Notice2023-12621
Potential Research and Development Areas of Interest for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Infrastructure (ARPA-I); Request for Information
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Published
June 13, 2023
Issuing agencies
Transportation Department
Abstract
The Advanced Research Projects Agency--Infrastructure (ARPA-I) is a newly-designated agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that was authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) November 15, 2021 (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law). ARPA-I was established by Congress "to support the development of science and technology solutions that overcomes long-term challenges and advances the state of the art for United States transportation infrastructure." ARPA-I will have a single overarching goal and focus: to fund external innovative advanced research and development (R&D) programs that develop new technologies, systems, and capabilities to improve transportation infrastructure in the United States. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to obtain input from interested parties on potential areas for future innovative advanced research and development programs to be funded and managed by ARPA-I, subject to the availability of appropriations.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 113 (Tuesday, June 13, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 13, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38590-38592]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12621]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
[Docket No. DOT-OST-2023-0092]
Potential Research and Development Areas of Interest for the
Advanced Research Projects Agency--Infrastructure (ARPA-I); Request for
Information
AGENCY: Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice; request for information (RFI).
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SUMMARY: The Advanced Research Projects Agency--Infrastructure (ARPA-I)
is a newly-designated agency within the U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT) that was authorized by the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) November 15, 2021 (also known as
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law). ARPA-I was established by Congress
``to support the development of science and technology solutions that
overcomes long-term challenges and advances the state of the art for
United States transportation infrastructure.'' ARPA-I will have a
single overarching goal and focus: to fund external innovative advanced
research and development (R&D) programs that develop new technologies,
systems, and capabilities to improve transportation infrastructure in
the United States. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is
to obtain input from interested parties on potential areas for future
innovative advanced research and development programs to be funded and
managed by ARPA-I, subject to the availability of appropriations.
DATES: Written submissions must be received within 45 days of the
publication of this RFI.
ADDRESSES: Please submit any written comments to Docket Number DOT-OST-
2023-0092 electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at
<a href="https://regulations.gov">https://regulations.gov</a>. Go to <a href="https://regulations.gov">https://regulations.gov</a> and select
``Department of Transportation (DOT)'' from the agency menu to submit
or view public comments. Note that, except as provided below, all
submissions received, including any personal information provided, will
be posted without change and will be available to the public on <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act
Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR
19477) or at <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/privacy">https://www.transportation.gov/privacy</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about this RFI, please
email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#84c5d6d4c5a9cdc4e0ebf0aae3ebf2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1d5c4f4d5c30545d797269337a726b">[email protected]</span></a>. You may also contact Mr. Timothy A. Klein,
Director, Technology Policy and Outreach, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Research and Technology (202-366-0075) or by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2f5b4642405b47560144434a46416f4b405b01484059"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9aeef3f7f5eef2e3b4f1f6fff3f4dafef5eeb4fdf5ec">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advanced Research Projects Agency--
Infrastructure (ARPA-I) is a newly-designated agency within the U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT) that was established by Congress
``to support the development of science and technology solutions that
overcomes long-term challenges and advances the state of the art for
United States transportation infrastructure.'' (Pub. L. 117-58, Section
25012, November 15, 2021; 49 U.S.C. 119). ARPA-I is modeled after the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) within the U.S.
Department of Defense, and ARPA-E (Energy) within the U.S. Department
of Energy. It will offer a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve
our nation's transportation infrastructure, both physical and digital,
and will support DOT's strategic goals of Safety, Economic Strength and
Global Competitiveness, Equity, Climate and Sustainability, and
Transformation. ARPA-I will focus on developing and implementing
technologies, rather than developing policies and processes or
providing regulatory support. An ARPA-I funded technology should have a
clear pathway to commercialization and widespread cross-modal
deployment within 5-10 years, to have a substantial and transformative
beneficial impact on DOT's priorities. A typical ARPA-I program might
run for multiple years, have a significant budget, and include multiple
actively-managed R&D projects within that single program.
ARPA-I will augment and complement existing R&D activities within
DOT's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
(OST-R) and DOT's Operating Administrations, and will not supplant or
duplicate those efforts. Those efforts
[[Page 38591]]
currently include the U.S. DOT Research, Development and Technology
(RD&T) Strategic Plan as well as the activities of the University
Transportation Centers (UTCs). ARPA-I will fund innovative teams of
researchers and developers that might include academic institutions,
innovators, industry, Federally funded research and development centers
(FFRDCs), infrastructure owners and operators (IOOs), and others. These
teams will be funded to develop commercializable technologies that
solve persistent problems in infrastructure design, development,
construction, and deployment.
The aims of ARPA-I include ``lowering the long-term costs of
infrastructure development, including costs of planning, construction,
and maintenance; reducing the lifecycle impacts of transportation
infrastructure on the environment, including through the reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions; contributing significantly to improving the
safe, secure, and efficient movement of goods and people; promoting the
resilience of infrastructure from physical and cyber threats; and
ensuring that the United States is a global leader in developing and
deploying advanced transportation infrastructure technologies and
materials.'' (IIJA, 2021)
Specific Questions
Responses to this RFI are intended to inform DOT on areas of focus
for future innovative R&D funding programs to be undertaken by ARPA-I.
DOT is providing the following specific questions to prompt
feedback and comments. DOT encourages public comment on any of these
questions, and also seeks any other information commenters believe is
relevant.
DOT is requesting information from all interested entities and
stakeholders, including innovators and technology developers,
researchers and universities, transportation system operators,
transportation-focused groups, organizations and associations, and the
public.
