Dive Brief:
- President-elect Donald Trump has appointed surface transportation lobbyist Martin Whitmer to head up his transportation and infrastructure transition team, The New York Times reported.
- According to Curbed, some critics say that Trump's selection of Whitmer could indicate that his much-touted $1 trillion infrastructure plan could end up making traditional road and highway projects a priority over other public transit options.
- Whitmer has lobbied on behalf of groups like the Association of American Railroads and the National Asphalt Pavement Association. His industry achievements include helping to pass the FAST Act last year, which authorized approximately $205 billion for highways and $48 billion on transit projects.
Dive Insight:
Whoever is installed as the new Secretary of Transportation will face the challenge of administering Trump's massive infrastructure plan, which is long on aspiration and short on detail thus far.
The only solid information released about the $1 trillion plan so far is that it will offer the private sector an 82% credit on equity investment and that it will focus on fee-based projects like airports or utilities. Trump's advisors said such a plan would free up government spending for non-fee infrastructure projects like non-toll highways and bridges.
If the new secretary follows the surface-transportation preference shown by Whitmer, it would represent a significant change from the projects — like the Hyperloop — encouraged by outgoing Secretary Anthony Foxx. It may also prove a shift in power toward freight rail, at a time when the two modes are battling for right of way.
