ROUTES Initiative Request for Information (RFI)

The Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) Initiative aims to address disparities in rural transportation infrastructure by disseminating resources on its website and providing technical assistance. If you want to learn more about ROUTES, or how it can help your community, you can reach the ROUTES team at rural@dot.gov.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) Initiative requests public input on unmet transportation infrastructure needs in rural communities, barriers that rural communities face in addressing those needs, and opportunities for ROUTES and the DOT to improve its services and technical assistance to support rural stakeholders and American families. 

DOT specifically requests comments and data in response to the questions below. 

• Identifying Unmet Needs in Rural Transportation 
  • What challenges and opportunities do rural areas face related to the following:
    • infrastructure condition (e.g., age of infrastructure or equipment, bridge closures or postings, weather resiliency); 
    • usage (e.g., frequency or availability of public transportation, freight transportation, pedestrian walkways and shoulders); 
    • safety (e.g., transportation-related injuries and fatalities, roadway departure, at-grade rail crossings, railroad trespassing, wildlife, transportation of hazardous materials, motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle safety, experiences of nonmotorized road users, post-crash care); 
    • technology (e.g., broadband, cellular coverage, backup for GPS time and navigation, automated vehicles, drones, digital infrastructure); 
  • What types of infrastructure projects, services, or technology are most needed in rural communities to meet national transportation priorities such as safety and economic competitiveness? What types of projects or services do rural communities find most challenging to fund? What are barriers to funding these projects? 
  • How could improved multimodal passenger and freight transportation—including road, rail, transit, aviation, maritime, pipelines, and other forms of transportation—better contribute to the economic competitiveness of rural communities? What industries (including tourism) are most in need of these improvements? 
  • What data has been used to inform rural transportation decision making and grant development, and what additional data would have been helpful but was nonexistent or difficult to access?   
  • How can rural communities better engage with Federal, Tribal, State, and regional entities—such as other Federal agencies, State DOTs, regional planning organizations, and metropolitan planning organizations—to maintain and upgrade local transportation?
•  Addressing Unmet Needs Through DOT Grants and Resources 
  • ROUTES supports rural and Tribal stakeholders through development of technical assistance resources and opportunities, such as toolkits, dashboards, peer exchanges, webinars, and newsletters. (See https://www.transportation.gov/rural for more information on ROUTES activities.) What additional resources or direct technical assistance could ROUTES provide to support rural communities? Of the existing resources ROUTES provides, what is most useful? 
  • What challenges do rural communities face when applying for DOT grants and financial assistance (e.g., project prioritization, eligibility requirements, data needs, funding match)? What challenges do rural communities encounter after being awarded a DOT grant or financial assistance (e.g., project grant agreements, environmental analyses, permitting, reporting requirements, workforce availability, weather, inflation)? 
  • What types of technical assistance would be effective for navigating the Federal grant process, including pre-award activities, project delivery, and project evaluation? 
  • How do the definitions of “rural” across DOT grant programs11 reflect the reality of rural communities? How do these definitions influence the allocation of rural funding?

Comments must be received on or before April 24, 2026 at 11:59PM EDT. DOT will consider comments filed after this date to the extent practicable. 

For further information, visit http://www.transportation.gov/rural, or contact the ROUTES Office at rural@dot.gov.

Federal Register: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/23/2026-03496/rural-opportunities-to-use-transportation-for-economic-success-initiative-request-for-information 

Regulations.gov: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/DOT-OST-2026-0298