DOT is interested in receiving succinct and relevant responses to
the following six questions:
Safety
Improving the safety of our transportation system users is of
critical importance to achieving the objectives of the DOT's National
Roadway Safety Strategy (<a href="https://www.transportation.gov/NRSS">https://www.transportation.gov/NRSS</a>) and DOT's
vision of zero fatalities and serious injuries across all modes of
transportation. There are many current and existing DOT safety R&D
efforts that span the full spectrum from roadway and intersection
design, active and passive vehicle safety systems, policy and
regulatory support, human factors and human behavior research, to
vulnerable road user safety improvements (such as the U.S. DOT
Intersection Safety Challenge), and more. Safety spans all
transportation modes and is an all-pervasive overarching goal at DOT. A
number of safety research programs are currently underway at DOT,
including the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Improving Highway
Safety for All Users Program Request for Information, the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Vehicle Safety Research
Program, and many others. In this current RFI, DOT is seeking
information on additional, complementary, and supplemental program
areas that ARPA-I can address in developing innovative new
infrastructure technologies that enhance Safety across our
transportation system.
Question 1: Are there new and emerging areas of innovation,
including external early-stage research and development, that ARPA-I
should contemplate funding as a part of its Safety area of
concentration, noting the agency's high-risk, high-reward focus? If
yes, what are these areas, and why should DOT consider funding them?
Advanced Construction Materials and Methods
The development of advanced infrastructure construction materials
and methods, including for roads, highways, bridges, airports, ports,
railways, and pipelines, has long been a priority for DOT. There are
considerable efforts ongoing including at the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) and FHWA in the development of low embodied carbon
materials, new construction materials and new construction methods for
infrastructure. For example, these might include 3D concrete printing
of large structures such as bridges, culverts, and roadways, and
related advanced construction methods.
Question 2: Are there new and emerging areas of innovation,
including external early-stage research and development, that ARPA-I
should contemplate funding as a part of its Advanced Construction
Materials and Methods area of concentration, noting the agency's high-
risk, high-reward focus? If yes, what are these areas, and why should
DOT consider funding them?
Digital Infrastructure
Advances in digital infrastructure and digitalization abound. These
include (but are not limited to) new technologies for mapping, sensing,
connectivity and communications, networking, and computation.
Transportation infrastructure is one of the largest sectors of our
economy that has only begun to participate in the `digital revolution'
of information technology. The potential advantages of digitalization
are pervasive, from the development of advanced centralized traffic
management systems to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), GPS
(or GNSS) applications, machine vision and artificial intelligence.
There is a considerable body of work being conducted across DOT in
digital infrastructure, including at FHWA, FAA, the Intelligent
Transportation System Joint Program Office (ITS JPO), and the Highly
Automated Systems Safety Center of Excellence (HASS COE) within OST-R.
Question 3: Are there new and emerging areas of innovation,
including external early-stage research and development, that ARPA-I
should contemplate funding as a part of its Digital Infrastructure area
of concentration, noting the agency's high-risk, high-reward focus? If
yes, what are these areas, and why should DOT consider funding them?
Freight and Logistics Optimization
The seamless movement of freight across transportation modes is an
essential requirement for our economic health and well-being. The
COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of our economy to
disruptions in freight and logistics operations, as part of the larger
breakdown in supply chains and their continuity. Increasing the
resilience of freight and goods movement across our nation is essential
to ensuring the uninterrupted flow of food, fuel, commodities, and
consumer and industrial products from source to destination. DOT
conducts research across all transportation modes in the area of
freight and logistics and has recently instituted the Office of
Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy within the Office of the
Secretary (OST), as established by the IIJA, Section 21101 (49 U.S.C.
118).
Question 4: Are there new and emerging areas of innovation,
including external early-stage research and development, that ARPA-I
should contemplate funding as a part of its Freight and Logistics
Optimization area of concentration, noting the agency's high-risk,
high-reward focus? If yes,
[[Page 38592]]
what are these areas, and why should DOT consider funding them?
Climate and Resilience
Our transportation infrastructure is increasingly susceptible to
damage from climate-related events, from drought to floods to sea level
rise. Increasing the resilience of our infrastructure and mitigating
negative effects on our transportation system across all modes is an
imperative for DOT. Climate and resilience research is being conducted
across all transportation modes at DOT, including in the newly
reestablished DOT Climate Change Center, and includes the reduction of
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation, the reduction of
embodied carbon in infrastructure materials, and increasing physical
and cyber resilience across the transportation system.
Question 5: Are there new and emerging areas of innovation,
including external early-stage research and development, that ARPA-I
should contemplate funding as a part of its Climate and Resilience area
of concentration, noting the agency's high-risk, high-reward focus? If
yes, what are these areas, and why should DOT consider funding them?
Other Areas in Transportation Infrastructure
DOT currently conducts a considerable amount of R&D work, both
internally and externally, in many areas pertinent to transportation
infrastructure.
Question 6: Are there other new and emerging areas of innovation
associated with transportation infrastructure, including external
early-stage research and development, that ARPA-I should contemplate
funding, noting the agency's high-risk, high-reward focus? If yes, what
are these other areas, and why should DOT consider funding them?
Confidential Business Information
Do not submit information disclosure of which is restricted by
statute, such as trade secrets and commercial or financial information
(hereinafter referred to as Confidential Business Information ``CBI'')
to <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>. Comments submitted through <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> cannot
be claimed as CBI. Comments received through the website will waive any
CBI claims for the information submitted.
Issued in Washington, DC, on June 6, 2023.
Robert C. Hampshire,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology.
[FR Doc. 2023-12621 Filed 6-12-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P
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