Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Transportation has proposed streamlining the process for state transportation departments and railroads to lease land alongside roads, tracks or utility tunnels to carry transmission wires, fiber optic lines, water pipelines and other essential utilities.
- Revenues from the leases could fund repairs and upgrades for the roads, bridges, tunnels and railroads along the corridors, the DOT said in a Wednesday press release. The DOT will lead an interagency federal task force to expedite colocation in these corridors.
- Through public-private partnerships, the program enables corridor managers to supply the infrastructure needs of electric transmission grid providers, hyperscalers, smart transportation systems and AI technology, the DOT said.
Dive Insight:
“Using existing transportation land instead of acquiring new private property reduces project costs and can leverage categorical environmental exemptions to bypass lengthy reviews,” the DOT said. The DOT is calling these projects “corridors of commerce.”
The Transportation Construction Coalition, while supporting the concept, said in a statement that “the success of this strategy depends on the condition, capacity, and long-term maintenance of America’s transportation networks.” Uncertainty around whether Congress will reauthorize surface transportation funding by the Sept. 30 deadline “depends on the condition, capacity, and long-term maintenance of America’s transportation networks,” the TCC said.
That legislation funds highways, bridges, mass transit and other transportation priorities over five years. While the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed a $580 billion bill in May, it has not moved forward in the Senate. Instead, the Senate passed a stopgap funding bill that would fund the government until Dec. 11.
That bill would reduce public transit investment by 20% and passenger rail by 83% from current levels, according to the American Public Transportation Association. The House is expected to take it up when it returns, which is scheduled for Aug. 31.
“America cannot build world-class corridors of commerce on national infrastructure that is falling behind and falling apart,” the TCC said. “Congress should move quickly to pass a long-term surface transportation reauthorization that provides the long-term funding certainty states and local communities need to repair aging infrastructure, facilitate more efficient freight movement, and fuel economic growth.”
The DOT’s Build America Bureau will manage the project and will select up to five initial priority corridors. It published a request for information on Aug. 18. The RFI is open for comment until Sept. 12.
