Baltimore will accept a nearly $2 million federal smart-grant agreement from the U.S. Department of Transportation to install advanced traffic-signal technology at about 50 intersections affected by detour traffic from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, the Department of Transportation told the Board of Estimates on May 21.

Director Veronica Macbeth said the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant requires no local match and targets corridors that have experienced increased truck and commuter traffic since the bridge collapse. The project would replace controllers, add communications hardware, CCTV cameras and radar sensors to optimize traffic operations along critical commuter routes.

Macbeth presented the grant timeline and said the city recently received the final grant agreement from USDOT and is requesting board approval to begin project delivery. Comptroller Bill Henry asked whether the work is part of a broader citywide signal modernization effort or a separate, bridge-related supplement. Macbeth said the smart-grant work is “supplementary and more directed towards areas that were specifically affected by the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” and that separate citywide retiming and signal-improvement work continues concurrently.

The board voted to accept the grant agreement and authorize project delivery. Macbeth said the upgrades are intended to optimize traffic along detour routes and improve operations without requiring a local match.