By Josh Blatt 

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg addressed thousands of transportation professionals — including policymakers, administrators, practitioners, and researchers — yesterday during the annual meeting of the National Academies’ Transportation Research Board. In addressing the meeting, Buttigieg continued a long tradition of transportation secretaries from both Republican and Democratic administrations who have appeared at the TRB annual meeting, one of the world’s largest transportation gatherings. 

Buttigieg discussed a range of issues during the plenary session and in a technical workshop centered on innovative and low-carbon infrastructure materials, including aviation, railway, and roadway safety, efforts to build out a national network of electric vehicle charging stations, the importance of University Transportation Centers, and the crucial role of transportation research and the experts who are pushing the envelope for what is possible. 

“Whether it’s helping to save lives on our roads, whether it’s protecting our communities from the most extreme impacts of climate change, everything that can make our infrastructure more effective, more efficient, more resilient, and longer lasting than ever before, deserves a great deal of attention,” said Buttigieg. 

Buttigieg’s full remarks are available for the Chair’s Plenary Session and the New Materials for Infrastructure: Reinventing the Roadway, Runway, and Railway workshop.