Federal Highway Administration Awards $6.4 Million to Tribal Government and Six States to Speed Innovative Projects |
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Federal Highway Administration
7 October 2015
FHWA 67-15
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Contact: Neil Gaffney
Tel: 202-366-0660
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced more than $6.4 million in grants from the Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration program to fund innovative projects in Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota and Rhode Island, as well as the Pueblo of Acoma tribal government in New Mexico. The grants will be used to improve safety, mobility and project delivery and will encourage similar innovations nationwide.
“We are funding innovative ways to build better and safer roads through projects that will save time, money, and lives,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
Secretary Foxx addressed the changing transportation environment in “Beyond Traffic,” a report released earlier this year by USDOT that examines the trends and choices facing America’s transportation infrastructure over the next 30 years. Beyond Traffic assessed a number of factors, including a rapidly growing population, increasing freight volume, demographic shifts in rural and urban areas, and a transportation system that faces more frequent extreme-weather events. Gridlock is expected to increase nationwide unless changes are made in the near-term.
“These state and tribal governments are delivering innovative projects that will inspire others to follow their lead,” said Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. “Funding innovations like these in the future is doable, if Congress acts this year and delivers long-term transportation investment.”
Since its launch in February 2014, the AID Demonstration program has provided more than $33 million for 45 grant awards to help federal, state, local and tribal government agencies speed up their use of innovative traffic, safety and construction practices.
The program, which intends to invest $45 million provided under the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act” (MAP-21), builds on the success of FHWA’s ongoing “Every Day Counts” (EDC) initiative, a partnership formed by FHWA, states and localities to reduce project delivery times.
Those receiving these AID Demonstration program grants are:
Agency |
Amount |
Project Description |
| Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and Mohave County | $1,000,000 | ADOT and Mohave County will invest AID funds to complete a Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil-Integrated Bridge System (GRS-IBS) project spanning 110 feet on a section of Oatman Highway. Use of GRS-IBS, an innovation promoted by FHWA under its Every Day Counts (EDC) partnership with state, local and tribal governments, will provide an alternate, low-tech and low-cost solution toward achieving necessary permanent restoration improvements at the Oatman Highway crossing of the Sacramento Wash. |
| Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) | $1,000,000 | DelDOT’s AID grant will be used to modify the existing interchange at State Road (SR) 1 and SR72 near Bear to a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI), an example of innovative intersection and interchange geometrics promoted by FHWA under EDC. This will be DelDOT’s first experience in designing and constructing a DDI. The state anticipates this type of interchange will provide operational improvements on par with significantly more costly interchange types, be built more quickly, and with fewer impacts to drivers during construction. |
| Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and Manatee County | $1,000,000 | FDOT and Manatee County will use the AID grant for the installation of Adaptive Signal Control (ASC) technology at 20 signalized intersections on more than 9 miles of State Road 70, an emerging strategic intermodal system highway corridor and a designated evacuation route from the County’s barrier islands in the event of a hurricane. ASC technology is an innovation promoted by FHWA under EDC. |
| Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) | $1,000,000 | MDOT will use its AID grant to build a DDI for the I-96/Cascade Road project near Grand Rapids, which will also utilize Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funding due to the reduced congestion and improved operational capacity associated with the DDI. MDOT expects that successful construction and operation of the DDI will encourage evaluation of this innovative alternative for other interchanges in the state. |
| Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) | $1,000,000 | RIDOT will use AID funds to deploy the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CMGC) project delivery method, an innovation promoted by FHWA under EDC, along with Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) for the design and replacement of the Park Avenue Bridge located on Route 12 in Cranston. RIDOT expects that CM/GC and ECI will accelerate project delivery while mitigating risks identified during the early design and make CMGC a readily available tool for projects throughout the state in the future. |
| Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and the City of St. James | $864,000 | MnDOT and the City of St. James will use AID funds to build the first two interconnected mini-roundabouts in the state, on Minnesota State Highway 4 at the intersections of 1st Avenue South with Armstrong Boulevard and 1st Avenue South with 7th Street South in St. James. Mini-roundabouts, which improve safety and mobility, are an example of intersection and interchange geometrics promoted by FHWA under EDC. |
| Pueblo of Acoma | $563,000 | The Pueblo of Acoma tribal government in New Mexico will use the AID grant to complete several projects in varying stages that include roadway construction, earthwork, retaining walls, accelerated bridge construction (an EDC innovation promoted by FHWA), interchange construction and rock excavation/mitigation using the CMGC project delivery method. |
| TOTAL | $6,427,000 |
For more information about these grants, and FHWA’s AID demonstration program, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/accelerating/grants.