MassDOT Grant to Optimize the Use of Drone Technology for Infrastructure Projects

08:00AM / Sunday, December 15, 2024Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — The Aeronautics Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has received $1 million in funding from the Federal Highway Administration's Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration Program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and authorized to accelerate innovation in highway transportation.

This grant funding goes toward the second stage of a three-phase project, using Unmanned Aircraft Systems ("UAS," also known as drones) to create a "digital software systems infrastructure." Phase one of the project was funded with an AID grant received in 2021 and with additional match funding of $250,000.

Implementing the necessary UAS digital infrastructure to integrate UAS technology into the operations of MassDOT's Highway Division and a variety of MassDOT agencies will enhance the state's ability to collect, store, process, and disseminate UAS data throughout MassDOT.

"The Massachusetts Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division is recognized as being a leader in the use of drones for tasks of the Highway Division and the funding from this second phase of the AID grant will give us a unique opportunity to improve and expand digital software systems for drones," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt.?"We are grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration and our congressional delegation for supporting our application and we look forward to continuing to innovate when it comes to drone technology."

The UAS-based digital infrastructure is designed to integrate with MassDOT Highway projects across Massachusetts, ranging from rural to urban locations, supporting a range of projects, including advanced bridge inspection, asset mapping, construction monitoring, and highway corridor asset detection/inspection. The new technology is anticipated to lower the costs of some projects, provide enhanced asset inspection opportunities, and allow for the monitoring of many construction projects simultaneously.

"The Highway Division looks forward to an active partnership because this MassDOT Aeronautics project works to make surface transportation safer, more responsive to public needs, and more adaptable to new technologies," said MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver.

The AID grant request is part of the Healey-Driscoll Administration's whole-of-government strategy to compete for federal dollars. This award joins the administration's record of recent successes, which includes $1.72 billion to replace the Cape Cod Bridges, $335 million for the Allston Multimodal Project, $145 million to lay the groundwork for West-East Rail, as well as more than $1.33 billion in still pending federal funding applications to advance projects that further equity, mobility, competitiveness, workforce development, and climate resiliency in communities across Massachusetts.

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Neal Tours Berkshire Innovation Center as Pittsfield's Tech Economy Grows

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:38PM / Thursday, October 15, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. —Congressman Richard Neal visited the Berkshire Innovation Center Thursday to highlight $735,000 in federal funding secured for a new cybersecurity training and testing facility.

"The number one job of the federal government is to provide for the security of its people. I mean, we should never lose sight of that, whether it's China or Russia, every single day there are these belligerents that are attempting to infiltrate national security here in the United States, and we should not be naive about it," Neal said. "I mean, we can have an argument about proportionality; we can do a lot of different things, but not to miss the point of what they're trying to do every day."

The new cybersecurity facility will provide regional manufacturers and businesses with research and design equipment, specialized lab space, and training facilities and is planned to be housed in a to-be-redeveloped space across the street from the Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC), located at 45 Woodlawn Ave.

The derelict property, formerly owned by General Electric, is now known as the William Stanley Business Park.

The project is a $7.2 million dollar investment from the state, $5.2 million from the tech collaborative, $2 million from bond funding secured by Neal, and $1 million that will be split into two phases: $500,000 for BIC to begin building and $500,000 for Myrias Optics to start production in Pittsfield, said Mayor Peter Marchetti.

BIC Executive Director Ben Sosne said manufacturers often highlight the need for help with cybersecurity, particularly in meeting the security requirements necessary to conduct business with General Dynamics and other major contractors.

Collaborators in the field and the public sector have recognized the need that has only grown since technology has advanced and is a great career opportunity, Sosne said.

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