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ACEC and More Than 50 Trade Associations Urge DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg to Take Action on Supply Chain Bottlenecks
Groups advocate funding necessary improvements through IIJA grant programs
Washington, DC — This week, the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) led a group of transportation stakeholders in urging U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to undertake capital improvements that will ease supply chain disruptions. The groups pointed to Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) grants available to fund the projects. Read the full letter here.
“Whether it is improvements to port infrastructure, addressing freight bottlenecks at major highway interchanges, or investing in grade separation projects, these investments will not only improve safety and air quality but will better the U.S. economy,” the groups wrote.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) controls approximately $4 billion in competitive grants for freight and highway improvements (INFRA), projects of national and regional significance (MEGA), and rail infrastructure improvements (CRISI) in Fiscal Year 2022 alone and an anticipated $18 billion over five years under the IIJA.
The groups called on the Secretary to dedicate as much as allowable by law in discretionary grants to support projects that will facilitate and ease the movement of goods.
“Freight movement enhancements will help alleviate economic burdens and strengthen the goods movement network to better withstand future disruptions,” the letter concludes.
The letter was co-led by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association and the Associated General Contractors and was signed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Trucking Associations, and 53 other transportation and construction groups.
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