In a politically polarized nation the place opinions typically conflict, one frustration unites us all: site visitors. Yearly, People collectively lose billions of {dollars} and tens of millions of hours to site visitors congestion, with the typical commuter losing 51 hours and over $1,000 yearly. Our roads are pressured, our infrastructure is growing old and native transportation departments are being requested to do extra with much less.
The U.S. has the unlucky distinction of leading the developed world in total car crashes, racking up hundreds of billions of {dollars} in injury and delays.
In the meantime, the U.S. is main in AI growth and funding. Stanford’s 2025 AI Index Report exhibits U.S. establishments produced 40 notable AI fashions, in comparison with China’s 15 and Europe’s three. Personal funding reached $109.1 billion final 12 months — 12 instances greater than every other main nation.
It’s time to attach the dots.
AI may help transportation businesses do what many years of “laborious infrastructure” enhancements couldn’t: considerably enhance transportation challenges which have plagued American cities for generations. By enabling real-time site visitors evaluation, stopping collisions, optimizing emergency response and detecting hazards, AI immediately reduces site visitors fatalities by means of smarter, safer infrastructure.
Some cities are starting to embrace this future. In Bellevue, Wash., metropolis officials used AI-powered machine imaginative and prescient to investigate footage from site visitors cameras — figuring out patterns that result in crashes and adjusting sign timing and infrastructure accordingly. The end result? A 20 p.c discount in crashes at intersections the place the system was deployed.
In Houston, a Sensible Metropolis program makes use of AI-powered edge computing to observe site visitors in real-time. It tracks autos, detects congestion and alerts officers to hazards. The system may even modify site visitors lights dynamically based mostly on dwell information — serving to to stop backups earlier than they begin.
And one of the best half? This doesn’t require constructing from scratch. AI helps optimize the system we have already got delivering measurable advantages with out busting the funds. Think about a small metropolis or county attempting to construct safer streets for folks with disabilities, however with out the massive budgets or assets that bigger cities have. AI can dynamically modify crosswalk timing based mostly on real-time pedestrian detection, accommodating wheelchair customers or slower walkers with out considerably delaying transportation stream. At a time of constrained federal and state budgets, that’s the sort of return on funding we will’t afford to miss.
To make this a actuality throughout all 50 states, Congress ought to deal with digital infrastructure with the identical urgency as asphalt and metal. The principle legislative car in Congress governing transportation infrastructure is due for renewal in 2026. As lawmakers put together the following floor transportation invoice, they need to take into account harnessing this AI alternative in 3 ways:
- Incorporate digital infrastructure and AI applied sciences into present federal transportation planning, funding and analysis applications;
- Create a devoted digital infrastructure program, as proposed by ITS America, to deliver confirmed site visitors tech to extra communities;
- Spend money on workforce coaching to assist businesses deploy these instruments successfully.
Past the following transportation invoice, digital infrastructure ought to be a key a part of the U.S. Division of Transportation Innovation Agenda — as a result of it’s not nearly new tech, it’s about higher outcomes for all People. This isn’t a partisan concept — its widespread sense. AI may help us get the place we’re going quicker, safer and smarter. In contrast to site visitors, that’s one thing we will all get behind.
Gerry Petrella is normal supervisor for U.S. public coverage at Microsoft.