Deputy Secretary of Transportation Victor Mendez speaking at AASHTO's annual Washington Briefing meeting. (Photo by Sean Kilcarr/Fleet Owner)
Deputy Secretary of Transportation Victor Mendez speaking at AASHTO's annual Washington Briefing meeting. (Photo by Sean Kilcarr/Fleet Owner)
Deputy Secretary of Transportation Victor Mendez speaking at AASHTO's annual Washington Briefing meeting. (Photo by Sean Kilcarr/Fleet Owner)
Deputy Secretary of Transportation Victor Mendez speaking at AASHTO's annual Washington Briefing meeting. (Photo by Sean Kilcarr/Fleet Owner)
Deputy Secretary of Transportation Victor Mendez speaking at AASHTO's annual Washington Briefing meeting. (Photo by Sean Kilcarr/Fleet Owner)

DOT to release $800 million in freight project grants

Feb. 25, 2016
Part of $4.5 billion in freight project funds to be issued thru 2020.

WASHINGTON D.C. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) expects to open up a pool of $800 million for freight project grants “in the next several days,” according to Victor Mendez, Deputy Secretary of Transportation – part of $4.5 billion worth of freight project funds authorized by the FAST Act passed last December to be made available through 2020.

Speaking at the American Assn. of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) annual Washington Briefing meeting, Mendez stressed that such funding will be critical as a 30-year strategic study by the DOT predicts major increases the U.S. population and freight flows in the coming decades.

“By 2045 there will be 70 million more Americans and a 45% to 50% increase in the amount of freight traffic in our country,” he said.

“We have a challenge ahead of us,” Mendez added. “The question is: are we up to it? We have a real transportation infrastructure deficit and we are at a real critical moment. If we want to pass along the first-class transportation system we grew up with to the next generation, we need to start making improvements to it now.”

About the Author

Sean Kilcarr | Editor in Chief

Sean reports and comments on trends affecting the many different strata of the trucking industry -- light and medium duty fleets up through over-the-road truckload, less-than-truckload, and private fleet operations Also be sure to visit Sean's blog Trucks at Work where he offers analysis on a variety of different topics inside the trucking industry.

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