A new partnership between state and federal officials seeks to bolster transportation infrastructure. Issues of transportation continue to create significant challenges in the food supply chain. Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed an executive order in an attempt to remedy some of the complications related to the transportation of goods. Now the state of California has entered into a new strategic partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation to expand those efforts.
“California’s ports and infrastructure system is key to the country’s supply chain. Thanks to our collaboration with the Biden-Harris Administration, this innovative federal-state partnership will help us fast-track those projects that will make our ports and infrastructure even more efficient,” Newsom said in a press release. “This partnership will help us jumpstart and support multiple infrastructure projects to improve our supply chain, making sure goods get to where they need to go faster, cheaper, and in a more environmentally-friendly manner.”
The partnership will help to facilitate the development of new transportation infrastructure projects and provide financing opportunities to support multi-billion-dollar improvements. Some of the projects that may be eligible for assistance under the agreement include port-specific upgrades, an expansion of the capacity for freight rail, and the development of inland port facilities to increase overall warehouse storage capacity. Over improvement projects that could receive support through the partnership include highway upgrades to help improve travel times, as well as railyard and truck electrification. The new federal-state partnership is a part of the continuous efforts of the Biden-Harris Task Force on Supply Chain Disruptions.
“Our supply chains are being put to the test, with unprecedented consumer demand and pandemic-driven disruptions combining with the results of decades-long underinvestment in our infrastructure,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Today’s announcement marks an innovative partnership with California that will help modernize our infrastructure, confront climate change, speed the movement of goods and grow our economy.”
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