Anthony Foxx, the Obama Administration’s transportation secretary, said the potential around smart cities could be as revolutionary as the Interstate Highway System was in the mid-1950s.

The seven cities left in the running for the Department of Transportation's "Smart City Challenge" pleaded their cases for funds to overhaul their transportation infrastructure through IT.

The new partnership will give Smart City Challenge finalists a new tool to analyze transportation data.

Out of 78 cities across the country that applied, U.S. Transportation Department Secretary Anthony Foxx announced seven finalist cities that will compete for 0 million in funding.

The money will be used over the next decade for projects that could make autonomous vehicles mainstream.

A new challenge from the Transportation Department will award 0 million to a city with the best smart-enabled transportation plan.