USDOT awards $2.2 billion in RAISE grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded $2.2 billion in grants through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. The grants are awarded to 162 road, rail, transit and port projects that support national infrastructure objectives.  

 

Applicant projects were evaluated on how a project addressed and prioritized safety, environmental sustainability, mobility and community connectivity and quality of life. 

 

Transit and passenger rail projects account for more than $425 million of the USD 2.2bn awarded. 

 

An example of a grant is the $25 million that the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA), in partnership with Brightline West, will use to build stations in Victor Valley and Hesperia, Calif., for the planned high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga. 

 

Dr. Raymond Wolfe, executive director of SBCTA, said the funding for the stations paves the way for a larger grant sought by Brightline West for the Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga project. 

 

“This will provide a direct link between the High Desert, Rancho Cucamonga, downtown Los Angeles and our own East Valley, reducing the need to rely on personal vehicles for daily commutes, improving air quality and closing the live-work gap for millions of people. Along with other commuter projects either under way or under development, including the Arrow Line and the West Valley Connector bus rapid-transit system, Brightline West represents a cost-effective, 21st century solution to our region’s transportation challenges,” Wolfe said. 

 

“This round of RAISE grants is helping create a new generation of good-paying jobs in rural and urban communities alike, with projects whose benefits will include improving safety, fighting climate change, advancing equity, strengthening our supply chain and more,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.