The Under Secretary for Policy serves as a principal advisor to the Secretary and provides leadership in the development of policies for the Department, generating proposals and providing advice regarding legislative and regulatory initiatives across all modes of transportation.
The Mega Grants program encompasses three distinct grant initiatives: the National Infrastructure Project Assistance grants program (Mega), the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects grants program (INFRA), and the Rural Surface Transportation Grant program (Rural). These grants are competitively awarded to fund significant surface transportation infrastructure projects, such as highway and bridge improvements, intercity passenger rail enhancements, railway-highway grade crossing or separations, wildlife crossings, public transportation advancements, marine highway developments, and freight project optimizations. The program aims to invest in projects with substantial national or regional importance, enhance safety, support economic strength and global competitiveness, promote equity, and contribute to climate and sustainability efforts. Funding is designated for projects exceeding $100 million in costs, with specific allocations for those over $500 million.