Federal Highway Administration

08/10/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/10/2022 09:19

U.S. Department of Transportation Awards $3.9 Million to Chicago’s Centralized Transit System Priority Project

FHWA 27C-22
Contact: [email protected]
Tel.: (202) 366-0660

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today awarded a $3.9 million Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) grant to the City of Chicago's Centralized Transit Signal Priority Project. The grant will help the City of Chicago deploy signal timing technologies to prioritize transit buses at traffic lights.

FHWA's ATCMTD program this year awarded grants valued at $45.2 million to 10 projects using advanced intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies that will improve mobility and safety, provide multimodal transportation options and support underserved communities.

"With these grants, the Biden-Harris Administration is helping communities deliver modern transportation systems that connect people to where they want to go more affordably, efficiently, and safely," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "We're pleased to support these innovative solutions that will improve driving and public transit for Americans in urban, suburban, and rural areas alike."

Chicago's Centralized Transit Signal Priority Project will leverage existing transportation and transit infrastructure and modify communication and software systems to prioritize transit buses at every traffic signal in Chicago. The proposed system will eliminate the need for separate field equipment to detect buses and implement a centralized and seamless signal prioritization system for buses.

"ATCMTD grants promote innovations that help expand access to transportation for communities in rural areas and cities alike, improve connectivity, and prepare America's transportation systems for the future," said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack. "Chicago's project will use advanced technologies to help improve transit operations."

The FHWA's ATCMTD program funds early deployments of forward-looking technologies that can serve as national models. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) continues the ATCMTD from 2022 through 2026 at the same level of funding with a greater focus on rural transportation, transit, paratransit and protecting the environment. BIL adds several new eligible activities such as advanced transportation technologies to improve emergency evacuation and response by federal, state and local authorities, integrated corridor management systems, advanced parking reservation or variable pricing systems and technologies that enhance congestion pricing and automated vehicle communications.

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