Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Makes Funds Available for Drone Projects

Section 25005 of the recently passed $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (the Act) authorizes a $500 million program known as the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grant Program, under which a newly created Department of Transportation (DOT) “Office of Multimodal Infrastructure and Freight” will provide grants for demonstration projects focused on advanced smart city or community technologies and systems to improve transportation efficiency and safety. This program envisions the use of connected networks of devices and sensor data—the Internet of Things—to improve governance and quality of life in urban areas and other communities, as well as to reduce costs to governments. Importantly, funds under the program will be available for projects using uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS or drones).[1]
SMART program grants may be awarded to projects that leverage the use of innovative aviation technology, such as UAS, to support transportation safety and efficiencies, including traffic monitoring and infrastructure inspection. To be eligible for SMART grant funds, an applicant must be a state, a political subdivision of a state, a Tribal government, a public transit agency or authority, a public toll authority, a metropolitan planning organization, or a group of two or more of the preceding entities applying through a single lead applicant.
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