AASHTO Journal - USDOT Releases ROUTES Toolkit, NETT Policy Document

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently issued two new documents: A toolkit to support the agency’s Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success or ROUTES Initiative, introduced in 2019, and Pathways to the Future of Transportation; a policy document developed by its Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology or NETT Council that will serve as a “roadmap” for innovators of new cross modal technologies.

The USDOT noted in a statement that its new ROUTES Toolkit aims to help rural stakeholders better understand how to access its grants and financing products. Specifically, the toolkit illustrates key applicant requirements when participating in USDOT’s discretionary grants processes, the agency said, while also cataloguing discretionary grant programs by applicant type and eligible project activities.

USDOT Secretary Chao noted in a separate statement that her agency’s new Pathways to the Future of Transportation intends provide a range of guidance: from helping private sector innovators understand the purpose, structure, and function of the NETT Council to laying out the principles guiding USDOT policies and posture toward transformative technologies while delivering a high-level overview of the federal framework for supporting non-traditional and emerging technologies.

USDOT added that it plans to publish a request for comment on its NETT policy document, which will allow the public to offer comments and provide feedback.