NSF awards $1.37 million to create Chattanooga’s “Smart Corridor+”
Speaking of Chattanooga, more good news for the community was announced yesterday.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) announced that it has been awarded a $1.37 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The funds will create “Smart Corridor+” along a section of the existing M.L. King Boulevard Smart Corridor, a 1.2-mile stretch in downtown Chattanooga used by CUIP to study traffic flow, public safety and transportation, environmental impacts and other quality-of-life issues.
Through an online portal, researchers from around the world will be able to study “Smart Corridor+” through video, high-speed internet connectivity, computer analysis, performance-measuring tools, continuously updated data and other technology to reduce pedestrian injuries and coordinate autonomous and connected vehicles.
“’Smart Corridor+’ is a major step forward for Chattanooga’s Smart City research community,” said Kevin Comstock, Director of Smart City for Chattanooga. “The city will be able to offer state-of-the-art research technologies to the nation’s top Smart City researchers. It’s a huge win for everyone involved.”
The NSF funds will also allow for an expansion of the existing MLK Smart Corridor to include a portion of U.S. 27 and its on and off ramps. In addition, Smart Corridor+ will be available to high school students in the Chattanooga area, growing education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
“We have been working toward this for some time now, and it wouldn’t have happened without our close collaboration with the city of Chattanooga, EPB and The Enterprise Center,” said CUIP Director Mina Sartipi. “Securing funding for this initiative is exciting. We want Chattanooga to advance as a hub for smart and connected community research and development.”
