What Happened?
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced $29 million in grants will be awarded to communities across the country looking to adopt new technologies to improve safety and emergency response efficiency.
Goal
Administered through the Federal Transit Administration’s Innovative Safety, Resiliency and All-Hazards Emergency Response and Recovery Demonstration funding opportunity, the $29 million in grants were allocated to 13 organizations in nine states. The federal funding will be used to nurture state-of-the-art advancements in mass transit efficiency through the adoption of new technologies to:
- Improve track worker and passenger safety
- Withstand natural disasters
- Respond more effectively to emergencies
- Reduce collisions
- Maintain equipment and infrastructure
The technologies adopted by local agencies will cut costs while improving the passenger experience to increase ridership and overall performance. Some technologies supported by the funding program include:
- Track intrusion detection systems to alert rail operators and transit officials to stop trains if something is on the track
- Prototype equipment for light rail vehicles that minimize the impact of collisions
- Planning tools to help transit agencies protect equipment and infrastructure while deploying services more effectively during a disaster or emergency situation
The Federal Transit Administration focused much of the funding on communities in need of upgrades as well as municipalities more likely to face natural disasters throughout the year including:
- Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority: $1.7 million to install a radar-based system of detecting track intrusions
- Minnesota Valley Transit Authority: $1.8 million to equip buses with GPS-based technology to improve safety and performance along congested corridors in the Twin Cities
- New Jersey Transit Corporation: $843,750 to develop an advanced forecast and observation system that can provide rea-time information on the potential risk and impact of flood before a storm occurs
- Center for Transportation and the Environment in Atlanta: $995,098 to develop a bus exportable power system to allow buses to export power with hybrid propulsion systems in case of emergency
Surface Transportation Program
In addition, the Federal Highway Administration offers the Surface Transportation Program to provide flexible funding for states and municipalities working to preserve and improve transit infrastructure conditions and performance. These projects include protecting:
- Highways
- Bridge and tunnel projects
- Public road work
- Pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure
- Transit capital projects
Rogers, Arkansas, recently received $1.4 million in federal funding from the Surface Transportation Program to support four transportation safety projects totaling $2.7 million:
- Connecting a bike and pedestrian bridge to a trail
- Conducting an intersection safety study for four main roadways
- Installing railroad protective gates for pedestrians
- Improving a traffic signal and intersection infrastructure
The intersection study will help local officials understand the short- and long-term options for making two main intersections safer and more efficient. The city is hoping to find a solution to reduce accidents and personal injury while also cutting the amount of money spent on regular repair and maintenance, Democrat Gazette reported.
Related Stories
How Cities Plan to Lower Pedestrian Fatality Figures 4 Strategies to Mitigate Traffic Congestion 4 Projects Walkable Cities Seek Grants For