The future of transportation can seem far off, but the truth is, in many ways, it’s already here.

Take Pittsburgh as an example: now as you drive down the street, it’s entirely possible you will see a self-driving car driving alongside you. A city once known for heavy industry and steel mills is at the forefront of a revolution in transportation technology.

Today, I’m proud to announce that Pittsburgh is one of over 15 communities nationwide that will receive nearly $65 million in USDOT grants to implement advanced transportation technologies.

_{Secretary Foxx addresses a "Smart Inclusive Communities" panel on transportation at the White House Frontiers Conference.}

These grants are the latest in our efforts to promote intelligent transportation systems – efforts that have leveraged $350 million in federal, local, and private funding toward connected vehicles, smart cities, and more.

I’m making this announcement at a unique forum –the first-ever White House Frontiers Conference right here in Pittsburgh. I was honored by the invitation to address this dynamic gathering of entrepreneurs, inventors, and innovators.

My participation is really a recognition of the great work that folks are doing throughout USDOT to embrace and encourage innovation that can enhance the safety, reliability, and efficiency of our transportation network, from our Federal Automated Vehicles Policy to the “Celebrating the Cities” hackathon we co-hosted earlier this year.

Perhaps our most exciting demonstration of new frontiers in transportation was the USDOT Smart City Challenge, of which Pittsburgh was a finalist.

One of the grants I’m announcing today, through the Federal Highway Administration’s Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD), will help the City of Pittsburgh further parts of their Smart City vision, including intelligent traffic signal technology that will help dramatically reduce congestion on major transportation corridors.

Addressing the needs identified in our Beyond Traffic report, this first round of ATCMTD  will award $56.6 million to help eight communities adopt connected vehicle and infrastructure technologies, advanced freight management and communications tools, and other innovative solutions to make our roadway infrastructure smarter and more dynamic.

We’re also working to incorporate new technologies into public transit through the Federal Transit Administration’s Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox Program.

I’m excited to announce nearly $8 million toward 11 groundbreaking public-private partnerships between transit agencies and leading innovators such as ride-share and bike-share companies, universities, and software developers.

For example, customers of Valley Metro in greater Phoenix, Arizona will soon be able to plan and pay for trips on one seamless, multimodal smartphone app. Instead of dealing with disparate schedules and fare systems, they’ll be able to easily find and combine light rail, bus, car-sharing, and bike-sharing options to get where they need to go.

Some projects, like that of TriMet serving greater Portland, Oregon, will even share their all of their data in an open source manner, completely free of charge. This spirit of collaboration is exactly what we need to keep moving transit forward.

Projects supported by our ATCMTD and MOD programs will not only bring cutting-edge technology to local communities; they will demonstrate tools and concepts in real-world settings that will offer insight to the industry as a whole, with the goal of speeding the adoption of the most effective solutions nationwide.

Importantly, these projects are not just using technology for its own sake, but to enhance mobility and  break down old barriers to connectivity.

Technology has this tremendous potential – but as I’ve said before, it can (and should) be used to also further the Ladders of Opportunity principles that President Obama has encouraged government-wide and that I’ve worked to instill at USDOT.

The advanced transportation technology grants I’m announcing today build on these core values of inclusivity and sustainability, making sure that all Americans, regardless of factors like age, race or income, will benefit from improved mobility.

That’s the kind of future I’m looking forward to.

Learn more: Press Release and Fact Sheets in the USDOT Briefing Room | White House Fact Sheet | FrontiersConference.org | #WHFrontiers