Bernalillo County, New Mexico received a $2 million SMART grant to monitor trucks in real time and assess infrastructure and environmental conditions along the I-40 Tradeport Corridor. The project aims to connect freight movement from the Port of Los Angeles to multiple states. Read more about the I-40 Tradeport Corridor project.

The City of Charleston, South Carolina, received $1M in SMART funding to deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled adaptive traffic signals along one of Downtown Charleston's busiest corridors, Calhoun Street. The new AI-based traffic lights use sensors and cameras to monitor and adjust in real-time, based on what is happening on the road. This system will help reduce major points of conflict between vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. Learn more about AI traffic signals in Charleston.

In Boston, Massachusetts, the Boston Curb Lab, an initiative of the City of Boston's Office of Emerging Technology, uses artificial intelligence, open data standards, and modern software to help Boston proactively manage curb space. The Boston Curb Lab builds tools that help staff make better decisions and give residents clearer, more reliable information. Learn more about the Boston Curb Lab initiative.

The Open Mobility Foundation published a report developed through a SMART grant, in which nine cities and one county piloted and developed new curb management technology and shared best practices with each other. The collaborative report is a reflection on what cities/counties achieved together and is designed to serve as a resource for those beginning or scaling curb management programs. Read about several key takeaways from the SMART Curb Collective final report.

Harris County, Texas is advancing a roadway flood warning system to detect floods and alert drivers funded through a SMART grant. These sensors are designed to give real-time data on the condition of roadways that will alert drivers attempting to drive into flooded conditions. Read more about the real-time flood detection sensors.

The City of Las Vegas, Nevada received $1.4M in federal funding to implement automated smart signals around Fremont Street, one of the city's most heavily trafficked corridors.  Smart signals will recognize when more pedestrians are waiting to cross, automatically adjusting traffic lights to give people more time and help reduce dangerous interactions between pedestrians and vehicles. Read more about smart signals coming to Fremont Street.

Thy Nguyen, SMART Team Lead, along with Raine Pike, Alfreda Johnson, and SMART Director Stan Caldwell, attended this year’s Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting, held January 11–15, 2026. During the conference, the SMART Team welcomed visits from over 15 SMART grant recipients and their partners at the OST-R booth and attended 8 sessions where grantees and partners presented results and lessons learned from innovative SMART projects.

Secretary Sean Duffy joined ARPA-I Ideas Challenge Stage 1 winners at USDOT headquarters in Washington, DC, for the Innovation Workshop (“Ideas Bootcamp”). SMART Director Stan Caldwell participated in the Ideas Bootcamp along with various SMART grantees and partners from the 15 Stage 1 winning teams.

SMART staff, including Alfreda Johnson, Raine Pike, Thy Nguyen, Stan Caldwell, and Melissa Wong from the Volpe Center, met in Washington, D.C. to plan SMART initiatives for 2026. The team also had an opportunity to meet with modal subject matter experts, OST-R staff, and leadership including Seval Oz, Michael Halem, and Lee White, in addition to Assistant Secretary of Tribal Government Affairs, James Crawford.

TruWeather Solutions, a global leader in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) weather innovation, in partnership with Hillwood, the City of Fort Worth and the North Central Texas Council of Governments, announces the deployment of the first-ever, comprehensive, low-altitude weather data system in North Texas. The new strategic initiative will support the safe and reliable growth of next-generation transportation technologies, ranging from drone delivery to autonomous trucking and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Read more about the first-of-its-kind weather sensor system.