On April 4, 2022, the City of Valdosta received a 2022 SMART 50 Award for Mobility at the Smart Cities Connect Conference in Columbus, Ohio. Larry Ogden, Traffic Manager, accepted the award on behalf of the city. The project improved traffic flow and safety with enhanced mobility for area residents. The project originated in 2020, when the city received a $100,000 Georgia Smart Communities Challenge Grant. The grant was the primary funding source for equipping all 128 traffic signals citywide with smart technology, enabling the possibility of connecting all modes of travel to traffic infrastructure and one another. The project included the installation of advanced transponders in 10 emergency response vehicles for signal preemption, rolling out the TravelSafely smartphone app for the benefit of VSU students and all members of the community.

"The project was innovative given its citywide implementation, multi-disciplinary approach, multi-university involvement, and extensive community and student engagement," stated the Valdosta City Engineer, Pat Collins.

This specific project reduced transit time for emergency vehicle drivers by 10-11 seconds. It connected all 128 city traffic signals with 10 fire trucks and over 900 community members engaged with team members.

"This project also provided educational research opportunities for students at Georgia Tech and a new engineering program at Valdosta State University," stated Collins. This award places the city as one of the top 50 cities in the United States in mobility.