DOT Seeks Opinions on Rural Transportation Program

Public opinion is being sought by the U.S. Department of Transportation to help share the agency’s Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success program.

In a news release, DOT said it wants to know how it can can better support the transportation infrastructure in rural areas.

The ROUTES Council will use the responses to guide the evaluation of rural projects and improve funding options,

The program seeks to assist public officials in rural areas better understand how to apply for and land DOT grants and to develop data-driven approaches to assess needs and benefits of rural transportation projects.

In its news release, DOT said rural transportation is particularly important for agriculture, mining and energy commodities.

Two-thirds of freight rail originates in rural areas and nearly half of all truck vehicle-miles-traveled occur on rural roads.

The program will be coordinated with the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration.

DOT Starts Rural Transportation Infrastructure Initiative

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced an initiative that will seek to address disparities in rural transportation infrastructure.

Known as the Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success, the initiative allocate DOT discretionary funding and financing opportunities to ensure nationwide outcomes for rural areas’ transportation infrastructure, the agency said in a news release.

A ROUTES Council will be overseen by the secretary of transportation and pursue three objectives:

• Collecting stakeholder input on the safety and economic benefits of rural projects and the degree of assistance they require.

• Providing rural communities with DOT discretionary grant application information.

• Improving DOT’s data-driven approaches to better assess the needs and benefits of rural transportation infrastructure projects.

The ROUTES initiative will be coordinated by the Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Aviation Administration.

It will build on DOT’s Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Loan Program’s Rural Project Initiative, which offers lower project-cost thresholds for loan eligibility, subsidized interest rates, and the coverage of fees to encourage use of the credit program for infrastructure projects in rural areas.

Over the next year, DOT officials will meet with rural transportation stakeholders to educate project sponsors about federal funding and financing opportunities.