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SMART News

SMART Grants in the News

Four people in business casual are seated in chairs on a stage, two holding microphones.

(Nov 2024) The Open Mobility Foundation Summit and LA CoMotion 2024 Conference both featured panels of SMART Grant recipients, moderated by SMART Policy Advisor Madeline Zhu. Panelists included representatives of the Open Mobility Foundation, LA DOT, and Portland Bureau of Transportation (pictured), and those from the Cities of Boston, Philadelphia, and San Jose, and partner CityFi (not pictured).

 

Five people seated on couches around a podium, before an audience.

 

(Nov 2024) Stan Caldwell, SMART Director, spoke about SMART at the AUVSI North Carolina Advanced Mobility Conference in Durham, North Carolina. 


Five people stand in a row in front of a fireplace, smiling and dressed in business casual

 

(Oct 2024) SMART Policy Advisor Madeline Zhu joined representatives of SMART recipients LA Metro, City of Fort Worth, BART, NY MTA (all pictured), Birmingham Regional Planning Commission, and Michigan DOT, at the Mobility Data Summit in Montreal, Canada (FY22 and FY23 grantees). 

 

A speaker in a suit stands in front of a podium, holding a microphone

 

(Oct 2024) SMART Director Stan Caldwell provided a keynote speech at the 2024 International Automated Vehicle Validation Conference of the IEEE in Pittsburgh, PA.

 

 

 

(Oct 2024) The City of Portland presented on their FY22 SMART Grant Project at the Urbanism Next Conference, held in Amsterdam. 

A smiling person standing at a podium that reads "Investing in America" gestures to their right, with six others, the flag of Connecticut, and an American flag behind them.(Oct 2024) USDOT's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology Ben Levine joined State Senator Matt Lesser, Meriden, CT Mayor Kevin Scarpati, CT DOT Bureau Chief of Public Transportation Benjamin Limmer, and others to celebrate the installation of the first 'tap and go' fare readers in the state. The Register Citizen: Connecticut pilots contactless payment for select bus routes (FY22 Grantee)

 

WGMD: MD Dept of Planning Awarded Grant for Eastern Shore Drone Pilot Program (FY23 Grantee)

A person in a suit stands at a podium, speaking, flanked by several people on either side. They are standing outside in front of a building facade with columns. There is a sign language interpreter standing beside the podium, signing.(Sept 2024) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Dr. Robert Hampshire attended the kickoff for the FY23 SMART Grant project in the City of Talladega. He addressed members of the public and was joined by Talladega City Manager Derrick Swanson and President of the Alabama Institute for the Blind and Deaf Dennis Gilliam.  ABC: Talladega SMART Grant Award | Talk of Alabama (Photo: City of Talladega)

 

A person in a blue suit paces onstage and speaks into a microphone.

 

(Sept 2024) SMART Policy Advisor Madeline Zhu attended the 2024 MOVE America Summit and highlighted case studies from the FY22 SMART grantees.

 

 

KFYR: MHA Nations launch drones to deliver medication from New Town to Twin Buttes (FY22 Grantee)

GovTech: Smarter Curbs Are Just the Start for Smarter Cities (FY22 Grantees)

Open Mobility Foundation: Mid Grant Summary Report (FY22 Grantees)

Minot Daily News: MHA Nation’s drone project takes to skies (FY22 Grantee)

Six people in suits area seated in a semi-circle on stools. One is speaking into a microphone(Sept 2024) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology Ben Levine highlighted SMART Grant projects as part of a panel on AI and transportation at the Microsoft Innovation and Policy Center. He joined panelists including Mayor Angela Birney of Redmond, WA, Matthew Colvin, Chief of Staff at the AFL-CIO, and Commissioner Eileen Higgins, Miami-Dade County.

 

Government Technology: Digital Curb Data Deepens Understanding of Urban Activity (FY22 Grantees)

A large group of people in suits stand on stage, posing for the camera. The stage features an American flag, large screen, and the seal of the Department of Transportation.

