U.S. Department of Transportation announces $1.5M funding opportunity

Applications are open for $1.5 billion in grants through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program. The funding, which will be distributed to selected projects next year, helps communities across the country carry out transportation-related projects that significantly impact local residents.

“Across the country, I have seen firsthand how projects funded by our RAISE program are helping communities realize long-held dreams and well-planned visions for better infrastructure,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement. “We are delivering safer, cleaner infrastructure to communities of every size and in every part of the country, creating a new generation of jobs and helping families build generational wealth in the process.”

The grant program helps state, tribal, county and local governments finish critical freight and transportation infrastructure projects. The eligibility requirements make it easier for local governments to raise support for projects that aren’t eligible via other grant programs.

This year, the RAISE program supported more than 160 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Each project is rigorously reviewed and evaluated on statutory criteria of safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, mobility and community connectivity, economic competitiveness and opportunity including tourism, state of good repair, partnership and collaboration, and innovation. 

Projects funded through the program in the past include a grade separation project in Chula Vista, Calif., a new downtown transit center in New Orleans, and reconstruction of Route 6 on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota, according to a statement about the initiative.

The funding will be split between rural and urban areas. At least $15 million is guaranteed to go to projects in impoverished areas and historically disadvantaged communities. Projects in these areas will be eligible for up to 100% federal cost share, as directed by Congress through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

For more information and to review a full list of 2023 awarded projects, visit the Department of Transportation’s website. The funding notice can also be found on the organization’s website. The application deadline is Feb. 28 of next year. Selections will be announced no later than June 27.