In full transparency, the following is a press release from MassDOT.
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BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is pleased to announce it has received $4 million total from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grant Program. The money will support the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Aeronautics and Rail and Transit Division’s clean energy grid and climate-related initiatives.
In addition to the $4 million dollars in SMART grant funding for MassDOT, the federal government has awarded the City of Brockton and the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) SMART grant funding for identified municipal energy and technology transportation projects.
“These grant awards will help us take steps forward in Massachusetts with initiatives to support the reduction of harmful emissions and expand clean energy options,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Gina Fiandaca. “As Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll have stated, the climate crisis is our biggest challenge, and we need to meet this moment with innovation and urgency to make Massachusetts a world leader in combating the climate crisis and driving our clean energy economy.”
The MassDOT Aeronautics Division has received a $2 million grant award which will be used to support the planning of a smart microgrid that generates and distributes clean, reliable power at Cape Cod Gateway Airport in Hyannis, facilitating reliable charging of electric ground vehicles (including buses) and in future, aircraft. In collaboration with Cape Cod Gateway Airport and the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, the initiative aims to increase clean energy independence while supporting the historically disadvantaged community living near the Airport.
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“We are honored that the U.S. Department of Transportation has selected MassDOT Aeronautics to make Massachusetts a smart grid model for clean, reliable, equitable transportation and economic development,” said MassDOT Aeronautics Administrator Jeffrey DeCarlo.
“We are thrilled to partner with MassDOT Aeronautics on a clean energy smart grid grant,” said Katie Servis, Airport Manager of Cape Cod Gateway Airport. “Facilitating the construction and operation of this infrastructure could transform our community, through the use of greener technologies for our fleet vehicles, leading to improvements in air quality, a reduction in carbon emissions, reduced noise in communities adjacent to the Airport and the entire town of Barnstable, as well as good-paying jobs, such as for high-skilled mechanics to service electric vehicles and aircraft.”
“We are delighted to collaborate on this smart grid grant,” said Thomas Cahir, Administrator for the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority. “As we embark on our planned migration to clean, electric buses, a microgrid with battery storage could prevent a loss in charging capacity due to weather-related power grid disruptions, safeguarding bus transportation services to already vulnerable populations, both in the village of Hyannis and across Barnstable.”
Evidence suggests climate change-induced droughts raise the risk of embankment collapse adjacent to bodies of water. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation Rail and Transit Division $2 million grant award will help support the development of a plan that aims to improve rail safety, prevent disruptions, and avoid costly repairs by using drones with sensors, and by installing remote sensing tools in embankments and water bodies. Sensors will help to identify vulnerable areas to create an early warning system and reduce the risk of rail embankment collapse, which may occur when climate change-induced drought drastically reduces the water levels of ponds and rivers.
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MassDOT will work to develop the plan with internal and external stakeholders and climate resiliency experts from the University of Massachusetts/Boston including Ellen Douglas, PhD, Associate Dean, Professor of Hydrology, Paul Kirshen, PhD, Professor of Climate Adaptation, and Kenneth Reardon, PhD, Professor of Urban Planning from the School of Environment.
“We are pleased to receive this grant which will enable MassDOT to showcase how partnerships between the public sector and educational institutions can support improved technology to reduce risk of rail infrastructure failures due to changing climate conditions,” said Meredith Slesinger, MassDOT Rail & Transit Administrator.
Additionally, SMART grants were awarded to the City of Brockton and to the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority. The City of Brockton received funding for the Downtown Brockton Transportation Technology Project that will include Smart Traffic Signals. The project will install a traffic management system that will also assess air quality, road temperatures and pedestrian safety in Brockton.
“The City of Brockton is very thankful for this grant for the traffic management system,” said Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan. “This grant will enable us to enhance quality of life along with pedestrian safety for our citizens in Brockton.”
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The Aeronautics Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT Aeronautics) is dedicated to making air transportation safer, cleaner, quieter, more efficient, and more economically advantageous for the people, communities, and businesses of Massachusetts. MassDOT Aeronautics’ prime responsibilities are to: (a) regulate and promote aviation across the Commonwealth and oversee 35 of the state’s 38 public-use airports; (b) introduce next-generation aviation systems, including uncrewed aircraft, sensors, and systems to ensure airspace awareness, Advanced Air Mobility infrastructure, and strategies to improve mobility options for the traveling public.
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MassDOT Rail and Transit Division oversees the Commonwealth’s 15 Regional Transit Authorities, MassDOT’s freight and passenger rail programs and works closely with the MBTA. The Division partners with the MassDOT Aeronautics Drone Operations program to monitor and evaluate its infrastructure rail assets. This program is one of the few in the nation embedded in a state transportation agency dedicated to inspecting and analyzing state transportation infrastructure.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) authorized and appropriated $100 million annually for the SMART Grants Program. The SMART Grants Program funds demonstration projects that focus on using purpose-driven innovation technology interventions to solve real-world challenges facing communities today.
In order to facilitate the above-mentioned grant awards, USDOT and MassDOT must establish and execute signed, mutually agreed upon grant agreements prior to the disbursement of award funds. Stage-1 funding awards as much as $2 million for Planning and Prototyping grants, with an expected performance period of up to 18 months. Recipients are later eligible to apply for Stage-2 Implementation Grants, which may receive as much as $15 million for an expected period of performance of up to 36 months for the execution of the project.
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The Healey-Driscoll Administration has already demonstrated its commitment to climate goals by creating the position of Climate Chief, a new cabinet-level position responsible for driving climate policy across every agency and ensuring that climate change is considered in all relevant decision-making. Massachusetts is the first state in the nation to establish such a position at the cabinet level. Ms. Melissa Hoffer is Massachusetts’ first ever Climate Chief and will monitor the progress of the administration’s cross-agency climate work and make sure that municipal leaders, labor and those disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis have a seat at the table. She will play an integral role in putting Massachusetts on track to meet the administration’s ambitious climate goals.
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