FHWA 51-16 - Denver Thursday, October 13, 2016 Contact: Nancy Singer Tel.: 202-366-0660

Grant to relieve congestion, improve pedestrian safety

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced a $6 million grant for Denver’s Smart City Program to implement a variety of intelligent systems technologies (ITS) that create more sophisticated traffic management centers, relieve freight congestion and enhance pedestrian safety.

“This grant considers all travelers in the giving them more information to plan their trips ahead of time and avoid traffic congestion, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Denver residents will be equipped to travel in a smarter fashion – which in the end saves time and supports the entire region’s economic growth.”

Denver received the $6 million grant under FHWA’s Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) program and will use the funds to implement three intelligent vehicle projects--a Connected Traffic Management Center (TMC) and Connected Fleets; Travel Time Reliability as a City Service for Connected Freight; and Safer Pedestrian Crossings for Connected Citizens.

The technologies include dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) in 1,500 city fleet vehicles to enable signal priority for truck platooning and for a freight efficiency corridor. The trucks also will be equipped with a system that automatically detects when a pedestrian is in close range.

“In addition to helping commuters travel more safely, this grant will help America’s businesses deliver goods and products more efficiently,” Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau said. “Overall, Denver will have a much more reliable transportation system that benefits pedestrians, drivers and truckers.”

The award was part of a larger announcement totaling $56.6 million to fund advanced technologies various areas in the country. The ATCMTD program funds technologies that address the concerns outlined in Beyond Traffic, the USDOT report issued last year that examines the challenges facing America's transportation infrastructure over the next three decades, such as a rapidly growing population and increasing traffic.

ATCMTD was established under the “Fixing America's Surface Transportation” Act. State departments of transportation, local governments, transit agencies, metropolitan planning organizations and other eligible entities were invited to apply under the program.

The project was a finalist under the Smart City Challenge program.

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