DOT plans initiative to reduce highway congestion

Sept. 12, 2007
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced that six interstate routes will be the first to participate in a new federal initiative

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced that six interstate routes will be the first to participate in a new federal initiative to develop multi-state corridors to help reduce congestion.

The routes will receive the following funding amounts to implement development plans: $21.8 million for I-95 from Florida to the Canadian border; $5 million for I-70 in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio; $15 million for I-15 in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and California; $15 million for I-5 in California, Oregon, and Washington; $8.6 million for I-10 from California to Florida; and $800,000 for I-69 from Texas to Michigan. The selected corridors carry 22.7 percent of the nation’s daily interstate travel.

The routes were selected for their potential to use public and private resources to reduce traffic congestion within the corridors and across the country. The concepts include building new roads and adding lanes to existing roads, building truck-only lanes and bypasses, and integrating real-time traffic technology like lane management that can match available capacity on roads to changing traffic demands.

DOT said it and the states will work to finalize formal agreements by spring 2008 that will detail the commitments of the federal, state, and local governments involved. These agreements will outline the anticipated role of the private sector as well as how the partners will handle the financing, planning, design, construction, and maintenance of the corridor.

See other coverage on highway funding in Bulk Transporter online.