The Shadow
Thursday, January 2, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has awarded Virginia Tech a $249,654 grant. The funding supports a project to collect and provide pedestrian data as it relates to advancing the safety and mobility of all people in U.S. transportation systems. U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:
“Virginia Tech dedicates research projects to promote the safety of drivers and pedestrians as well as related technologies.
“This DOT grant for nearly a quarter of a million dollars helps Virginia Tech utilize partnerships with stakeholders and local communities to research and access critical transportation system data.
“This is particularly important in light of the number of pedestrian accidents in the region within the last year.”
BACKGROUND
This funding is made available through the FHWA Cooperative Agreements for the Exploratory Advanced Research Program (EARP).
Legislation established EARP to addresses the need to conduct research on longer term and higher risk breakthrough research with the potential for transformational improvements to plan, build, renew, and operate safe, congestion free, and environmentally sound transportation systems.
Virginia Tech was awarded a pair of DOT grants in September of 2024 to promote safe driving practices for teenage drivers and advanced driver assistance systems. The sum total of these grants was more than $940,000.
