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Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary who holds the purse strings to much of President Joe Biden鈥檚 $1 trillion infrastructure package, was holding forth with reporters on its impact 鈥� the promise of more electric cars, intercity train routes, bigger airports 鈥� when a pointed question came.

How would he go about building racial equity into infrastructure?

The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate laid out his argument that highway design can reflect racism, noting that at least $1 billion in the bill will help reconnect cities and neighborhoods that had been racially segregated or divided by road projects.

鈥淚鈥檓 still surprised that some people were surprised when I pointed to the fact that if a highway was built for the purpose of dividing a white and a Black neighborhood ... that obviously reflects racism,鈥� he said.

Racial equity is an issue where Democratic priorities and Mr. Buttigieg鈥檚 future align. One of his greatest shortcomings as a White House candidate was his inability to win over Black voters. How he navigates that heading into the 2022 midterms will probably shape the fortunes of Mr. Biden鈥檚 agenda and the Democratic Party, if not his own prospects.

Republicans seeking to exploit the issue pounced on Mr. Buttigieg鈥檚 words.

鈥淚 heard some stuff, some weird stuff from the secretary of transportation trying to make this about social issues,鈥� said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. 鈥淭o me, a road鈥檚 a road.鈥�

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted sarcastically: 鈥淭he roads are racist. We must get rid of roads.鈥�

But Mr. Buttigieg didn鈥檛 engage and was off to his next stop, the climate summit in Scotland. There he stood for almost a dozen interviews as he promoted provisions of Mr. Biden鈥檚 bill that would build a network of electric vehicle charging stations. He also engaged with young climate activists and took photos with former President Barack Obama.

On racism in roadways, he said simply: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know who it hurts to acknowledge that harm was done and to propose doing something to fix it.鈥�

His department later announced it would grant extra discretionary aid to help as many as 20 U.S. communities remove portions of interstates, redesign rural main streets, and repurpose former rail lines. That could help places from Syracuse, New York, where many residents back a plan to tear down portions and build a walkable grid, to racially divided areas in New Orleans and St. Paul, Minnesota.

As Mr. Biden prepares to sign the infrastructure bill on Monday, eyes are turning to the man still best known as 鈥淢ayor Pete,鈥� a newcomer whose promise of 鈥済enerational change鈥� and real-world sensibility of fixing potholes launched him to the top of the early Democratic primary contests during the 2020 campaign.

Quickly endorsing Mr. Biden after abandoning the race, Mr. Buttigieg now stands to become one of the more powerful brokers in Washington, handling the largest infusion of cash into the transportation sector since the 1950s creation of the interstate highway system.

鈥淎rmed with that much money and significant latitude in how to spend it, Buttigieg is poised to be the most influential secretary of transportation ever,鈥� said Jeff Davis, a senior fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation. The department was founded in 1967.

In all, about $120 billion of the $550 billion in new transportation spending in the bill would come in the form of competitive grants that give Mr. Buttigieg discretion in how the money is used.

A separate social spending bill pending in the House would pour billions more dollars into the transportation department, which already expects to see its annual budget surge by over 50% to $140 billion.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a whole lot of money,鈥� says Ray LaHood, a former Republican congressman from Illinois and transportation secretary under Mr. Obama, who in comparison presided over the release of $48 billion in transportation money in the 2009 Recovery Act. Since then, Mr. LaHood said, major federal investments in transportation have been stagnant, creating pent-up demand for road, bridge, and Amtrak projects that can quickly launch.

It鈥檚 both a boon and challenge to Mr. Buttigieg, who revealed in August that he was going to become a dad with husband Chasten. He took several weeks of paternity leave to care for the twins, returning in October as Republicans criticized him for leaving his post. More recently, he juggled time keeping watch over his infant son, who was ill for three weeks and hospitalized for a respiratory illness, while he worked to address national supply chain problems.

鈥淲hen somebody welcomes a new child into their family, and goes on leave to take care of that child that鈥檚 not a vacation, it鈥檚 work,鈥� he said last month. 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to apologize.鈥�

Starting this week, Mr. Buttigieg will join other Cabinet members to pitch the plan around the country.

鈥淟ook, a lot of this sells itself because communities never needed to be persuaded that their bridge needed to be fixed or that their airport needed an upgrade or that their ports needed investment,鈥� Mr. Buttigieg said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been trying to get Washington to catch up to them.鈥�

Anthony Foxx, who was Mr. Obama鈥檚 transportation secretary from 2013 to 2017, said a big challenge will be the massive operational details in the department, where Mr. Buttigieg is supported by veteran hands. Many programs are new, requiring clear guidelines to states and localities on what they are eligible for and how the money is to be awarded. 鈥淭hey will be managing multiple plans with very high dollar figures, creating pressure on administrative staff,鈥� Mr. Foxx said.

On Sunday, Mr. Biden named former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who oversaw the city鈥檚 rebuilding effort after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, to be a watchdog on the disbursement of the money.

Once many programs are in place, after six to nine months, Mr. Foxx said, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 when the magic happens on what to fund and what may not cut the mustard.鈥� The winners would come in the form of hundreds of grant announcements for medium-sized road projects that could accelerate into spring 2023 with the first awards for multibillion-dollar bridges, intercity rail, and New York鈥檚 Gateway tunnel.

As a mayor, Mr. Buttigieg was attuned to calls to fix roads and potholes. He relished talking about state-of-the-art sewer system. Now that message will be national with the stakes far greater.

鈥淭he currency of politics is exposure, and he鈥檚 getting a lot of exposure,鈥� said Larry Grisalano, who was Mr. Buttigieg鈥檚 advertising consultant.

At the White House, staff warmly refer to him as 鈥淪ecretary Mayor Pete,鈥� and Mr. Biden has compared Mr. Buttigieg to his late son Beau. The White House celebrated Chasten鈥檚 birthday with cupcakes. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e the best, man,鈥� Mr. Biden said after Mr. Buttigieg spoke at the White House over the summer.

Yet in a city laden with ambition, Mr. Buttigieg鈥檚 potential to move farther onto the national stage can make him a target.

Nina Smith, Mr. Buttigieg鈥檚 former traveling campaign press secretary, said as Mr. Biden鈥檚 top lieutenant on the bill, Mr. Buttigieg has the opportunity to lead an effort to 鈥渆radicate past injustices.鈥� Mr. Buttigieg during the 2020 campaign was never able to win over large shares of Black voters.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 an added responsibility that I think he鈥檚 very much aware of and making a central part of the work,鈥� said Ms. Smith, a Democratic political consultant.

This story was reported by The Associated Press. Tom聽Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa.