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Dive Brief:
- The US Department of Transportation announced $1.73 billion in BUILD grants by 2026 Tuesday, covering 127 projects in 50 states, Washington, D.C., American Samoa, Guam and Puerto Rico, according to a press release and a list of grant winners.
- Roads and bridges received the majority of these funds, with $1.3 billion, or 77%, going to the sector. This included $24 million for I-94 in North Dakota for modern pavement and 10 miles of high-voltage cable guardrails.
- Public transportation projects were the next recipients of funds, with $169.9 million going toward improving the safety and reliability of public systems, according to the transportation agency. DOT highlighted $14.7 million to upgrade three maintenance facilities in Milwaukee County’s transit system in Wisconsin.
Diving knowledge:
The funds come from the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, grant program. The initiative was established under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and operated under annual appropriations laws until November 2021, when the Jobs and Infrastructure Investments Act was passed.
The DOT received nearly 1,200 eligible applications for the 2026 cohort requesting a total of more than $14.5 billion in funding, according to the release.
Port infrastructure received the next largest grant, with $136.8 million awarded to expand capacity and reduce bottlenecks. It included $8.5 million awarded to the Alaska Railroad Corporation to expand a freight dock in Seward, Alaska, by 300 feet so ships can load, unload and transfer cargo more quickly, according to the announcement.
Freight and passenger rail initiatives received $87.7 million, while truck parking projects in Kentucky, Wyoming, Louisiana, Mississippi and Illinois received $62 million. Another $11 million went to aviation infrastructure.
A list of 2026 recipients is available via a downloadable spreadsheet.