 

(Sept 2024) SMART Director Stan Caldwell joined the Pathways to Entrepreneurship event to discuss "Powering Small Businesses in Emerging Transportation Markets." The event was sponsored by the US DOT Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization and the Office of Civil Rights.

 

Open Mobility Foundation: Three Takeaways from the SMART Summit in Cambridge (FY22 and FY23 Grantees)

WIS TV: Charleston leaders developing tech to improve pedestrian safety downtown (FY23 Grantee)

Anniston Star: Sood, Smith attend grants administration summit (FY23 Grantee)

Forbes: This One Delivery Switch Could Save UPS & Co. Billions — No, Really (FY22 Grantee)

Four people in suits stand together outside near an intersection(July 2024) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Dr. Robert Hampshire, and SMART Grants Director, Stanley Caldwell, joined Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly, and Chief Information Officer Jerele Neeld, to celebrate the FY23 award of the City of Chattanooga Stage 1 SMART Grant. WUTC: A View From Washington On The SMART Grant In Chattanooga. (Photo: City of Chattanooga)

KYFR: Drones enhance medical services for Tribal Nations in the Midwest (FY22 Grantee)

Henry Herald: SMART Grant To Help Expedite Emergency Response Times  (FY23 Grantee)

Public Roads: Build a Better Mousetrap Winner’s Success Leads to Innovation Expansion (FY23 Grantee)

Three women stand in front of a small bus, one of them holding a smart phone. A man and a woman in suits are looking at the phone screen.(June 2024) Stan Caldwell, SMART Director, joined local constituents, Charlevoix County Transit, and Michigan DOT Office of Passenger Transportation Administrator, Jean Ruestman, in Boyne City MI to celebrate a milestone for the Advancing Rural Mobility pilot project. SMART SME Jessica Hector-Hsu joined a user listening session with Cadillac/Wexford Transit Authority (WexExpress). The project also includes Benzie Bus and Roscommon County Transportation Authority. Press release by Michigan DOT. (Photos: Sara Martin, MDOT)

A group of people stand outside in front of an open traffic controller cabinet

A group of people stand in front of several transit fare machines. They are holding up phones showing fare passes and various commemorative LA Metro TAP cards

Two people stand in front of a white board

(June 2024) SMART Policy Advisor Madeline Zhu conducted site visits with all SMART grantees in Southern California.  FY22 grantees are Orange County Transportation Authority and LA Metro. Zhu also conducted meet-and-greets with FY23 SMART Grantees, including: City of Anaheim, City of Fontana, Southern California Regional Rail (Metrolink) and the FY23 SMART project team at LA Metro. Pictured: OCTA staff and project partners from Arcadis and City of Fullerton (left); LA Metro staff for both FY22 and FY23 SMART Projects (center); City of Anaheim Principal Traffic Engineer John Thai (right). (Photos: Madeline Zhu)

ABC4: SMART Grant implementation would help make Calhoun Street intersections safer (FY23 Grantee)

Three people in business casual stand in front of a wooden fence, with Lake Tahoe and pine trees in the background

 (June 2024) The SMART Program Office conducted site visits with FY22 grantees in northern California, including the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) (pictured: representatives of TTD and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency), and CALTRANS (Butte City location). (Photo: Madeline Zhu)

 

 

A group of people stand in a circle outside on the street, some wearing bike helmets

(June 2024) Portland Bureau of Transportation staff presented on their SMART project at the Oregon Active Transportation Summit, along with project partners. They also provided a biking tour of zero-emission delivery zones.

 

 

FOX5: State Highway Administration receives $1.6M to improve work zone safety on I-695 (FY23 Grantee)

WKRN: NDOT devices capture near-miss traffic data in Nashville, TN (FY22 Grantee)

Mercury News: Big boost for Contra Costa's one-call paratransit plan (FY23 Grantee)

FHWA Public Roads: Build a Better Mousetrap Winner’s Success Leads to Innovation Expansion (FY23 Grantee)

FOX SA: New technology to be tested at major University aimed to keep pedestrians safe (FY22 Grantee)

GovTech: Curbs in Hoboken, N.J., Get Ready to Be ‘Reimagined’ (Mentioned FY22 Grantee, City of Portland)

