$2.2 Billion in RAISE Grant Funding Announced for Transportation Projects

The Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) competitive grant program, supersized by the federal infrastructure bill in 2021, just announced a new round of funding.

2 minute read

August 11, 2022, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

U.S> Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg delivers a speech in front of a bridge in Washington, D.C. The podium where he stands has a sign that reads: "Building a Better America."

Noel-Marie Fletcher / Shutterstock

The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced $2.2 billion in funding from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. 2022 RAISE grants are for planning and capital investments that support roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports, or intermodal transportation. The program will fund $7.5 billion in improvements over the next five years, due to an influx made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“Projects were evaluated on several criteria, including safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness and opportunity, partnership and collaboration, innovation, state of good repair, and mobility and community connectivity,” according to the U.S. DOT press release announcing the awards. The full list of awards can be found online.

Michael Laris picked up the news of the new grant funding for the Washington Post.

Christopher Coes, the assistant U.S. secretary for transportation policy, said 52 percent of funding announced Thursday is going toward roadway improvements, adding that a significant number of those included elements of Complete Streets, an effort pushed by the department to make roadways safer and more inviting for pedestrians. About 7 percent of the funding backed maritime projects, Coes said, while 4 percent went to rail.

The press release also breaks down the spending as 50% for projects in rural areas and 50% for projects in urban areas and nearly two-thirds for projects are located in areas of persistent poverty or historically disadvantaged communities.

According to Laris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Biden administration senior infrastructure adviser Mitch Landrieu are “traveling to key states this week to herald the grants and the progress they said they represent.” Among the projects to be highlighted by Biden administration officials are an innovative snow melting system in Berlin, New Hampshire; a project to relieve pedestrian ad freight bottlenecks in Tucson, Arizona; and a project to improve Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority’s Five Points station.

FULL STORY: 166 infrastructure projects awarded billions in federal funding

Thursday, August 11, 2022 in U.S. Department Of Transportation

Infrastructure Transportation United States RAISE Grants Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Biden Administration Transportation Funding Transportation Planning Secretary Pete Buttigieg View More

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