The U.S. Department of Transportation announced it is making available $1.5 billion in Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant funds.
The RAISE program helps communities across the country with infrastructure projects that have significant local or regional impacts. Recently funded projects include dedicated bus lanes in Baltimore, Md., highway and bridge repair in New Mexico, dock replacements in Alaska, and a rail-to-trail project in Arkansas.
“The RAISE program helps communities large and small fix and modernize their infrastructure,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This year, thanks to the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can support more projects than ever and help make our transportation system safer, more accessible, and more sustainable for people across the country.”
RAISE discretionary grants were originally created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as TIGER grants. The USDOT has thus far awarded $9.9 billion in RAISE grants to fund more than 700 projects.
The funding available through the RAISE program in 2022 represents a 50 percent increase in funds compared to 2021 – where the program funded 90 projects in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam. Last year, the department said, applicants requested $10 in funding for every $1 available.
The deadline for application is 5 p.m. EST, April 14, 2022. Projects will be evaluated on statutory criteria of safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness and opportunity, state of good repair, partnership, and innovation. As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, 2022 RAISE applications will also be judged on mobility and community connectivity.
Selections will be announced by Aug. 12, 2022.