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Chao announces ‘ROUTES’ in St. Louis

The Secretary of the U.S. Transportation Department has announced a new initiative to address infrastructure disparities in rural America.

Elain Chao says the fatality rate on rural roads is twice that of urban roads.  She says, “Unless people think only rural roads and rural statistics only apply to rural America – it’s not true. People from urban areas travel rural roads!”

Chao says the ‘Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success’ program, or ROUTES, will bring leaders and staff in key modes of infrastructure together, “Highways, aviation, transit and railroads to examine grant programs’ potential to better support the nation’s critical rural transportation infrastructure.”

Chao was with Missouri Governor Mike Parson in St. Louis to launch the initiative. Infrastructure is a key priority of Parson’s.