Transportation funding continues to trickle out of the Jobs and Infrastructure Investments Act as the five-year, $1.2 trillion bill nears its halfway mark. The latest major development came on Jan. 25 with the US Department of Transportation’s announcement of $4.9 billion for major highway, bridge and other projects.
In the latest round of programs, DOT awarded 39 grants to 37 projects, with two projects receiving two grants each. Eleven projects belong to the Mega category and 28 are INFRA projects.
Funding comes from two programs, Mega, created at IIJA, and Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA), established in 2015 and greatly expanded by IIJA. INFRA’s total funding for fiscal years 2022-2026 is $8 billion
Mega’s formal name is the National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program. Its funding amounts to $5 billion for fiscal 2022-2026.
Check here the list of Mega grant winning projects.
Consult the selected INFRA grant projects here.
DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at a Jan. 24 media briefing to preview the awards that the grants are intended to help build “projects of regional and national significance that are uniquely large, complex and difficult to finance through traditional grants or other means”.
Larger grants
The largest grant, $1 billion, went to an INFRA project, a replacement for the Blatnik Bridge, which connects Duluth, Minn., and Superior, Wis.
The largest Mega grant was $600 million to the Washington State DOT, which is partnered with the Oregon DOT, for a new “seismically resilient” Interstate 5 bridge between Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, according to a DOT background document. .
Natalie Quillian, White House deputy chief of staff, said at the briefing that the bridge “is in poor condition and cannot safely support heavy trucks.” Quillian, who leads the administration’s IIJA implementation team, added: “Without significant investment, the bridge is expected to close by 2030.”
Great Demand
As with other competitively awarded DOT grant programs, demand for the new Mega and INFRA funds greatly exceeds available funds.
Buttigieg said DOT received 117 applications for the Mega Dollars, asking for a total of $24.7 billion. There were 190 applications for INFRA funds, seeking $24.8 billion.
