Senior U.S. DOT Official Discusses IIJA at ARTBA Event

What happened: Under Secretary Carlos Monje, shown above, the top policy official at the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), spoke at the opening session of ARTBA’s 34th Annual Public Private Partnerships (P3) in Transportation Conference July 14.

Why it matters: Under Secretary Monje addressed a variety of issues under his purview, primarily relating to implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). He indicated that his office is ‘definitely looking forward to using every tool in our toolbox’ and that P3-related programs will continue to help leverage some of the bill’s investments. He noted that during 2021, the department had closed $11 billion in loans under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program.

Monje also discussed efforts to build out a national network of electric vehicle power stations, complying with the IIJA’s expansion of Buy America requirements, addressing cost and availability issues for many construction materials and ensuring the viability of smaller firms in the industry. Monje added that DOT is committed to making the process of applying for the IIJA’s discretionary grants ‘as streamlined as possible to reduce the burdens on applicants.’ ‘Our team is excited—and exhausted.’ he said.

What’s next: Monje expressed appreciation for an ongoing dialogue between ARTBA and the department on many of these issues. He singled out Buy America (the topic of a recent meeting with ARTBA contractors) as especially critical for information-sharing. U.S. DOT needs industry input because it is currently assessing the current availability of—and the potential for increases in—domestically-produced construction materials now covered by the law. ‘We are hungry for that data,’ he told attendees.