The Committee on Planning addresses all aspects of the transportation planning process including federal regulations, current industry practices, and emerging approaches and concepts. The committee is dedicated to providing State DOTs the expertise, resources and tools they need to implement a robust planning process within their agencies that is multimodal, multidisciplinary, innovative and consensus-oriented.



Save the Date!

AASHTO Washington Briefing: February 3 - 6 in Washington, DC

Click here for registration details.

USDOT Issues $130M Worth of SMART Program Grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded more than $130 million to 42 technology demonstration projects through its Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation or “SMART” grants program.

The SMART program, established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, provides $500 million over five years to state, local, and tribal governments to leverage technology to create safer, more efficient, and more innovative transportation systems.

The USDOT noted in a statement that it is a “two-stage” program as well, with the first stage comprised of “Planning and Prototyping” grants and the second stage comprised of “Implementation” grants.

This round of SMART grant funding includes “Stage Two” deployment awards in eight states and 34 new “Stage One” prototyping projects in 21 states, the agency noted.

Several state departments of transportation projects received funds from this latest round of SMART grants. Those projects include:

• The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities received two SMART grants. The first, for more than $12 million, supports the use of drone technology for infrastructure inspections and the gathering of situational awareness data regarding rural weather conditions. The second, for more than $1.1 million, supports the agency’s Avalanche Mitigation Alert Detection or “AMAD” project, which uses Remote Avalanche Control Systems (RACS) and Advanced Forecasting Technology (AFT) to address significant avalanche risks on the Seward Highway corridor.
• The California Department of Transportation received two SMART grants; the first for $2 million to fund the use of “Skate” open-source bus operations software to address challenges in managing all-electric bus operations and the second for more than $430,000 to support the use of drones for construction site condition inspections.
• The Nevada Department of Transportation received a more than $1.9 million grant to fund the use of automation/artificial intelligence, digitalization, connectivity, data standardization, and systems engineering to develop the requirements of a data exchange that can ultimately be used along I-80 and I-35.
• The Utah Department of Transportation received nearly $3 million to help develop Connected Intersection Corridor prototype as part of nationwide effort to deploy “vehicles-to-everything” or V2X systems network.
• The Wyoming Department of Transportation received a $2 million grant to streamline data collection and management for highway work zones.
• The South Dakota Department of Transportation received a nearly $2 million grant to deploy advanced traffic management system technology statewide.
• The Illinois Department of Transportation received a nearly $500,000 grant to develop a framework for the advancement of Work Zone Data Exchange-compliant systems statewide.
• The Wisconsin Department of Transportation received a $250,000 grant to expand the use of Work Zone Data Exchange technology to local roads in Madison.
• The Michigan Department of Transportation received more than $1.3 million to leverage open standard data to make real-time public transit information accessible in rural parts of the state.
• The Indiana Department of Transportation received a $2 million grant to deploy small, unmanned aircraft systems, sensors, data sharing and collaboration software to help deliver a National Defense Authorization Act compliant aerial survey program.
• The Texas Department of Transportation received a $1.9 million grant to install smart intersection technology featuring visual and auditory devices in College Station.
• The North Carolina Department of Transportation received a $1.1 million grant to create a drone disaster response and emergency supplies delivery network.
• The West Virginia Department of Transportation received $812,000 to deploy a “structural health monitoring tool” for aging infrastructure in Charleston.
• The Massachusetts Department of Transportation received a $1.1 million grant to use drone technology for “environmental sensing” operations in Cape Cod.
• ·The Connecticut Department of Transportation received a $2 million grant to develop a statewide multimodal public transit fare payment application.

With this latest round of disbursements, the USDOT said it has awarded nearly $280 million worth of SMART grants across 45 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C.

In March, the USDOT issued $50 million in SMART program grants to 34 technology demonstration projects across the country, several of which are helmed by state DOTs as well..

View this entire article online at The AASHTO Journal.

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

172-mile bike and pedestrian corridor in Oregon nears final report

KDRV-TV

https://www.kdrv.com/news/top-stories/172-mile-bike-and-pedestrian-corridor-nears-final-report/article_201f98e0-c6e9-11ef-a676-87081ea89c28.html

New California law will support ban on children under 12 from riding e-bikes

KNSD-TV

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/new-california-law-support-ban-children-under-12-from-riding-e-bikes/3710373/

Arvada, Colorado officials turning to urban design to protect pedestrians from vehicles

KUSA-TV

https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/urban-design-increasingly-used-to-create-barriers-to-places-where-vehicles-can-reach-pedestrians/73-fa735d61-0c2a-4424-8c53-8b1bab07caf4

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

ADOT to use federal grant to study low-carbon paving materials

Sedona.Biz

https://sedona.biz/adot-to-use-federal-grant-to-study-low-carbon-paving-materials/

As Vermont invests in EV charging infrastructure, municipalities look to balance costs with public access concerns

VTDigger

https://vtdigger.org/2024/12/27/as-vermont-invests-in-ev-charging-infrastructure-municipalities-look-to-balance-costs-with-public-access-concerns/

EQUITY

Rethinking I-94: Bridging Communities, Rebuilding Connections

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

https://spokesman-recorder.com/2024/12/29/rethinking-i-94-minnesota/

FREIGHT

USDOT Marks Significant Progress on Efforts to Shore up Key Supply Chains and Lays Out Recommendations for Continued Success

USDOT 

https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-department-transportation-marks-significant-progress-efforts-shore-key-supply

FMCSA Panel Calls for Solutions to Truck Parking Crisis

Transport Topics

https://www.ttnews.com/articles/fmcsa-truck-parking-crisis

St. Lawrence Seaway announces massive supply chain infrastructure investment

Daily Commercial News

https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/infrastructure/2024/12/st-lawrence-seaway-announces-massive-supply-chain-infrastructure-investment

