U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx recently unveiled the proposed fiscal 2017 DOT budget, which includes investments for adding safer, cleaner transportation options for many U.S. communities.
The budget, which allocates $98.7 billion to transportation infrastructure, is part of the 30-year vision for DOT. Foxx wants to create a transportation network that aligns with the shifting geography in which people work and live, offers cleaner transportation options, encourages innovation, implements new technologies and gives more people access to opportunities nationwide.
Foxx and Therese McMillan, the Federal Transit Administrations’ (FTA) acting administrator, believe the budget will prioritize and emphasize the goals of the current administration, including the Capital Investment Grant (CIG), which competitively finances projects.
Transportation-infrastructure planning is important, as the U.S. is expected to increase its population by 70 million over the next 30 years. This expansion will exert different pressures on the system, from rail and roads to airports.
“Meeting future challenges will require a long-term vision for the transportation sector that includes more and cleaner options, and expands those options to communities across the country,” Foxx said. “This budget brings us closer to that vision.”
