U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced nearly $60 million in federal grant funding to eight projects in seven states to test the safe integration of automated driving systems (ADS) on U.S. roadways.

The grants aim to gather significant safety data to inform rulemaking and foster collaboration amongst state and local government and private partners.

“The Department is awarding $60 million in grant funding to test the safe integration of automated vehicles into America’s transportation system while ensuring that legitimate concerns about safety, security, and privacy are addressed,” said Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

Grant awards are contingent upon compliance with all relevant federal regulations.  For more information on the applications received, visit www.dot.gov/av/grants.

 

State

Applicant

Project Description

Funding

TX

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES)

This project will develop and test ADS for rural roads without high-definition maps and with no or low-quality road signs or markings.

$7,063,787

IA

University of Iowa

This project will connect rural, transportation-challenged populations using a mobility-friendly ADS built on a commercially available platform.

$7,026,769

VA

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Transportation Institute

This project will define, develop, and demonstrate key dynamic scenarios and their potential solutions for safe interaction of ADS-equipped vehicles in a Northern Virginia corridor optimized for vehicle automation.

$7,500,000

VA

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Transportation Institute

This project will develop and demonstrate a Fleet Concept of Operations to provide the trucking industry with clear guidelines on how to safely implement, and benefit from, ADS-equipped trucks.

$7,500,000

OH

Ohio Department of Transportation (DOT) (through DriveOhio)

This project will conduct a multi-pronged demonstration approach focusing on rural environments, cooperative automation, and robust data collection to enable development of effective and informed ADS policies.

$7,500,000

PA

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

This project will explore safe integration of ADS into work zones by examining connectivity, visibility, and high-definition mapping technologies.

$8,409,444
 

MI

City of Detroit, MI

This project will implement the Cooperative Automation Research Mobility Applications (CARMA) Level 3 software platform for demonstration testing focused on mobility, safety, and endurance.

$7,500,000

CA

Contra Costa Transportation Authority, CA

This project will demonstrate Level 3 and Level 4 vehicles using shared on-demand, wheelchair accessible ADS-equipped vehicles.