Four presenters seated at a table, panel-style, with a podium next to them

(May 2024) University of Illinois - Chicago and UI Urbana Champaign's "Envisioning Equitable Transitions to Sustainable Transportation" Workshop featured SMART Policy Advisor Madeline Zhu, presenting on 'Putting Potential Solutions in Operation.' (Photo: UIUC)

 

 

Four people standing before a bank of screens in a traffic management center

(May 2024) SMART Grantees Illinois DOT (FY22 Grantee) hosted SMART Policy Advisor Madeline Zhu in Springfield, IL. (Photo: Juan Pava/IL DOT)

Zhu also visited the FY23 Grantees at the Chicago Transit Authority, with their partners at Chicago DOT. 

 

 

Smart Cities World: US DoT to provide $500m for smart transportation projects 

WCSC: Proposed $900k pilot program could make dangerous Charleston corridor safer 

A group of seven people stand outside on a sunny urban street near parking signage

 

(May 2024) SMART Policy Advisor Madeline Zhu joined staff from SMART Grantee City of Minneapolis, along with partners from Walker Consultants and Bolton and Menk, for a site visit to the Nicollet Ave project corridor. (Photo: Kevin White).

 

 

LA Metro: GOING TO THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL THIS SUMMER JUST GOT EASIER WITH LA METRO BEHIND THE WHEEL(FY22 Grantee)

Five people in business casual seated on chair, panel-style, speaking to a crowd

 

(May 2024) At the 'Getting Smart on SMART Grants' panel at CoMotion Miami, grantees SporTran, City of Portland, NY MTA, and LA Metro, joined SMART Director Stan Caldwell and OMF representatives. (Photo: Miami CoMotion). 

GovTech: Data in Driver’s Seat for Portland, Ore., Zero-Emission Delivery (FY22 Grantee)

 

Volpe Center/SBIR: Leveraging AI-Powered Technology to Gather Traffic Safety Data (FY23 Grantee)

Volpe Center/SBIR: Using Vehicle-Sensing Technology to Evaluate Road Safety (FY23 Grantee)

Five panelists seated at a table on a dais in business attire near a large screen

(April 2024): Director Stan Caldwell joined SMART grantees from Ohio Department of Transportation, the City of Detroit, Texas Department of Transportation, and Chatham Area Transit Authority, presenting at the ITS America Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ. SMART Grantees from the Road Commission of Oakland County, MI also organized a panel on Sustainable Safety: Financially Sustainable C-V2X Deployments, and the grantees from the Arizona Commerce Authority and City of Phoenix also presented on their projects. (FY22 Grantees) (Photo: Melissa Wong)

Two people seated on stage at a conference

 

(April 2024): Landon Johnson and Prairie Rose Seminole (MHA Drone Program Managers) presented their SMART grant project, Transforming Healthcare Access: MHA Nation's Drone Delivery Initiative, at the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International Exponential 2024 in San Diego. (FY22 Grantees) (Photo: MHA Nation).

Further coverage about this project.

 

WSAV: Chatham Area Transit efforts expansion | WSAV-TV (FY22 Grantee)

A large group of adults and students in business casual stand together outside a building

AZ Family: How your phone could keeps roads safer (azfamily.com) (FY22 Grantees)

(April 2024) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, and Chief Science Officer, Dr. Robert Hampshire, and SMART Policy Advisor Madeline Zhu, joined grantees and project members from the Arizona Commerce Authority and City of Phoenix, along with students from the SciTech Institute, at the Maricopa County DOT Traffic Management Center (Photo: Elliott Bucci/Arizona Commerce Authority)

KYUK: Drone program takes off in Bethel with first round of federal funding (kyuk.org) (FY22 Grantee)

Government Technology: Feds Help Shreveport, La., and Las Vegas Modernize Transit (govtech.com) (FY23 Grantees)

WBAP: Fort Worth Receives $2-Million Federal Grant | News Talk WBAP-AM (FY23 Grantee)

A group of people in cold weather gear stand outside in the snow near some buildings. They are flying a small quadrocopter drone.

