Federal Highway Administration: Biden Administration Awards $7.7 Million Advanced Technology Grant to California to Improve Transportation Access

WASHINGTON, May 26 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration issued the following news release:

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration awarded California a $7.7 million Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation (ATTAIN) program grant to improve transportation access. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will receive the grant for its Southern California Mobility Wallet project as part of a $52.78 million investment package under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. ATTAIN program awards will go to eight projects around the country that bring innovative technology-based solutions to improve the travel experience for the millions of Americans using our highway and transit systems, with expanded eligibility for projects in communities that have previously lacked investments, including rural areas and areas of persistent poverty.

"Your zip code shouldn't determine whether you have access to safe, affordable transportation," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "With President Biden's investments in innovative technology, we're helping communities make transportation safer and more efficient, particularly in places that haven't received enough resources in the past."

Caltrans will use the funding to deploy open-loop payments technology to offer seamless payment to highway and transit services for Los Angeles County residents. The project area includes regions of persistent poverty and disadvantage communities.

"We're helping deliver a leading-edge transportation system designed to reach everyone and to work for everyone, especially those in communities who have lacked access to efficient transportation," said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. "In California, we're making it easier for Los Angeles County residents to access transportation with this advanced technology grant to Caltrans."

The ATTAIN program promotes advanced technologies to improve safety and reduce travel times for drivers and transit riders that can serve as national examples. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law expanded the program and added new emphasis to climate change and environmental justice impacts. The eight selected projects will help advance intelligent transportation systems technologies that improve mobility and safety. The projects include the extension of real-time traffic information and signal timing systems, including for transit, along with other advanced technologies.

More information on the awards is available here: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Key Programs under the Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations

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Original text here: https://highways.dot.gov/newsroom/biden-administration-awards-77-million-advanced-technology-grant-california-improve