The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $94 million in funding to 59 transportation projects across the US through the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grants program. The program was created through the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and will distribute $500 million in grants over the next five years to state, local, and tribal governments for transportation projects that promote innovation, equity, efficiency, and safety.

The SMART program will support various initiatives, with many of them led by state Departments of Transportation. The US DOT highlight specific projects including:

 
The Alaska Department of Transportation will use more than $1.9 million to pilot test the use of drones for infrastructure inspections and gather "situational awareness data" on rural mobility needs.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation will use nearly $2 million to plan, permit, and design a "smart micro-grid" power system at Cape Cod Gateway Airport and test the "environmental sensing" capability of drones along Cape Cod.

The Texas Department of Transportation will receive $1.9 million to install smart intersection technology featuring visual and auditory devices along streets in College Station, TX.

The Utah Department of Transportation will use just over $1.85 million to develop a "Connected Intersection Corridor" prototype as well as a plan for nationwide vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems deployment.

The West Virginia Department of Transportation received $812,000 to deploy a structural health monitoring tool for aging infrastructure in Charleston, WV.

Landscape architects may be particularly interested in projects related to drone technology for infrastructure inspections and environmental sensing, as well as the implementation of smart intersection technology to improve safety and efficiency on streets.
https://aashtojournal.org/2023/03/24/usdot-issues-94m-via-new-smart-grants-program/