Federal Grant Award Summary

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Immediate Office of the Secretary awarded City of Utica, New York $1.81 million through the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program (CFDA 20.941) on July 15, 2025. This Phase 1 project grant, with a completion date of January 14, 2027, funds the planning, piloting, and impact measurement of smart traffic signal technology deployment in a traffic-heavy corridor of downtown Utica. The initiative represents a 19-month demonstration project designed to evaluate the effectiveness of intelligent traffic management systems in improving transportation efficiency and safety within the city's urban core.

The SMART Grants Program, established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act with $500 million in total appropriations, supports competitive demonstration projects focused on advanced smart city and community technologies. The Utica award aligns with the program's FY24 Stage 1 solicitation (DOT-SMART-FY24-01), which made up to $2 million available per award from a $50 million funding pool for planning and prototyping initiatives. Upon successful completion of Phase 1, the city may be eligible to apply for Stage 2 funding to implement the validated smart traffic signal systems at larger scale.