DOT Asks Rural Folks for Transport Wish Lists
Published Date: 2/23/2026
Notice
Summary
The Department of Transportation wants to hear from rural and Tribal communities about their transportation needs and challenges. They’re working on making it easier to find funding and get help to improve roads, bridges, and transit in these areas. You’ve got 60 days to share your thoughts and help shape better support for rural America’s transportation future!
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Direct technical help to rural communities
The DOT's ROUTES Initiative provides direct technical assistance to rural and Tribal communities to connect them with funding, financing, and outreach resources for roads, bridges, transit, and other transportation projects. ROUTES was established in October 2019 and codified in Section 25010 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in November 2021 to advance rural transportation policy.
Better grant project analysis for rural applicants
ROUTES is directed to improve how DOT analyzes projects from rural and Tribal applicants by ensuring project costs, local resources, and broader national benefits are appropriately considered when reviewing grant applications. This aims to change how rural projects are evaluated for Department grants.
Rural safety exchanges and countermeasures support
ROUTES has facilitated rural safety peer exchanges and supported development of rural safety countermeasures, and it helped establish the USDOT Safety Council--Rural Subcommittee to coordinate rural safety activities across modal administrations. These efforts are intended to address higher rural roadway fatality rates and safety concerns.
Grant applicant toolkit and dashboard available
ROUTES developed a Rural Grant Applicant Toolkit and the DOT Competitive Grants Dashboard to help prospective applicants understand competitive DOT grant programs and determine which grants best fit their transportation needs. These resources are available at https://www.transportation.gov/rural.
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