The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) last week released a request for information to the public, seeking greater insights into rural transportation, including challenges to its infrastructure and how to better it.
The request falls under the department’s Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) Initiative, which seeks to address national transportation challenges through rural support. Its goals are to help rural stakeholders better understand and access USDOT grants and financing, as well as to develop data-driven approaches that better target the necessities of rural transportation projects.
“We want to hear from rural communities how the Department of Transportation can better support their critical transportation infrastructure,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said.
Chao previously ordered the USDOT to create an internal deliberative body to oversee the initiative, known as the ROUTES Council. It is led by the Acting Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, Joel Szabat.
“In addition to the data and experience DOT already has, the ROUTES Council will review and use public input to guide the evaluation of rural projects and improve funding options,” Szabat said.
The USDOT reports that only although only one-fifth of Americans live within the rural United States, they host a disproportionately large segment of traffic deaths: 46 percent of these deaths occurred on rural roads in 2018. Further, the department notes the stress road maintenance puts on smaller, rural communities’ limited resources, despite those routes making up 70 percent of the nation’s roadways.
The USDOT seeks input on concerns about this infrastructure’s safety, condition, and usage, as well as experiences with the department’s grant and finance programs.