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Home / FAST Act / Fact Sheets

Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act or "FAST Act"

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program

Fiscal year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Authorization $100 M $100 M $100 M $100 M $100 M

Program purpose

The FAST Act continues the ITS program, which provides for the research, development, and operational testing of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) aimed at solving congestion and safety problems, improving operating efficiencies in transit and commercial vehicles, and reducing the environmental impact of growing travel demand. Guided by the required five-year ITS Strategic Plan, the program is currently focused on significantly reducing crashes through advanced safety systems based on interoperable wireless communications among surface transportation vehicles of all types, traffic signals, other infrastructure systems, pedestrians, wireless devices, and automated vehicle systems.

Statutory citations

FAST Act § 6002, 6005-6010; 23 U.S.C. 512-519

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. Funds are not transferrable except as otherwise provided in the FAST Act. [FAST Act § 6002(c)]

Set-asides

Of the total authorized for the ITS Program, the FAST Act requires DOT to set aside an unspecified amount for each of FYs 2016-2020 as one component of the $60 million in funding for the Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Program (see separate fact sheet). [FAST Act § 6004]

Federal share

The Federal share of a project or activity carried out with funds authorized under section 6002 of the FAST Act shall be 80% unless expressly specified by the FAST Act (including amendments by the FAST Act) or otherwise determined by the Secretary. [FAST Act § 6002(c)(1)]

Eligible activities

The FAST Act continues without change the activities eligible under the ITS Program but limits the ability to use program funds for the construction of physical surface transportation infrastructure (see below).

Program features

Project selection

Freight-related program goal

The FAST Act adds to the ITS Program a new goal: enhancement of the national freight system and support to national freight policy goals. [FAST Act § 6005; 23 U.S.C. 514(a)(6)]

Research related to disruption of connected and automated vehicles

The FAST Act requires DOT, under the ITS Program, to implement activities that assist in the development of cybersecurity research to help prevent hacking, spoofing, and disruption of connected and automated transportation vehicles. [FAST Act § 6006; 23 U.S.C. 514(b)(10)]

Infrastructure development

The FAST Act states that funds made available for operational tests of ITS under the ITS Program—

 

April 2016

Page last modified on February 8, 2017
Federal Highway Administration | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20590 | 202-366-4000