Press Releases

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) and Highways and Transit Subcommittee Ranking Member Rodney Davis (R-IL) commended U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao on today’s release of the Department’s toolkit to help rural communities throughout America better navigate and access available federal grants.

The Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) Initiative was first announced by Secretary Chao last October.

“Addressing the needs of rural America is one of Committee Republicans’ key principles in our surface transportation proposal, the STARTER Act, and other infrastructure legislation this Congress,” said Graves.  “I applaud Secretary Chao’s action today to provide rural communities throughout North Missouri and the rest of the country with these critical resources.  Smaller communities often face many challenges when it comes to maneuvering through the complex federal grant process.  The ROUTES Initiative is a great step forward in ensuring that communities of all sizes have an opportunity to successfully compete for available infrastructure funding.”

“A well-maintained infrastructure is critical to the economy of central and southwestern Illinois,” said Davis.  “In the past few years, we’ve been able to secure funding to improve local rail, road, and bridge infrastructure, but there are still many more investments that need to be made.  The federal grant process can sometimes be cumbersome, particularly for infrastructure projects, which is why I appreciate the efforts of Secretary Chao and the Department of Transportation to streamline that process and make these grants more accessible for the communities I represent.”

For more information about the ROUTES Initiative, click here.  For more information about the STARTER Act, click here.