President Joe Biden and the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that it has increased funding for the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) to more than $1.2 million.
The funding will go toward completing designated corridors in the 11 states that make up the Appalachian region – from Maine to northern Mississippi. Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, funding for the ADHS is up 146 percent compared to Fiscal Year 2021. The total amount available to states in Fiscal Year 2022 is $246 million. The Biden administration and DOT said the additional funds would also spur economic growth to the historically isolated region.
“From big cities to small towns, every American community deserves reliable access to our transportation system,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we now have historic resources to improve transportation and create jobs for people in Appalachia and around the country.”
Started in 1965, the ADHS is a system of about 3,000 miles over 33 distinct corridors covering the region’s rugged terrain. It links the Appalachian region to interstates and provides access to regional and national markets. Today, more than 85 percent of the ADHS is completed, with the entire system expected to be complete by 2040. The additional funds over the next five years will help finalize the network, the administration said.
“Ensuring rural regions are connected to the rest of America’s cities and towns is key to our nation’s economic success,” Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack said. “That’s why releasing the dedicated funding that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided for the Appalachian Development Highway System is a priority for the Biden-Harris Administration.”
Funding amounts for Fiscal Year 2022 per state in the Appalachian region range from over $11 million for Maryland to more than $73 million for Alabama.