Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced that two Nevada projects will receive a total of $3,489,000 in SMART grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to help improve road safety and efficiency in Las Vegas and the Lake Tahoe region. Senator Cortez Masto created the SMART program in the bipartisan infrastructure law and made sure these two Nevada projects would benefit from the funding she secured.
“I made sure the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included my legislation to support communities who are using technology to solve transportation challenges,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “These SMART grants will make our roads safer, improve emergency response times, and help keep Nevadans out of frustrating and dangerous traffic jams. I’ll continue working on innovative solutions that help Nevada families get where they need to go safely and efficiently.”
The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada will receive $2,000,000 to install high-tech cameras and sensors along busy intersections to help emergency vehicles avoid delays, monitor traffic patterns, and improve safety. The Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) will receive $1,489,000 to develop a digital system to help control traffic flow during peak tourism seasons, analyze travel behavior, and connect visitors with public transportation options.
As part of her Innovation State Initiative, the Senator created the SMART Grants Program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that is providing up to $100 million in grants annually over the next five years to fund projects that use data and technology to solve real-world challenges facing communities. In addition to establishing the SMART program, she secured multiple transportation provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help Nevada communities make even more improvements to their roads and bridges, plan for and build electric vehicle infrastructure, and make transit to school safer for students.
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