Though the Federal Highway Administration is only at the halfway point of the fifth round of its “Every Day Counts” initiative, the agency is starting to actively seek submissions for the sixth round of the program – known as EDC-6 – for 2021-2022.

[Above photo of USDOT headquarters by FHWA.]

“We are seeking ideas from state, local, tribal, and industry partners as well as the public on proven, market-ready processes or technologies that have the potential to transform the way the highway transportation community does business,” FHWA recently said on its website.

[One such EDC-sparked innovation highlighted by the FHWA two years ago is a weather condition alert system designed to help reduce weather-related traffic crashes and roadway delays resulting from them.]

To supply a suggestion for EDC-6, download the submission form from the agency’s website, answer a few questions, and submit it to EDCsuggestions@dot.gov by January 21.

FHWA noted that EDC is a state- and local-based effort to identify and rapidly deploy proven yet underutilized innovations to shorten the project delivery process, enhance roadway safety, reduce traffic congestion, and integrate automation. Since its inception, each state has used 19 or more of the 52 innovations promoted through EDC, the agency said, with some states adopting more than 40.