Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment

Program purpose

The FAST Act established the Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Program to make competitive grants for the development of model deployment sites for large scale installation and operation of advanced transportation technologies to improve safety, efficiency, system performance, and infrastructure return on investment.

Statutory citations

FAST Act § 6004; 23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)

Funding features

Type of budget authority

Contract authority from the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund. Funds are available until expended. Funds are subject to the overall Federal-aid obligation limitation and the obligation limitation associated with these funds is available for four fiscal years.

Source of funding

The FAST Act funds the program through a set-aside from the Highway Research and Development, Technology and Innovation Deployment, and Intelligent Transportation System Research Programs.

Set-aside for reporting, evaluation, and administrative costs

The Secretary of Transportation may set aside $2 million each fiscal year for reporting, evaluations, and administrative costs of the program. [23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(I)]

Federal share

Up to 50% of the cost of the project

Eligible activities

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

• advanced traveler information systems;
• advanced transportation management technologies;
• infrastructure maintenance, monitoring, and condition assessment;
• advanced public transportation systems;
• transportation system performance data collection, analysis, and dissemination systems;
• advanced safety systems, including vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications;
• technologies associated with autonomous vehicles, and other collision avoidance technologies, including systems using cellular technology;
• integration of intelligent transportation systems with the Smart Grid and other energy distribution and charging systems;
• electronic pricing and payment systems; or
• advanced mobility and access technologies, such as dynamic ridesharing and information systems to support human services for elderly and disabled individuals. [23.U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(E)]

A grant recipient may use up to 5% of the funds awarded each fiscal year to carry out planning and reporting requirements under the program. [23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(L)]

Eligible applicants

• State or local government or political subdivision thereof,
• Transit agency,
• Metropolitan planning organization (MPO) representing a population of more than 200,000,
• Multijurisdictional group made up of the above eligible applicants, with a signed agreement to implement the initiative across jurisdictional boundaries, and
• Consortium of research or academic institutions. [23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(N)]

Program features

Project selection

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

• reduce costs and improve return on investments, including through the enhanced use of existing transportation capacity;
• 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, transit, parking, and other transportation-related information to improve mobility, reduce congestion, and provide for more efficient and accessible transportation;
• 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; or
• accelerate the deployment of vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, autonomous vehicles, and other technologies. [23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(B)]

The FAST Act requires the Secretary to request applications each fiscal year and to award grants to at least 5 and not more than 10 eligible entities, and further requires that the awards be diverse in both the technologies to be deployed and geographically. [23 U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(D)]

The Secretary may not award more than 20% of program funding for a fiscal year to a single grant recipient.

Reporting requirements

The FAST Act requires each grant recipient to report annually to the Secretary on the costs and benefits of the project and how the project has met the expectations described in the recipient’s application.

Beginning 3 years after the first grant award, and annually thereafter, the Secretary will post on the DOT web site a report on the effectiveness of the grant recipients in meeting their projected deployment plans.

February 2016