June 15, 2026 - The process of developing new federal highway bill is moving forward in advance of the expiration of the current law in September 2026. Action by the full House could come in soon. Senate action is less certain because none of the committees with jurisdiction have produced bill text.  

In May, the U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee approved the BUILD America 250 Act (H.R. 8870), a bipartisan five-year, $580 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill that would guide federal investment in highways, bridges, transit, rail, freight, and safety programs. The legislation marks the beginning of a major congressional debate over national transportation priorities, funding formulas, freight investment, rural mobility, and future infrastructure development. 

Compared to the current law, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, BUILD America 250 shifts away from one-time General Fund spending and back toward a more traditional reauthorization centered on core highway, bridge, freight, and safety programs funded primarily through the Highway Trust Fund. The bill places greater emphasis on freight movement, project delivery, truck parking, safety, and formula-based infrastructure programs, while scaling back several IIJA-era climate, resilience, and equity-focused initiatives. It also introduces new EV and hybrid user fees to support long-term Highway Trust Fund sustainability. 

Key Programs in the House Bill that would support development of Congressionally Authorized Future Interstates:

Section 1105 – Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects, would provide approximately $6 billion over five years ($1.2 billion annually) from the Highway Trust Fund for nationally competitive freight and highway projects. Funds are awarded by USDOT based on project merit—not by formula—with set-asides for project size, geographic balance, and rural needs. Language inserted in this section by CAFI Coalition supporter efforts still awaits full consideration by the House. It recognizes that projects that add capacity to the Interstate System to improve mobility would strengthen funding eligibility for corridor widening, bypasses, relief routes, and Interstate-standard upgrades. This would create a stronger pathway for advancing High Priority Corridors and Future Interstate development. 

Section 1122 – The National Highway Freight and High Priority Corridor Program is a core formula highway program, meaning funds are distributed to states by formula rather than through a competitive grant process. Funding is apportioned by FHWA based on factors such as highway miles, freight movement, and other statutory formula considerations, giving states predictable annual funding to invest in freight corridors and nationally significant highway improvements. The BUILD America 250 Act would authorize approximately $1.65 billion annually, or about $8.25 billion over five years (FY2027–FY2031) from the Highway Trust Fund.  This is a significant increase in program formula funding compared to the total allocation of $7.15 billion provided under the current five-year IIJA.

For the CAFI Coalition as a whole, this is particularly important because formula funding provides a more stable and predictable source of investment for High Priority Corridor improvements, including corridor widening, grade separations, interchange upgrades, freight bottleneck relief, safety improvements, and Interstate-standard upgrades. If states are allowed to use these funds to advance Congressionally designated High Priority Corridors toward Future Interstate readiness and connection to the existing Interstate System, it could create one of the strongest long-term federal funding tools for moving CAFI corridor segments from designation to construction. 

Section 1124 – The Surface Transportation Accelerator Grant Program (STAG) would provide approximately $12 billion over five years ($2.4 billion annually) from the Highway Trust Fund to help major transportation projects move from planning to construction by funding feasibility studies, corridor planning, environmental review, engineering, and other project-readiness work. Grants are divided among Local & Regional (50%), Rural (25%), and Urban (25%) categories, with rural set-asides supporting agricultural freight, smaller communities, and safety-focused projects. This is a new program and does not apply to construction. CAFI inserted language in this section awaiting further consideration by the House. It recognizes that improvements to High Priority Corridors advancing toward Interstate standards and connections to the existing Interstate System would make STAG a powerful tool for accelerating Future Interstate corridor development, bypasses, relief routes, and other critical project readiness investments. 

The Alliance for I-69 Texas, the I-27 Ports-to-Plains Alliance and the I-14 Gulf Coast Strategic Highway Coalition have joined to form the Congressionally Authorized Future Interstate Coalition (CAFI) and spearhead a national effort to address the need for new federal funding for designated multi-state Future Interstates.