The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has opened a $34 million funding opportunity under the Advanced Digital Construction Management Systems (ADCMS) Grant Program, which was established through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
The ADCMS grant program will focus on digital construction, such as computer modeling and 3D design, to encourage state-of-the-art practices in project delivery. The IIJA authorizes $85 million for the ADCMS program, with approximately $17 million in funding available each Fiscal Year (FY) through FY 2026. The inaugural round of funding covers both FY 2022 and FY 2023 funds for a combined tranche of $34 million.
“Technology has transformed many facets of life in the modern era, and we want the transportation construction industry to take advantage of these advancements to deliver projects on time and on budget,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “These technologies, along with funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help us more quickly deliver the transportation system of the 21st century.”
The ADCMS program is one aspect of FHWA’s multifaceted Technology and Innovation Deployment Program (TIDP) and provides funding as an incentive for state departments of transportation. It promotes access to more meaningful, accurate and easy-to-use data by construction professionals with enhanced software modeling tools and features. Better and more consistent modeling allows the seamless sharing of design and construction plans. The program goals include:
Accelerated adoption of advanced digital construction management systems to boost productivity and manage complex projects.
- More timely and productive information-sharing.
- The development and deployment of best practices.
- Increased transparency as the result of the real-time sharing of information.
FHWA explains the current funding opportunity will focus on projects that promote information-sharing, reduce reliance on paper, improve productivity and savings during project delivery and can serve as models for the adoption and deployment of digital construction technologies.
Eligible applicants include state departments of transportation, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. FHWA encourages these entities to partner with local governments, tribes and private industry in designing their proposed projects. Applications are due by Aug. 28, 2023, and applicants should submit through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s grant web portal, grants.gov.
