The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) said recently that the agency is accepting applications for the new Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies (FASTLANE) grant program.
The program is part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The goal is to provide financing for important highway and freight projects throughout the U.S.
The FAST Act contains $800 million designated for the FASTLANE program during fiscal year 2016, with 25 percent of the funds set aside for rural projects and another 10 percent for smaller projects. The FASTLANE funds are specifically for regional or national projects, and are meant to address significant problems with U.S. bridges and highways.
This is the first time since USDOT was established 50 years ago that the program is developing multiyear, broad eligibilities for freight infrastructure. The goal is to solve many of the problems found in the USDOT Beyond Traffic report.
“Our nation needs a strong multimodal freight system to both compete in the global economy and meet the needs of consumers and industry,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. “We now have an opportunity to fund high-impact projects that address key challenges affecting the movement of people and freight.”
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