Seattle SMART Grant Digital Commercial Vehicle Permit Project

What's Happening Now?

Project Overview

The Seattle SMART Grant Digital Commercial Vehicle Project will advance work to provide reliable, modernized access for commercial delivery vehicles at the curb using a collaborative, data-driven approach.  

The project is divided up into two stages.  

Stage One’s primary focus is to understand the current use of our Commercial Vehicle Load Zones (CVLZs) and prototype and evaluate digital permit technologies in the North Downtown area. SDOT is converting its curb data in North Downtown to the national Curb Data Specification (CDS) standard set by the Open Mobility Foundation (OMF). Using CDS will help SDOT better manage its curb space by creating a standardized curb regulations inventory and curb usage database. These datasets in CDS format will be made publicly accessible to commercial delivery drivers and other interested curb users.  

Stage Two’s focus will be taking the findings and recommendations from Stage One and develop data-driven policy and update our permit program to be used at scale citywide. These policy and permit recommendations will align with the City’s climate goals while also improving curb access. 

Project Background 

While it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about transportation infrastructure, curb space serves a vital role in our system for activities like package deliveries, passenger pick-ups and drop-offs, and other loading and unloading needs. 

As our city and region continue to grow, alongside increased demand for deliveries, the efficient use of the curb space becomes more important. It can often be difficult for delivery drivers to find a space that is not already be occupied, adequately size for their vehicle, or far away from their destination. 

Seattle has a commercial vehicle permit program which allows delivery vehicles to load and unload in designated curbspace, however, this program is dated and needs to be reworked to better manage the challenges at the curb. 

In April 2023, the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) via its SMART (Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation) grant program awarded Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) a $2 million grant to improve commercial vehicle access to the curb. SDOT began work on Stage One of the project on September 1, 2023, and will last 18 months.  

In December 2024, the USDOT awarded SDOT and the City of Minneapolis a $15 million grant to advance our Stage One work into Stage Two. Work is anticipated to start in Spring 2025.  

For more information on our SMART Grant, see our project presentation.

Project Update

We are currently testing and evaluating vehicle-to-curb technology and a digital permit model in North Downtown. Our goals are to engage local businesses and commercial delivery companies with a SDOT issued decal to prototype a new digital permit to make more efficient use of commercial vehicle load zones, automate payment for users, and provide usage data at the zones for City and public use. 

New vehicle detection meters installed in select areas

We installed 25 IPS meters in select Commercial Vehicle Loading Zones (CVLZs). We are testing these meters to see if they can effectively detect vehicles parked in loading zones. This will help us to better understand how CVLZs are used and inform our CVLZ permit program. 

Project Timeline

Project Partners

The University of Washington’s Urban Freight Lab (UFL) brings together private industry, academic researchers, and public transportation agencies to solve urban freight management problems that overlap private and public spaces and have wide-ranging benefits. Their work integrates in-depth consultation with industry and the public sector, transformative research, and executive education, and serves the powerful nexus of industry, transportation infrastructure, and policymakers to deliver cutting-edge research. In Stage 1, UFL will be leading the project’s research by developing a technology assessment and existing commercial vehicle curbside utilization data collection plans, parking and pricing policy scenarios assessment, analysis of project results, and recommendations for building a digital permit at citywide scale for Stage 2. 

The Open Mobility Foundation (OMF) is an open-source foundation that creates a governance structure around open-source mobility tools. OMF is leading a Collaborative Program of 8 SMART grant awarded cities who will be using CDS to implement and manage their grant projects. Over the course of the grant project period OMF will provide Seattle and the other collaborative cities with ways to improve the capabilities of CDS, provide technical implementation assistance, and to build a shared learning and knowledge exchange to improve project outcomes. 

OMF SMART Grant Collaborative

The SMART Grant Collaborative includes Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San José, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Boston, Buffalo, and Miami-Dade County. This cohort is committed to tackling a common problem with similar technologies – specifically to digitally gather and analyze curb information to reduce congestion, enhance livability, and improve safety and equity on city streets. The shared, open-source CDS lies at the heart of this effort.  

The OMF will lead the collaborative, including further development of the open-source CDS, providing technical implementation assistance, and engaging directly with the Collaborative Program members on their learning journey. Collaborative members will pool resources through the OMF to engage in shared facilitation for information exchange, learning and additional technical assistance via in-person and virtual convenings. 

Curb Data Specification Overview

Curb Data Specification (CDS) is a digital tool that allows cities to digitally represent their curb space, communicate with curb users in different ways, and use metrics to improve those curbs.  

Source: Open Mobility Foundation

For more information on CDS, visit OMF's webpage.