Washington, DC - A new grant program created by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act to address major highway projects and improve the transportation of freight across the country has received over 200 grant applications from state and local governments.  The FAST Act, signed into law in December 2015, authorized $4.5 billion over five years for the Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects program, also known as the FASTLANE program, including $800 million for this fiscal year.  The Department of Transportation, announced today that it has received 212 applications, totaling nearly $10 billion. “One of my primary goals in the FAST Act was to refocus our resources into improving the flow of commerce and helping large-scale infrastructure improvements to move forward,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA).  “The amount of interest in the program demonstrates the infrastructure needs we have across the country, and the FASTLANE program is going to strengthen our transportation system, help improve the economy, and make American businesses more competitive.”