American transport policy usually moves slowly enough to ignore for a quarter. Not this autumn. The 2021 infrastructure law expired on 30 September, the FAA wants another $30 billion, a federal rule is pushing truck drivers off the road, and a regulator is testing the biggest rail merger in a generation under rules it has never used. CrossGov.com, a site that covers US government with a federal focus, has published a set of posts that between them map the whole board.

Port Houston has secured a $48 million grant through the U.S. Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program to fund construction of a new container yard and exit gate at the Bayport Container Terminal. The port will contribute roughly $56 million in matching funds, bringing the total project value to over $100 million. The investment is structured under Port Houston’s STORM (Strategic Terminal Operations & Resilience Measures) application, which targets four operational objectives: adding 440,000 TEUs of cargo handling capacity, cutting truck turn times through a new East Exit Gate projected to save more than 11 million truck hours over the project’s lifetime, modernizing drainage and utility systems for hazard resilience, and expanding electrical and communications infrastructure to support current equipment generations and terminal security.

Port Houston has received $25 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD). The grant, part of the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP), will support Port Houston’s “Agriculture Export Improvement and Community Resilience Project.” This funding is aimed at improving the efficiency, safety, and resilience of port operations, while also benefiting the surrounding community in various ways. “This project will enhance the efficiency of U.S. grain exports, improve air quality by reducing dust and truck emissions, and benefit neighboring communities through stormwater improvements,” said Charlie Jenkins, Port Houston CEO.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) report titled Transportation Grants: Implementation of Recommendations to Improve Documentation Would Enhance Program for Large, Complex Projects critically examines the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) oversight of the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) discretionary grant program. Launched under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, the Mega program is aimed at funding large-scale, complex transportation initiatives that are expected to generate substantial national or regional economic, mobility, and safety benefits.