DHS Awards $3.2M for Radiation Detection Systems in Southeast Transportation Corridor

October 18, 2006 // Published as a news service by IHS

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) awarded $3.2M in grants for the deployment of radiation detection systems at interstate weigh stations throughout the Southeastern U.S.

The awards represent the first phase of DNDO's Southeast Transportation Corridor Pilot (SETCP) program, a two-year initiative involving federal, state and local governments in nine states and the District of Columbia in the development of nuclear and radiological detection and interdiction capabilities on the nation’s highways.

After an application process, initial grant awards will be provided to:

• The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
• South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
• South Carolina State Transport Police.
• Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
• Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
• Georgia Emergency Management Agency.

Funds provided will support the deployment of fixed, handheld and mobile radiation detection equipment at interstate weigh stations.

"We are intensely focused on preventing high consequence threats, such as a radiological or nuclear attack," said Vayl S. Oxford, DNDO director. "The southeast transportation corridor sees some of the largest concentrations of truck traffic in the country. The work that we are doing in the southeast will ultimately lead to a web of radiation detection systems on our nation’s highways."

The SETCP program will integrate existing and new systems and develop a regional threat detection and interdiction architecture. DNDO will also provide training for state and local partners on equipment operations, alarm resolution protocols, information sharing and the shipment of radioactive materials from nearby nuclear production and waste treatment facilities.

Source: Department of Homeland Security (DHS).