Chao stresses need for improved national infrastructure at Senate hearing

While not delving into policy specifics, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao did a good job of pinpointing some of the key areas that need fixing when it comes to the national transportation landscape.

In her hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Chao did not discuss things that are needed from a modal perspective.  But she did offer up some views relating to the country’s transportation infrastructure and what its ailments, as well as ways of fixing it, too.

“Our country’s transportation infrastructure is the underpinning of our world-class economy—one of the most productive, flexible and dynamic in the world,” Chao said at her confirmation hearing on Wednesday. “It is a key factor in productivity growth, which has provided millions of hard working Americans with a standard of living that is the envy of the world. And it has provided us with unprecedented mobility, safety and security. Yet today, these gains are jeopardized by infrastructure in need of repair, the specter of rising highway fatalities, growing congestion, and by a failure to keep pace with emerging technologies.”

Chao also touched upon how the DOT has a “rare opportunity to shape the transformation of our critical infrastructure,” explaining how safety remains the primary objective and that railroads, automobile manufacturers, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, pipeline operators, transit agencies and hazardous materials shippers need to deploy comprehensive approaches to safety.

Perhaps the most interesting part of Chao’s comments centered around unleashing the potential for private investment into U.S. infrastructure.

“As we work together to develop the details of President Trump’s infrastructure plan, it is important to note the significant difference between traditional program funding and other innovative financing tools, such as public-private partnerships,” she said. “In order to take full advantage of the estimated trillions in capital that equity firms, pension funds, and endowments can invest, these partnerships must be incentivized with a bold new vision. We look forward to working with you to explore all the options, and to create a mix of practical solutions—both public and private-- that provide the greatest cost-benefit to the public.”

And she went on to say that recognizing how projects are built and delivered is as important as investment levels, explaining that DOT will seek the advice of Congress in identifying and addressing unnecessary bottlenecks in processes governing project development and delivery and manufacturing processes overseen by DOT.

Another area highlighted by Chao focused on technological developments, specifically drones and autonomous cars and trucks, with drones, she said, poised to become a major commercial force. She said that DOT wants to work with Congress to position the federal government as a catalyst for safe, efficient technologies and not to be an impediment.