The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the investment of $1.73 billion into transportation infrastructure in 52 states, territories and the District of Columbia.
Funding from the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program will support 127 infrastructure projects, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. Projects range from roadway, transit, rail, maritime and aviation infrastructure improvements.
“America is fortunate to have a builder in the White House who knows America is only as great as our infrastructure. That’s why this Department is investing in repairing critical roads and bridges that connect Americans to job opportunities, port infrastructure that bolsters our national security, and aviation and transit projects that move American families. The impact of these dollars will be felt in communities nationwide for years to come,” Duffy said.
Previously known as the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) discretionary grants, the grants were established as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and operated under annual appropriations acts under President Barack Obama.
The majority of the grants, 77 percent or $1.3 billion, will be used to upgrade roadways and bridges. The DOT said $24 million will be awarded to the North Dakota Department of Transportation for improvements, modernization and repair to enhance safety along I-94. Another $136.8 million will be spent on port infrastructure and $169.9 million will be spent on transit projects, including $14.7 million to upgrade three Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) maintenance facilities.
Officials said another $62 million would be invested in truck parking to address shortages in Kentucky, Wyoming, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Illinois. The department said $11 million would be spent on airport roadways in Arizona and Louisiana, and $87.7 million would be invested in America’s railroads to move passengers and goods more efficiently, including $24.3 million for Texas’ Port of Corpus Christi Authority to modernize that city’s Inland Port.