The Biden-Harris Administration recently announced another round of spending that exceeds $4.9 billion. Along with $371.8 million to repair the aging Sagamore Bridge Project in Massachusetts, upwards of $200 million will be funneled into projects that include building legitimate truck parking. Funded through Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grants, the recent investment will reportedly deliver 1,000 new spaces.
“America’s highways are our shop floor. When drivers finish their shift, they deserve to know that they will be able to find a safe place to sleep that night,” American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear. “These significant investments in expanding parking capacity along some of America’s busiest freight corridors will help reduce supply chain bottlenecks, alleviate stress on truck drivers, and make the roadways safer for all motorists.”
The INFRA grant program is part of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending package passed by Congress and signed into law by Pres. Joe Biden. When tallied with previous taxpayer money investments in Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Wyoming, and Iowa, approximately 2,000 spaces could be added to interstate truck stops, rest areas, and other locations. These are the awards that have been accounted for to date:
- $180,009,420 to create 917 spaces at four I-4 locations in central Florida.
- $92,883,609 for upgrades along I-70 in Missouri.
- $40,798,046 goes to Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania, which includes an additional truck parking area.
- $8,000,000 to build 54 spaces on I-90 in Wisconsin.
These projects include other facets beyond overnight truck parking lots. Like the American Trucking Associations, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) also praised the investment in safe truck parking.
“As a truck driver, I can tell you firsthand that when truckers don’t have a safe place to park, we are put in a no-win situation. We must either continue to drive while fatigued, or out of legal driving time, or park in an undesignated and unsafe location like the side of the road or abandoned lot,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer reportedly stated. “It forces truck drivers to make a choice between safety and following federal Hours-of-Service rules. OOIDA and the 150,000 small business truckers we represent thank the Department for its increased focus on resolving an issue that has plagued our industry for decades.”
The U.S. has approximately 313,000 truck parking spaces to support more than 3 million CDL holders. After the federal spending is used, there will be upwards of 315,000. Truckers spend nearly an hour looking for safe parking. Many resign themselves to parking on roadway shoulders or alternative locations.
Sources:
https://www.trucking.org/news-insights/ata-welcomes-more-200-million-truck-parking-projects
https://www.ttnews.com/articles/truck-parking-top-issue-drivers
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