GRAND RAPIDS — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration awarded a $9.3 million Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation program grant to help make transit service more reliable in the Grand Rapids area.
The Minnesota Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation will receive the grant for Minnesota's Autonomous Rural Transit Initiative, known as MARTI, as part of a $52.78 million investment package under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“In Minnesota, we’re helping make transit more reliable and accessible for people from all walks of life with this advanced technology grant to Minnesota’s autonomous rural transit initiative.”Shailen Bhatt, federal highway administrator
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 highway and transit systems, a news release stated. Expanded eligibility existed 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,” stated U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in the release. “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.”
The IRRR will use the funding to expand the current MARTI pilot — a free on-demand automated micro-transit service in Grand Rapids — to make transit services more reliant, convenient and accessible in rural communities, including for wheelchair users. The project area includes disadvantaged 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,” stated Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “In Minnesota, we’re helping make transit more reliable and accessible for people from all walks of life with this advanced technology grant to Minnesota’s autonomous rural transit initiative.”
The ATTAIN program promotes advanced technologies with the intent 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.
