Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg today announced nearly $5 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for major infrastructure projects, including five to address the shortage of safe and secure truck parking.
“I often hear directly from truck drivers on the serious challenge of finding safe parking, and today, we are answering those concerns with more action," said Buttigieg. "This major investment from President Biden’s infrastructure law will build new truck parking facilities and create smart systems to give drivers better information about available spots."
The truck parking projects include:
- $180 million for the Florida DOT to build over 900 trucking parking spaces along I-4 in Central Florida along four sites in Volusia, Seminole, and Osceola Counties.
- $8 million for Wisconsin DOT to reconstruct a Safety Rest Area along I-90 in Sparta, Wisconsin. This will expand the number of spots from 16 to 70 (a 430% increase).
- $12 million for Washington State DOT to deploy a regional truck parking information management system at 54 truck parking facilities along the I-5 corridor in WA, OR, and CA to connect truck drivers with available parking.
- $92 million for the Missouri DOT to improve I-70, which includes new truck parking facilities and truck parking information systems.
- $40,798,046 for a project at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania, which will include the creation of a safe truck parking area as an alternative to the current practice of parking off-site in unauthorized locations nearby.
These projects are funded under the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects (or INFRA) program, for which funding was increased more than 50% by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The funds are meant to build large-scale, transformational infrastructure projects that will improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of freight and people in and across rural and urban areas.
“Florida Trucking Association is proud to have partnered with FDOT on this funding request. I-4 is one of the busiest corridors for freight movement in the country, with far too few parking options,” said Florida Trucking Association President and CEO Alix Miller. “Our state leadership prioritizes the trucking industry and the safety of our drivers, who often have no other choice than to park illegally when they are tired or for their federally mandated rest time. This project will make all motorists safer on our roads and improve efficient movement of freight as we drive the economy forward.”
For this round of funding the Biden-Harris Administration is investing in 28 projects under the INFRA program.
