infrastructure while addressing pressing challenges like climate change and public safety, the release said.

Since its inception in 2014, the AID program has awarded more than $95.7 million in 127 grants to expedite the use of novel practices and tools, according to the press release.

The press release said the awards went to: the Arizona Department of Transportation, $970,000; the District of Columbia Department of Transportation, $1 million; the Iowa Department of Transportation, $1 million; the Maine Department of Transportation, $800,000; the Montana Department of Transportation, $1 million; the North Dakota Department of Transportation, $532,500; the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, $839,807; the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, $700,000 and the Texas Department of Transportation, $1 million.