The U.S. Department of Transportation has just announced a major allocation of funds towards truck parking-related projects. More than $40 million will be invested to improve and expand truck parking facilities across the country.
This development is part of the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants program, which received a significant boost under the 2021 infrastructure law. Through this program, the Department of Transportation has selected 162 projects nationwide to receive a total of over $2.2 billion in funding.
The RAISE grant program is designed to support communities of all sizes, with a specific focus on ensuring equal access to transportation resources. In the upcoming fiscal year 2023, half of the funding will be allocated to rural areas, while the other half will go towards supporting urban communities.
This investment in truck parking infrastructure will not only enhance safety and convenience for truckers, but it will also contribute to the overall efficiency and productivity of our transportation system. With improved truck parking facilities, the industry can better meet the increasing demands of commerce and support economic growth.
“Using the funds in President Biden’s infrastructure law, we are helping communities in every state across the country realize their visions for new infrastructure projects,” Buttigieg said in a news release. “This round of RAISE grants is helping create a new generation of good-paying jobs in rural and urban communities alike, with projects whose benefits will include improving safety, fighting climate change, advancing equity, strengthening our supply chain and more.”
Planned Truck Parking Projects
The grants encompass projects related to truck parking in Texas, Louisiana, and Michigan. With the aim of increasing truck parking availability, the projects in Texas and Louisiana will create approximately 150 new spots while the project in Michigan has a focus on developing electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
- $9 million to Caldwell County, Texas.
The project will fund the design and construction of a commercial truck parking plaza in the northwest quadrant of state Highway 130 and the San Marcos Highway/state Highway 80 intersection. The plaza will include about 20 short-term and 100 long-term truck parking spaces. The project also will have entry/exit gate control, lighting, fencing, 24-hour monitored security, and a rest stop with restrooms, showers and other amenities.
- $10.5 million to Caldwell Parish, Louisiana
The project will fund the land acquisition and construction activities for a truck parking facility located near the inland Port of Columbia, Ouachita River and state Highway 165. This will include parking for about 50 commercial trucks and 100 cars, as well as 12 electric vehicle charging stations.
- $8.5 million to Wayne County, Michigan
The project, dubbed the Truck Stop of the Future Initiative, will construct electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Redford, Mich., for Class 1-8 vehicles. The project will include multiple DC fast chargers, solar canopies and battery energy storage systems.
– The Texas project aims to prevent accidents caused by unauthorized truck parking and ease congestion on Interstate 35.
– Louisiana’s parking project seeks to improve the movement of freight and eliminate bottlenecks in the supply chain.
– The Truck Stop of the Future Initiative in Michigan will serve as a model for transitioning to low-emission electric vehicles in the region.
– Truck drivers consistently highlight the lack of truck parking as a major industry issue. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is advocating for the approval of the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, which would provide $755 million for truck parking over the next three years.
You can see the full list of RAISE grant projects HERE.
Source: Land Line
