"The dedicated funding for truck parking also stands out, as it's been a challenge for the trucking industry for years and has real implications for both safety and freight efficiency," says Brian Turmail, vice president of association and industry image for the Associated General Contractors of America.

The notice of funding opportunity states that the department intends to reduce fatigue-related crashes, enhance supply chain fluidity and provide essential infrastructure for commercial drivers. Projects funded through the truck-parking track must be located within reasonable access of an interstate highway, the National Highway System or the National Highway Freight Network.

Beyond the truck-parking funding, USDOT is also signaling a preference for larger and more financially leveraged freight projects.

For the traditional INFRA competition, the department said it will prioritize projects costing at least $150 million, those with at least a 50% nonfederal share and those demonstrating a high likelihood of obligating funds by Sept. 30, 2027.

The prioritization could give an advantage to larger freight corridor, highway and bridge projects competing for the remaining FY 2023 and FY 2024 INFRA funding. The department said the emphasis reflects that statutory small-project funding requirements for those funding rounds have already been met.

Applications for Track 1 are due July 1, while Track 2 applications are due July 15.

The FY 2026 Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects program, known as INFRA, will distribute funding through two tracks: Track 1 will provide $426.7 million for nationally and regionally significant surface transportation projects, while Track 2 will reserve $200 million exclusively for commercial motor vehicle parking projects.

Turmail says the freight-mobility emphasis is consistent with the INFRA program's historic mission. While the inclusion of commercial spaceports is noteworthy, "the broader focus remains on improving the movement of goods, reducing bottlenecks and supporting economic growth through strategic infrastructure investments."

The department said the primary goal of the program remains funding surface transportation projects of national or regional significance that improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of moving people and goods.

Eligible projects include highway and bridge improvements, freight rail and intermodal projects, grade separations, marine highway corridor projects and freight-related projects on the National Multimodal Freight Network.

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Since being expanded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the INFRA program has become one of the federal government's primary competitive freight infrastructure programs, supporting highway, bridge, port and multimodal freight improvements.

ENR requested comment from the American Trucking Associations but did not receive an immediate reply.