The US will support a series of smart mobility projects using the funding from its November 2021 infrastructure law, which pledged to dedicate $500m (£408m) over five years for these types of initiatives. 

US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg said the grants would "foster innovations that improve people's day-to-day lives, making transportation safer, more reliable, more efficient, and more sustainable".

One of the challenges the Transportation department will aim to tackle is road safety. Last year, traffic deaths jumped 10.5 per cent to 42,915 in 2021, the highest number killed on American roads since 2005.

After declining for years, traffic deaths jumped sharply after Covid-19 lockdowns expired in 2020 and more drivers engaged in unsafe behaviour, leading officials to look for technologies to prevent traffic accidents. 

Detroit will seek to do so with a project that aims to deploy sensors to create smart intersections. These would...