Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Chairman Paul Gosar (AZ-04) released the following statement after Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced the creation of a major new initiative to support transportation needs in rural America: 

Western Caucus Chairman Paul Gosar (AZ-04): "Rural America faces many unique challenges and a reliable transportation network is just one of them. The ROUTES Initiative will increase input from rural stakeholders, and help them navigate the twisted web of federal bureaucracy to assist them through the application of DOT grants. I applaud Secretary Chao's announcement, which upholds President Trump's commitment to rural America."

Courtesy of the Department of Transportation:

Rural communities and their transportation networks have been instrumental in building and supplying urban areas throughout our nation’s history, carrying people from city-to-city and carrying freight from bedrock American industries such as agriculture, mining, forestry, and manufacturing.  Yet rural transportation infrastructure has significant challenges. Over 70% of America’s road miles are in rural areas. While one-fifth of Americans live in rural areas, rural America’s traffic fatalities are disproportionately high, totaling 46% of fatalities in 2018. Further, of the nation’s bridges that are posted for weight limits, 90 percent are in rural areas.

The new ROUTES Initiative will address these challenges by assisting rural stakeholders in understanding how to access DOT grants and financing products, and developing data-driven approaches to better assess needs and benefits of rural transportation projects. This builds on the Department’s Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) Loan Program’s Rural Project Initiative, which offers lower project-cost thresholds for loan eligibility, subsidized interest rates, and the coverage of fees to encourage use of the credit program for infrastructure projects in rural areas. The Department will engage rural transportation stakeholders at events over the coming year to educate project sponsors about the funding and finance opportunities at DOT, as well as to receive their feedback.

Learn more about the ROUTES Initiative: www.transportation.gov/Rural