USDOT Deputy Secretary Steven Bradbury during his nomination process. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg)
January 15, 2026 2:45 PM, EST
Key Takeaways:
- Transportation Deputy Secretary Steven Bradbury said the Trump administration’s infrastructure agenda prioritizes faster project delivery with a focus on safety, economic growth and regulatory reform.
- Bradbury outlined expanded grants for major multimodal projects and cited enforcement actions, including withholding about $160 million from California over unlawfully issued CDLs.
- The department also announced nearly $1 billion for roadway safety programs as traffic deaths exceed 40,000 annually, with funding awarded to 521 communities.
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WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s infrastructure agenda is committed to project delivery for improving safety and economic growth, the country’s second-most-senior transportation official said at the Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting.
As state and local agencies look to the federal government for funding assistance, Transportation Deputy Secretary Steven Bradbury on Jan. 14 reminded stakeholders of the department’s hyperfocus on safety while facilitating funds to realize big-ticket construction and maintenance projects.
The deputy secretary detailed what he called “accelerate,” an ambitious agenda anchored on funding availability and a commitment to ensuring safety. During a wide-ranging address, the deputy secretary explained implementing the comprehensive agenda would pave the way for connectivity improvements along freight and commuter corridors. Bradbury was the chair’s plenary session headliner at the meeting, which marked its 105th year.
“Now that we’re embarking on a new year — 2026 — now is the time to accelerate our own affirmative policy objectives. And that means accelerate the building, the reg reform — or regulatory reform — efforts that we’re undertaking and our innovation agenda,” Bradbury said, adding: “And the priorities for us in approaching this are going to be safety, prosperity and innovation.”
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As he outlined an array of grants the department will distribute this year for big-picture, multimodal state and local projects, he explained, “In terms of building, we’re going to support projects of national and regional significance that advance safety, that increase the capacity and efficiency of transportation systems.”
“At DOT,” Bradbury further emphasized, “we actually like transportation. We want to see more of it. We think it’s good for the economy; good for the American people. Good for freedom. And we want to achieve more affordable movement of goods and people.”
The deputy secretary also highlighted the department’s determination to prevent agencies from illegally issuing commercial driver licenses. An ongoing nationwide audit of trucking licenses that began last year has found that more than 25% of non-domiciled CDLs issued by California were done unlawfully. As Bradbury observed, “Freight corridors are a critical part of the economic strength and vitality of the country.”
FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs at an industry show. (Seth Clevenger/Transport Topics)
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced it is withholding about $160 million from California for failing to cancel more than 17,000 illegally issued CDLs by the start of the year. “Federal regulations are clear: States must correct safety deficiencies on a schedule mutually agreed upon by the agency, and California failed to meet its commitment to rescind these unlawfully issued licenses by Jan. 5,” FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said Jan. 7. “We will not accept a corrective plan that knowingly leaves thousands of drivers holding noncompliant licenses behind the wheel of 80,000-pound trucks in open defiance of federal safety regulations.”
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Johan Land of Samsara explores how fleets are adopting AI to revolutionize their safety programs. Tune in above or by going to RoadSigns.ttnews.com. Â
Also specific to mobility corridors, last month the department announced nearly $1 billion in funding for programs meant to amplify safety on major roadways. The funding responds to federal data determining that more than 40,000 individuals have died per year in crashes in recent years. In a statement that accompanied the announcement, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy affirmed: “Under President [Donald] Trump’s leadership, we’ve put aside the woke nonsense and focused on one goal: safety.”
“We’re moving these investments at the speed of Trump to save lives and deliver infrastructure upgrades that will benefit the American people for generations,” the secretary went on. Funding was provided to 521 communities as part of the department’s Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program.
TRB’s annual meeting was held Jan. 11-15. Thousands of local, state and federal policymakers, regulators, administrators, researchers, engineers, scientists, industry leaders and academics hosted workshops and panels and showcased research projects.
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