U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao recently announced that eight projects in seven states will receive nearly $60 million in federal grant funding to test the safe integration of automated driving systems (ADS) onto U.S. roadways.

The grant winners include: Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES); the University of Iowa; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Transportation Institute (for two different projects); the Ohio Department of Transportation (DOT) (through DriveOhio); the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation; the city of Detroit, Michigan; and Contra Costa Transportation Authority, California.

According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), the goal of the grants is to “gather significant safety data to inform rulemaking and foster collaboration amongst state and local government and private partners.”

“The Department is awarding $60 million in grant funding to test the safe integration of automated vehicles into America’s transportation system while ensuring that legitimate concerns about safety, security, and privacy are addressed,” says Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

With its top priority being safety, the DOT notes that automation could potentially improve safety for vehicle operators, occupants, and other travelers sharing the road.

DOT addressed this potential by soliciting applications through the Notice of Funding Opportunity for ADS Demonstration Grants, with an emphasis on safety, data for safety analysis and rulemaking, and collaboration.