U.S. government defines moonshot transportation innovations

As part of a major 2021 infrastructure law, the U.S. government established a new agency within the Department of Transportation, the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Infrastructure (ARPA-I) to fund high-risk, high-reward next-generation technologies that could revolutionize the nation's transportation infrastructure systems. The agency aims to advance science and technology solutions that lower long-term costs, reduce environmental lifecycle impacts, improve the benefits and resilience of transportation infrastructure. They propose significant investments in advanced materials, structures, components, systems, and capabilities. The agency will follow the successful model established by DARPA and ARPA-E, existing federal agencies focused on breakthrough advances in defense and energy technology, respectively. The first effort spearheaded by the new agency, the Complete Streets Artificial Intelligence Initiative, awarded $2.4 million to a dozen American small businesses in 2024 for solutions leveraging AI for local government planning.

As national governments explore approaches for transformative science and technology to bolster urban climate adaptation, they will help promising commercial solutions overcome hurdles to entering the marketplace, accelerating their widespread adoption.