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

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.

Pittsfield's Christian Center Seeks Community Input on Services, Name

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:57PM / Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Worker Dionisio Kelly, left, board member Kenny Warren, Executive Director Jessica Jones, and Food and Services Director Karen Ryan.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It's a new year, and The Christian Center is looking at how it can serve the area in 2026 and beyond. 

This includes a possible new name fueled by community forums in late January and early February. 

"We're hoping people will come in and talk about the name, talk about what programs, what services they would like to see from us. What would be most meaningful," Executive Director Jessica Jones said. 

"Because the population in this area has changed quite a bit, and we no longer serve just the West Side. We serve people from other parts of Berkshire County. So the hope is just to make it more inclusive." 

The Christian Center was a stop on Berkshire Community College and NAACP Berkshires' Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

The nonprofit will hold three input sessions at 193 Robbins Ave. to inform future programs and branding, and ensure that West Side voices are heard. 

The sessions will be held on: 

• Saturday, Jan. 31, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. 
• Thursday, Feb. 5, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. 
• Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. 

The center dates back to the early 1890s, when it was the Epworth Mission started by the Methodist Church to serve newly arrived immigrants and help them assimilate. The Christian Center was incorporated in 1974. 

Over the decades, it has drifted away from a faith-based organization to a space for anyone who needs a meal, a warm jacket, a place to bring their child, or a meeting place. A space for everyone. 

This is what center officials wanted reflected in the name.