The USDOT named 7 mid-size cities as finalist  in the U.S. DOT’s Smart City Challenge - two more than the agency originally planned to name. Chosen from a pool of 78 entrants (the challenge targeted midsize cities with between 200,000 and 850,000 people), the finalists remain in the running for $50 million to fund technology-driven proposals that would improve mobility and reduce crashes.

The seven — Austin, Denver, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Columbus, Kansas City and Portland — will receive $100,000 to further develop their proposed ideas, which were considered for how well they match DOT’s goals and how likely they are to succeed.

DOT will award $40 million to the winning city, to be announced in June, with an additional $10 million coming from Vulcan, the Seattle-based company started by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Read more.