Roads, bridges, trails, ports: White Home awards $2.2B in transportation grants

The U.S. Division of Transportation will ship greater than $2.2 billion in grants to state, tribal and native governments underneath a grant program that was expanded underneath the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure regulation.

The $2.26 billion for 162 tasks supplies funds for every of the 50 states, two territories and the District of Columbia. It’s just like the allocation for the grant program final 12 months, the primary after President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure regulation that added funding for this system.

The tasks embody enhancements and expansions of roads, rail, bridges, pedestrian trails and maritime infrastructure.

The Transportation Division has managed an identical discretionary grant program since 2010, although the identify of this system and standards have modified with every presidential administration. Funding ranges, set by Congress, additionally differ 12 months to 12 months, starting from roughly $500 million to greater than $2 billion in every of the 2 years for the reason that infrastructure regulation handed.

Beneath Biden, the division has prioritized tasks that advance local weather targets, racial fairness and security.

Native enter

In a name with reporters previewing the announcement Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasised that each one the tasks had been proposed and deliberate by native authorities.

“It’s notably centered on communities’ wants,” he mentioned. “We don’t design the tasks at headquarters. We’re continuing very a lot on the concept the solutions don’t all come from Washington, however extra of the funding ought to.”

No undertaking obtained greater than $25 million from this system, the utmost for tasks of lower than $45 million complete price.  The division chosen 22 tasks to obtain that most.

The funding is cut up between rural and concrete tasks, White Home Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu advised reporters.

Many of the funding — 70% — will go towards both areas of persistent poverty or traditionally deprived communities. That represented a file excessive for this system, Buttigieg mentioned.

Most of the communities that obtained funding had sought federal assist for the tasks for years, Buttigieg mentioned. The division will work with communities that submitted extremely rated proposals that weren’t accepted on this spherical to enhance their functions for future years, he mentioned.

About 10 tasks that obtained grants this 12 months had utilized final 12 months, Assistant Secretary of Transportation Coverage Christopher Coes mentioned.

A full listing of tasks is obtainable right here.

Buttigieg and Landrieu highlighted a handful of tasks on Tuesday’s name.

Iowa will obtain $24.7 million to rebuild 9 bridges in rural areas. The bridges’ poor situation forces detours for residents and industrial drivers, in keeping with a DOT information launch. The federal authorities can pay for many of these bridge repairs, estimated to complete about $31 million.

The town of Jackson, Kentucky, will obtain $21.1 million to widen a freeway close to Panbowl Lake. The world has been hit with extreme flooding not too long ago. The undertaking will assist enhance resiliency to future floods, Buttigieg mentioned.

An Atlanta path undertaking was amongst these receiving $25 million. The undertaking, which has a complete price of $70.7 million, will add 4.8 miles to the BeltLine Northeast Path, which is accessible to pedestrians and bicycles. The undertaking will enhance entry to transit and to jobs, faculties and different providers in an space with 5,000 reasonably priced housing models close by.