The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently awarded $321.4 million in Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects (NSFLTP) grants to projects in seven states.
The NSFLTP Program was established under the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. The program provides federal funding for the rehabilitation, construction, or reconstruction of transportation projects located on or providing access to federal or tribal lands. Funds are used to improve the condition of a critical transportation facility, and the federal share can be up to 90 percent of a project.
These are the first grants awarded under the program.
“The funding being awarded through this program prioritizes needed improvements to highways and bridges serving areas on federal and tribal lands,” FHWA Administrator Nicole R. Nason said.
FHWA received 39 applications with estimated construction costs approaching $2 billion. Projects must have estimated construction costs of at least $25 million to qualify for funding.
During the selection process, projects with estimated construction costs of $50 million or more are given priority.
Grants were between $27.8 million and $100 million.
The largest project was awarded to West Virginia for the construction of the WV-72 and US-219 interchange near Hambleton in the Monongahela National Forest.