(April 2024): Madeline Zhu, Policy Advisor for SMART, joined representatives of the Association of Village Council Presidents, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, and Nalaquq LLC for a drone pilot training in Bethel, Alaska, focused on drone operations and GIS, thermal, and environmental condition data collection. Part of the Alaska DOT&PF's ARROW Project, the training  included developing an apprenticeship program with local IBEW chapters. (FY22 Grantee) (Photo: Jake Sloan/Alaska DOT&PF)

A large group of people stand outside flanking a sign identifying a public works project as funded by the Biden-Harris Administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Everyone is wearing a bright green safety vest.

(April 2024): SMART Director Stan Caldwell met with City of Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell and representatives from the Nashville Department of Transportation & Multimodal Infrastructure, Tennessee State University, Vanderbilt University, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and AECOM to celebrate the installation of their first LiDAR sensors for the SMART Grant project (FY22 Grantee). (Photo: City of Nashville)

A group of people stand next to a large TV screen displaying the SMART logo and project map

WIPR Puerto Rico: Aúnan esfuerzos para convertir a Canóvanas en epicentro de las Ciudades Smart (FY23 Grantee)

Municipality of Canóvanas Mayor Lornna Soto introduces the city's SMART Grant with SMART Director Stan Caldwell.

(Photo: Municipality of Canóvanas)

 

FOX28 Savannah: Chatham Area Transit initiates micro-transit pilot through $1.2M grant (FY22 Grantee)

NBC: Yakama Nation, Bellevue awarded traffic safety grants (FY23 Grantees)

KCRG: Dubuque to receive $2 million grant for real-time transportation information system (FY23 Grantee)

ThePulse: Chattanooga Sets The Pace For Pedestrian Safety With $2M USDOT Smart Grant (FY23 Grantee)

KSLA: SporTran awarded nearly $1 million in grant funding (FY23 Grantee)

County17: WYDOT awarded $1.5M federal grant for smarter work zones (FY23 Grantee)

News12: MTA to fund automatic rail-car inspection system for faster services (FY23 Grantee)

CBS News: Maryland DOT awarded $1.2 million grant to improve traffic signal technology (FY23 Grantee)

Las Vegas Sun: Artificial intelligence to be used to help improve safety of Las Vegas crosswalks (FY23 Grantee)

Traffic Technology Today: $50 million in USDOT SMART Grants awarded – 2024 applications to open soon (FY23 Grantees)

Pittsburgh Union Progress: ‘On the cutting edge’: Cambria County officials to test potential national program to deliver medical care with drones (FY23 Grantee)

Forbes: Introducing The Digital Curb: A Fundamental Building Block For Modern Curbside Management. This article on the future of digital curb management explains how the SMART Grants support both FY22 and FY23 Grantees in advancing this work. ​

Four people stand outside in front of the Peace Arch Memorial Monument on the US-Canada border in a park. American and Canadian flags wave in the background.

 

(February, 2024), Madeline Zhu (Policy Advisor, SMART Grants Program) participated in an Advanced Border Information System Design Meeting with the International Mobility and Trade Corridor Program (IMTC), led by the Whatcom Council of Governments (FY22 Grantee) at the Cascade Gateway Land Port of Entry on behalf of the SMART Grants Program. Other attendees included representatives of the IMTC, WA Department of Transportation, the Canada Border Services Agency, and the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

(Photo: Madeline Zhu)

FOX5 Washington, DC: New program tests delivering medications via drone in rural Virginia 

Five people in business casual dress stand together at a conference

(Jan, 2024) At the 103rd Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, SMART grantee City of Ithaca (FY22 Grantee), represented by Peter Koonce, and SMART technical expert Jamie Mackey (FHWA) participated in a workshop convened by the TRB Signal Systems Commitee, titled: "Artificial Intelligence in Traffic Signal Operations: An Owner and Operator Perspective." 

(Photo: Peter Koonce)

KYFR: Drone program in New Town aims to improve delivery of essentials to rural areas (FY22 Grantee)

FOX28 Savannah: CAT receives federal funding for new on-demand micro-transit system (FY22 Grantee)

Last updated: Tuesday, November 19, 2024