The Biden Administration has announced funding for more than 166 projects by awarding more than $2.2 billion from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program.
According to a press release by the United states Department of Transportation (USDOT), the RAISE program aims to help urban and rural communities move forward on projects that modernize roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports, and intermodal transportation and make our transportation systems safer, more accessible, more affordable, and more sustainable.
Thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the projects will be provided an additional $7.5 billion over five years for the program to help meet the strong demand to help projects get moving across the country.
We are proud to support so many outstanding infrastructure projects in communities large and small, modernizing America’s transportation systems to make them safer, more affordable, more accessible, and more sustainable,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Using funds from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this year we are supporting more projects than ever before.”
Projects were evaluated on certain criteria, which included safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness and opportunity, partnership and collaboration, innovation, state of good repair, and mobility and community connectivity. Within these areas, the Department considered how projects will improve accessibility for all travelers, bolster supply chain efficiency, and support racial equity and economic growth.
Some of the projects that were awarded the grants are:
- The 22nd Street Revitalization Project in Arizona. The project will revitalize 22nd Street through replacing an existing bridge in poor condition with a new bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) and expanding 22nd Street from four lanes to six lanes with a divided median.
- Victory Infrastructure in Nevada. USDOT is investing to plan, design, and construct the Victory Project which will complete the Nevada Pacific Parkway connection from I-80 to Highway 50. This will deliver industrial lead access to the entire Victory Logistics District industrial park.
- Raising a Resilient Route 40 in New Jersey. USDOT is investing to reconstruct and elevate one of the city’s main routes for people who drive and walk, and to provide upgrades to drainage systems along the route. By raising portions of the route, the project will be able to withstand two-year probable storm surge elevations and improve overall storm management.
- Valentine Pontoon Bridge Replacement in Louisiana. USDOT is funding the replacement of the existing dilapidated Valentine Pontoon Bridge over Bayou Lafourche with a modernized pontoon bridge. This new bridge will help cut the travel distance between the small rural communities of Lockport and Larose in half, saving residents time every day.
The full list of awards can be found here.
The RAISE program is one of several ways communities can secure funding for projects under the IIJA's competitive grant programs. Later this year, the Biden Administration will announce recipients of the first-ever National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA) program, as well as the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program and the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program (RURAL).
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Source: USDOT