BTS Data Reveals Long-term Trend Emerging in North American Freight Trucking

BTS

https://www.bts.gov/data-spotlight/bts-data-reveals-long-term-trend-emerging-north-american-freight-trucking

INFRASTRUCTURE

State DOTs Expand Drone Programs, Transforming Infrastructure Management

DroneXL

https://dronexl.co/2025/01/01/state-dots-expand-drone-programs/ 

INTERNATIONAL

$7 million WSDOT grant intended to help speed U.S.-Canada border crossings

Bellingham Herald

https://www.chronline.com/stories/7-million-wsdot-grant-intended-to-help-speed-us-canada-border-crossings,372727

MOBILITY 

Demand for carpooling, bus service on I-70 is rising as Colorado drivers look for ways to avoid ski traffic frustration

SkyHi News

https://www.skyhinews.com/news/i-70-colorado-transportation-traffic-tips/

San Francisco's 'war on cars' gets even more intense as threats of violence fly

San Francisco Chronicle

https://www.transittalent.com/articles/index.cfm?story=SF_War_On_Cars_Gets_More_Intense_12-28-2024

MPOs

West Central Ohio Rural Planning Organization receives planning organization designation

Lima News

https://www.limaohio.com/news/2024/12/27/worpo-receives-planning-organization-designation/

MTC/ABAG Resilience Tools Help You Plan Ahead

The Bay Link

https://blog.bayareametro.gov/posts/mtcabag-resilience-tools-help-you-plan-ahead

North Texas Transportation Council Advocates for Road Safety, Rail Projects

Planetizen

https://www.planetizen.com/news/2024/12/133394-north-texas-transportation-council-advocates-road-safety-rail-projects

Mark Hoeweler, Executive Director of Grand Strand Area Transportation Study, Reaches the End of the Road

Coastal Observer

https://coastalobserver.com/regions-top-transportation-planner-reaches-the-end-of-the-road/

OTHER

BTS Updates National Transportation Statistics 12/31/2024

BTS

https://www.bts.gov/newsroom/bts-updates-national-transportation-statistics-12312024 

A Transportation Finance Statistics Makeover

USDOT

https://www.bts.gov/newsroom/transportation-finance-statistics-makeover-0 

RAIL

Amtrak ridership hits record high nationwide, but California lags behind. Here's why

San Francisco Chronicle

https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/news/55250747/ca-amtrak-ridership-hits-record-high-nationwide-but-california-lags-behind-heres-why

Amtrak Gulf Coast case could chart a course for future intercity passenger rail

Progressive Railroading

https://www.progressiverailroading.com/amtrak/article/Amtrak-Gulf-Coast-case-could-chart-a-course-for-future-intercity-passenger-rail--73446

High-speed rail aims to win over reluctant Republicans

Roll Call

https://rollcall.com/2024/12/19/all-aboard-high-speed-rail-aims-to-win-over-reluctant-republicans/

Colorado passenger rail project moves forward as state reaches deal on Moffat Tunnel

Sky-Hi News

https://www.skyhinews.com/news/colorado-passenger-rail-project-moves-forward-as-state-reaches-deal-on-moffat-tunnel/

Class I railroads see red over Amtrak’s views on passenger train preference

Trains

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/class-i-railroads-see-red-over-amtraks-views-on-passenger-train-preference/

Austin Transit Partnership Announces Plans for Urban Rail Development in City

Railway Supply

https://www.railway.supply/en/austin-transit-partnership-announces-plans-for-urban-rail-development-in-austin/

SAFETY 

FHWA Awards $125 Million in Grants to Improve Safety on America’s Roadways by Preventing Deadly Wildlife-Vehicle Crashes

FHWA

https://highways.dot.gov/newsroom/investing-america-biden-harris-administration-awards-125-million-grants-improve-safety 

Save Lives On Our Roads Using The Safe System Approach

Planetizen

https://www.planetizen.com/features/133528-save-lives-our-roads-using-safe-system-approach

TRANSIT

Fare-free transit programs boost youth ridership on public transportation statewide

Washington State DOT

https://wsdot.wa.gov/about/news/2024/fare-free-transit-programs-boost-youth-ridership-public-transportation-statewide

A national review found Salt Lake City is one of the best cities in the nation for public transit. Here’s why.

Salt Lake Tribune

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2024/12/29/utah-transit-authority-how-uta/

Transit Systems Turn To AI-Powered Cameras To Catch Drivers Who Block Bus Lanes

NPR’s Morning Edition

https://www.npr.org/2024/12/31/nx-s1-5213674/transit-systems-ai-cameras-bus-lanes

New ORCA Wrapped Feature Lets Riders See Their Transit Habits

Seattle Times

https://www.seattletimes.com/life/culture/new-orca-wrapped-feature-lets-riders-see-their-own-transit-habits/ 

Project Connect faces more legal hurdles as Austin gears up for transit overhaul

KVUE-TV

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/project-connect/project-connect-lawsuit-future/269-bf08a8ed-7103-4166-9fad-ab79a503a055

USDOT publishes final rule establishing accessible standards of transit stops in public right-of-way

USDOT

https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/dot-issues-final-rule-establishing-accessibility-standards-pedestrian-facilities

Coalition drops report on dire state of mass transit in Massachusetts

Cambridge Day

https://www.cambridgeday.com/2024/12/29/coalition-drops-report-on-dire-state-of-mass-transit-in-massachusetts/

© 2025 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

News stories gathered by Bernie Wagenblast.