On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced that $1.5 billion in grants have been awarded to 26 infrastructure and transportation projects nationwide, including a new truck parking facility in Florida.
As part of the $1.5 billion Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) competitive grant program, USDOT has awarded $15 million to construct the I-4 West Central Florida Truck Parking Facility.
The new truck parking facility is intended to address a shortage of commercial truck parking on the corridor between Tampa and Orlando, which carries an average of 18,000 trucks daily, according to USDOT.
The project will consist of a new parking facility with approximately 120 truck parking spaces, electric charging stations, and pedestrian infrastructure to allow truck drivers to access nearby commercial amenities. Authorities say that the facility will also include at least six electrical hookups to provide stand-by power for refrigerated trucks and auxiliary power for in-cab comforts.
The facility will be connected to the Florida Department of Transportation’s Truck Parking Availability System to help drivers identify available parking spaces.
USDOT says that the parking facility will increase safety by reducing the number of trucks parking in vacant lots or on highway shoulders.
“By providing reliable parking capacity, the project reduces time drivers spend searching for commercial vehicle parking, making supply chain movement more efficient. Additionally, the electric hookups and the reduced time searching for parking will decrease commercial vehicle emissions,” USDOT writes.
The INFRA grant program supports highway, multimodal freight and rail projects that will make the nation’s transportation systems safer and more resilient, eliminate supply chain bottlenecks, and improve critical freight movements.