The
United States Department of Transportation (
USDOT or just
DOT) is a federal
Cabinet department of the
United States government concerned with
transportation. It was established by an act of
Congress on October 15, 1966 and began operation on April 1, 1967. It is administered by the
United States Secretary of Transportation.
Its mission is to "Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future."
History
Prior to the Department of Transportation, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Transportation administered the functions now associated with the DOT. In 1965,
Najeeb Halaby, administrator of the
Federal Aviation Agency, suggested to
President Lyndon Johnson that transportation be elevated to a cabinet-level post, and that the FAA be folded into the DOT.
Divisions
thumb|right|New headquarters building for the U.S. Department of Transportation, which opened in Spring 2007 in Southeast Washington, near the [[Washington Navy Yard and
Nationals Park]]
Former divisions
Related legislation
- 1958 - Federal Aviation Act PL 85-726
Budget
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will award $742.5 million in funds from the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to 11 transit projects. The awardees include
light rail projects . Other projects include both a commuter rail extension and a
subway project in New York City, New York, and a bus
rapid transit system in
Springfield, Oregon. The funds will also support a
heavy rail project in northern Virginia that will mainly benefit Washington, D.C., connecting the Washington Dulles International Airport to the "Metro" rail system operated by the
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit AuthorityPresident Barack Obama's budget request for fiscal year 2010 also includes $1.83 billion in funding for major transit projects, of which more than $600 million will go towards 10 new or expanding transit projects. The proposed budget provides additional funding for all of the projects currently receiving Recovery Act funding, except for the bus rapid transit project. It also continues funding for another 18 transit projects that are either currently under construction or soon will be.
See also
