The FAST Act

• On December 4, 2015, President Obama signed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (Pub. L. No. 114-94) into law—the first federal law in over a decade to provide long-term funding certainty for surface transportation infrastructure planning and investment.
• The FAST Act authorizes $305 billion over fiscal years 2016 through 2020 for highway, highway and motor vehicle safety, public transportation, motor carrier safety, hazardous materials safety, rail, and research, technology, and statistics programs.
• The FAST Act maintains our focus on safety, keeps intact the established structure of the various highway-related programs we manage, continues efforts to streamline project delivery and, for the first time, provides a dedicated source of federal dollars for freight projects.
• With the enactment of the FAST Act, states and local governments are now moving forward with critical transportation projects with the confidence that they will have a federal partner over the long term.

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National Multimodal Freight Network (NMFN)

The National Multimodal Freight Network (NMFN) encompasses not only highways, but also the local roads, railways, navigable waterways, and pipelines, key seaports, airports, and intermodal facilities necessary for the efficient and safe movement of freight in our country.

Even though there is no specific funding in FAST Act for NMFN, it is critical for rural corridors to be included because the NMFN “will be used” to:

• assist states in guiding resources;
• inform freight planning;
• assist in prioritizing federal investment (e.g., FASTLANE grants);
• assess and support Federal investments to meet multimodal freight policy goals.

The state departments of transportation in Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana recommended the entire corridor for inclusion the Final National Multimodal Freight Network in comments to USDOT that were closed on September 6, 2016. The USDOT has until December 4, 2016 to make the final designations for the NMFN. DOT Comment Letters are available below.

Interim National Multimodal Freight Network Web Site (opens in new browser window)

Interim National Multimodal Freight Network Map as .PDF (opens in new browser window)

Interactive National Multimodal Freight Network Map (opens in new browser window)

Interim National Multimodal Freight Network State Maps List (opens in new browser window)

National Highway Freight Network (NHFN)

The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) repealed both the Primary Freight Network and National Freight Network from Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), and directed the FHWA Administrator to establish a National Highway Freight Network (NHFN) to strategically direct Federal resources and policies toward improved performance of highway portions of the U.S. freight transportation system.

The NHFN includes the following subsystems of roadways:

• Primary Highway Freight System (PHFS): This is a network of highways identified as the most critical highway portions of the U.S. freight transportation system determined by measurable and objective national data. The network consist of 41,518 centerlines miles, including 37,436 centerline miles of Interstate and 4,082 centerline miles of non-Interstate roads.
• Other Interstate portions not on the PHFS: These highways consist of the remaining portion of Interstate roads not included in the PHFS. These routes provide important continuity and access to freight transportation facilities. These portions amount to an estimated 9,511 centerline miles of Interstate, nationwide, and will fluctuate with additions and deletions to the Interstate Highway System.
• Critical Rural Freight Corridors (CRFCs): These are public roads not in an urbanized area which provide access and connection to the PHFS and the Interstate with other important ports, public transportation facilities, or other intermodal freight facilities.
• Critical Urban Freight Corridors (CUFCs): These are public roads in urbanized areas which provide access and connection to the PHFS and the Interstate with other ports, public transportation facilities, or other intermodal transportation facilities.

National Highway Freight Program Guidance: Designating and Certifying Critical Rural Freight Corridors and Critical Urban Freight Corridors

Summary of National Highway Freight Network (opens in a new browser window)

National Highway Freight Network Map

This map shows the Primary Highway Freight System (PHFS) plus remaining Interstates not on the PHFS, approximately 51,029 of roads. These routes are identified as the most critical highway portions of the U.S. freight system and that is informed by measurable and objective national data. The map also illustrates key land ports of entry in the U.S. based on an inventory of national freight volumes conducted by the Federal Highway Administration during the designation process for the MAP-21 highway-only primary freight network (PFN).

 

National Highway Freight Network - Individual State Maps and Tables

National Highway Freight Program

This program provides formula funds to each state and requires that eligible projects must be identified on the National Highway Freight Network.

 

Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects (INFRA)

Provides financial assistance—competitive grants, previously known as FASTLANE grants and nowInfrastructure For Rebuilding America (INFRA) , or credit assistance—to nationally and regionally significant freight and highway projects that align with certain program goals.

The FAST Act requires DOT to reserve at least 25% of each fiscal year’s FASTLANE grants for projects – either large or small projects – in rural areas, defined as an area outside of a U.S. Census Bureau designated urbanized area with a population of over 200,000.

 

Surface Transportation Program (STP)

The FAST Act converts the long-standing Surface Transportation Program into the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program acknowledging that this program has the most flexible eligibilities among all Federal-aid highway programs and aligning the program’s name with how FHWA has historically administered it. [FAST Act § 1109(a)].

The STBG promotes flexibility in State and local transportation decisions and provides flexible funding to best address State and local transportation needs.
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/fastact/factsheets/stbgfs.cfm (opens in new browser window)

Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act or "FAST Act"
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