Columbus Wins U.S. DOT's Smart City Challenge

The city will get more than $100 million in government and private-sector money to implement high-tech, futuristic transportation ideas.

by / June 21, 2016

Columbus, Ohio, is the winner of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s $50 million Smart City Challenge. It will receive not only that money, but another $90 million from a local business coalition and a sizable portfolio of hardware, software and support services from technology companies.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH, broke the news June 21 on his website.

The competition has been about catapulting forward local transportation innovation, deploying emerging technologies such as automated driving, connected vehicles and ubiquitous sensor technology on the ground in such a way that other cities can learn lessons and follow along.

RELATED

Columbus, Ohio, to Launch Incentive Program for EV Charging Port InstallationColumbus, Ohio, Official Says Smart City Progress in First Year Consists of 'Internal Workings'Smart Columbus Program Aims to Raise $1 Billion in Local Resources by 2021

Columbus’ plan revolves around five strategies: promoting access to jobs, making logistics smarter, connecting visitors, connecting citizens and making transportation more sustainable. The city’s specific plans include:

  • Deploying electric, connected, self-driving vehicles to help bridge the “first and last mile” gap to public transit.
  • Setting up a “smart corridor” where vehicles connect with infrastructure and other vehicles to support bus rapid transit.
  • Bringing digital mobility services such as ride-sharing to citizens who don’t use digital forms of payment.
  • Crafting incentives to build more electric vehicle charging stations.
  • Creating applications to help truck drivers navigate the city more efficiently and avoid congested traffic.

The city's full proposal is available here.

Of the $50 million, $10 million is earmarked specifically for projects related to electric vehicles.

Aside from that, Columbus will have a lot of tech services to choose from. Sidewalk Labs, part of Alphabet, is offering data-gathering kiosks and access to a brand-new transportation analytics platform. Amazon is offering cloud services. Mobileye is offering to equip buses with pedestrian and cyclist detection and avoidance systems. Local Motors is prepared to deploy talking, electric, self-driving shuttles.

Columbus beat out six other finalist cities to win the competition: Portland, Ore.; San Francisco; Denver; Kansas City, Mo.; Austin, Texas; and Pittsburgh. Representatives from several of those cities have said that if they didn't win the challenge, they would still forge ahead with their plans as best as they could.

News Staff

RELATED

Will Columbus’ App Gamble Pay Off for Transit Riders? Columbus, Ohio, Takes Multi-Strategy Approach to EV Adoption Can Cities Lift the Quality of Life with Better Mobility Options? (Contributed)

smart cities Stories Mapped by City and State

See the big picture of how government agencies are utilizing smart cities by exploring our Government Technology editorial database geographically visualized by location and date.

MORE FROM FutureStructure

One Non-Profit’s Mission to Help Bridge the Broadband Gap

Broadband provides students in rural and underserved urban schools access to online resources that can help them better prepare for the workforce.

How Data Helps Cities Achieve Vision Zero Safety Goals

Telematics can optimize smart transportation. Access to aggregate data allows cities to closely monitor traffic flows, understand the effects of new projects and speed reduction programs, assess the efficiency of traffic signals, map air quality and highlight hazardous intersections. All these tools help cities and municipalities better manage the overall transportation system.

Making Informed Decisions with Data, Analytics, and APIS

How one Meraki customer personalizes end user experiences based on the numbers.

Platforms & Programs