The New York State Department of Transportation and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority are jointly offering $3 million in grant funding for what they call “innovative proposals” to improve the efficiency of New York’s transportation system while reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

[Above photo by Pete Burka.]

NYSERDA and NYSDOT said in a statement on April 17 that they will award grants based on a two-step process. First, applicants must submit “concept papers” through October 30 this year that center on “innovative strategies” in one of the following areas:

• Efficient mobility solutions: Projects to reduce transportation congestion and shift travel demand to more energy-efficient modes, such as public transportation, greater bicycle availability, and overall improvements in mobility for people and commercial goods.
• Efficient infrastructure, operations, and systems planning: Projects to increase transportation efficiency by optimizing operations, expanding transportation options, or employing technology-driven approaches that can improve and be integrated into larger infrastructure improvement initiatives.

Following the submission deadline, NYSERDA and NYSDOT said they will undertake a competitive process to identify applicants with the best concept papers who will then be invited to submit proposals. Proposals will then be reviewed and selected for funding, they added.