The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) recently announced it had been awarded a $322,461 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) grant to manage the state’s roads during severe weather better.
Funds will be used to support a weather-savvy roads pilot program. Under the program, up to 20 NJDOT vehicles will be equipped with dashboard cameras and weather sensors. The equipment will feed data directly to NJDOT.
Data will be used to allocate resources faster and more accurately and allows for improved awareness of road conditions during severe weather.
“The New Jersey Department of Transportation is always looking for advancements in technology to improve safety,” Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, NJDOT commissioner, said. “This Federal grant allows us to test new technology so we can better manage our roadways ahead of storms, and enhance safety for the motoring public.”
FHWA’s Road Weather Management – Weather-Savvy Roads program funds vehicle-based observation technologies that proactively manage the road system ahead of and during severe weather.
NDOT is one of five states that will participate in a national smart communities learning lab later this year in Chicago.
The AID grant complements NJDOT’s work to devise a statewide smart framework.
This is the first AID grant awarded to NJDOT.