Advanced Transportation Technologies and Innovation

(Advanced Transportation Technologies and Innovative Mobility Deployment)

Note: Except as indicated, all references in this document are to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Pub. L. 117-58 (Nov. 15, 2021).

Note: The BIL amended the Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) grant program and renamed it the Advanced Transportation Technologies and Innovative Mobility Deployment Program. In implementing BIL, FHWA will refer to this program as the Advanced Transportation Technologies and Innovation (ATTAIN) program.

Program Purpose

The ATTAIN program provides competitive grants to deploy, install, and operate advanced transportation technologies to improve safety, mobility, efficiency, system performance, intermodal connectivity, and infrastructure return on investment.

Statutory Citations

• § 13006(b); 23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)

Funding Features

Type of Budget Authority or Authorization of Appropriations

• Contract authority from the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund, subject to the overall Federal-aid obligation limitation.

Source of funding

• The BIL funds the program through a set-aside from the Highway Research and Development, Technology and Innovation Deployment, and Intelligent Transportation System Research Programs. [§ 13006(b)(9); 23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(I)(i)]

Set-aside for rural areas

• [NEW] Not less than 20% of the amounts made available to carry out this program shall be reserved for projects serving rural areas. [§ 13006(b)(5); 23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(D)(ii)(II)]

Federal Share

• [NEW] Up to 80% of the cost of the project (vs. 50% of the cost of the project under the FAST Act) [§ 13006(b)(10); 23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(J)]

Eligible Activities

Grant recipients may use funds under this program to deploy the following advanced transportation and congestion management technologies—

• advanced transportation technologies to improve emergency evacuation and responses by Federal, State, and local authorities;
• integrated corridor management systems;
• advanced parking reservation or variable pricing systems;
• electronic pricing, [NEW] toll collection, and payment systems;
• technology that enhances high occupancy vehicle toll lanes, cordon pricing, or congestion pricing;
• integration of transportation service payment systems;
• advanced mobility access and [NEW] on-demand transportation service technologies, such as dynamic ridesharing and [NEW] other shared-use mobility applications and information systems to support human services for elderly and disabled individuals;
• retrofitting dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) technology deployed as part of an existing pilot program to cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology, subject to the condition that the retrofitted technology operates only within the existing spectrum allocations for connected vehicle systems; or
• advanced transportation technologies, in accordance with research areas described in the DOT’s 5-year transportation research and development strategic plan (section 6503 of title 49, United States Code). [§ 13006(b)(6); 23.U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(E)]

Eligible Entities

• a State or local government or political subdivision thereof;
• a transit agency;
• [NEW] any metropolitan planning organization (MPO) (vs. under the FAST Act, only MPOs that represented a population of more than 200,000);
• a multijurisdictional group made up of the above eligible applicants, with a signed agreement to implement the initiative across jurisdictional boundaries; and
• a consortium of research or academic institutions. [§ 13006(b)(11); 23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(N)]

Program Features

Except as specified, the BIL continues all requirements that applied to ATCMTD under the FAST Act.

Project Selection

The BIL requires the Secretary to develop criteria for selection of an eligible entity to receive a grant, including how the proposed deployment of technology will—

• [NEW] improve the mobility of people and goods;
• [NEW] improve the durability and extend the life of transportation infrastructure;
• reduce costs and improve return on investments, including through [NEW] optimization of existing transportation capacity;
• [NEW] Protect the environment and deliver environmental benefits that alleviate congestion and streamline traffic flow;
• measure and improve the operational performance of the applicable transportation network;
• reduce the number and severity of traffic crashes and increase driver, passenger, and pedestrian safety;
• collect, disseminate, and use real-time traffic, [NEW] work zone, weather, transit, [NEW] paratransit, parking, and other transportation-related information to improve mobility, reduce congestion, and provide for more efficient, accessible, [NEW] and integrated transportation and transportation services;
• [NEW] facilitate account-based payments for transportation access and services and integrate payment systems across modes;
• monitor transportation assets to improve infrastructure management, reduce maintenance costs, prioritize investment decisions, and ensure a state of good repair;
• deliver economic benefits by reducing delays, improving system performance, and providing for the efficient and reliable movement of goods and services;
• accelerate the deployment of vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, [NEW] vehicle-to-pedestrian, autonomous vehicles, and other technologies; or
• [NEW] incentivize travelers—
  • to share trips during periods in which travel demand exceeds system capacity; or
  • to shift trips to periods in which travel demand does not exceed system capacity. [§ 13006(b)(3); 23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(B)]

Grant Awards

• Each fiscal year for which funding is made available for this program, the BIL requires the Secretary to request applications and to award grants to at least 5 and not more than 10 eligible entities. The BIL further requires that the awards, to the extent practicable, represent diverse technologies and geographic areas of the United States, including urban and rural areas. [§ 13006(b)(5); 23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(D)]

Reporting Requirements

• The BIL carries forward grant recipient annual reporting requirements to the Secretary on the costs and benefits of a project and how the project has met the expectations described in the recipient’s application, including lessons learned and recommendations for future deployment strategies to optimize transportation [NEW] mobility, efficiency, multimodal system performance, and [NEW] payment system performance.
  [§ 13006(b)(7); 23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(F)]

Additional Information and Assistance

• FHWA can connect you with your local FHWA office and support you with technical assistance for planning, design, construction, preserving, and improving public roads and in the stewardship of Federal funds. For assistance, visit: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bipartisan-infrastructure-law/technical_support.cfm.