The Department of Transportation recently announced an award of more than $2.2 billion from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program to help urban and rural communities move forward on projects that modernize roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports, and intermodal transportation. This year’s allocation reflects the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law, which provides an additional $7.5 billion over five years for the program.
According to the DOT, projects were evaluated on criteria such as safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness and opportunity, partnership and collaboration, innovation, state of good repair, and mobility and community connectivity. Within these areas, the agency considered how projects would improve accessibility for all travelers, bolster supply chain efficiency, and support racial equity and economic growth, especially in historically disadvantaged communities and areas of persistent poverty.
The DOT also recently indicated that the Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) initiative that was launched last March has expanded to 36 participants and is expected to continue to grow in the coming months. Through FLOW, the DOT is serving as an independent steward of supply chain data across a largely privately-operated enterprise that spans shipping lines, ports, terminal operators, truckers, railroads, warehouses, and beneficial cargo owners.
According to the DOT, by providing a shared view of the national logistics system – including both supply and demand assets – FLOW participants can better understand supply chain capacity nationally. The agency added that “the solution is better cooperation on foundational freight data exchange so supply chain stakeholders can make better informed decisions that will reduce shipping costs, and ultimately cut costs for consumers.”
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