Anthony Foxx became the 17th United States Secretary of Transportation on July 2, 2013.
At the U.S. Department of Transportation, Secretary Foxx leads an agency with more than 55,000 employees and a budget exceeding $70 billion. DOT oversees air, maritime, and surface transportation, and the Secretary’s primary goal is to ensure that America maintains the safest, most efficient transportation system in the world for this and future generations.
In 2015, Secretary Foxx refocused the national dialogue about the future needs of our transportation infrastructure by releasing Beyond Traffic, a report examining the challenges facing America’s infrastructure over the next three decades. This draft framework has already influenced decisions by elected officials, planners, and stakeholders nationwide. Beyond Traffic also highlights the importance of giving local governments reliable, long-term funding to plan critical investments in transportation infrastructure. Secretary Foxx championed this goal during hundreds of Congressional meetings, two bus tours, and visits to 43 states before securing a 5-year, bipartisan surface reauthorization bill from Congress in December 2015.
Secretary Foxx has also energized DOT’s embrace of innovation to help solve these challenges. In December 2015, the Secretary launched the Smart City Challenge, a national competition to implement bold, data-driven ideas that make transportation safer, easier, and more reliable in that city. The Secretary has also worked to accelerate the Department’s efforts to incorporate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology into new vehicles.
Foxx joined the U.S. Department of Transportation after serving as mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, from 2009 to 2013. As mayor, he made efficient and innovative transportation investments the centerpiece of Charlotte’s job creation and economic recovery efforts. These investments included extending the LYNX light rail system, the largest capital project ever undertaken by the city; expanding Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, the sixth busiest in the world; working with North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue to accelerate the I-485 outer belt loop using a creative design-build-finance approach; and starting the Charlotte Streetcar project.
Full Bio: Secretary Anthony Foxx
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