In the continued effort to breathe new life into roads, bridges, airports and other vital transportation infrastructure across the country, nearly $9 billion in federal funds was recently authorized and is headed out to states. For construction businesses with an eye on public works, yes, it’s best to be bid ready, as there remains much to do.
Improving Transportation
Dollars from 2021’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) continue flowing through the pipeline, as states and municipalities from coast to coast are tackling critical transportation projects with ambitious builds. At Construction Dive, Dan Zukowski reports that in addition to $1.1 billion from the Federal Railroad Administration, which is aimed at 123 railroad crossing projects in 41 states, the Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Federal Transit Administration have released billions of IIJA dollars for a variety of infrastructure builds across the country, including:
- $1.97 billion to the Chicago Transit Authority to help extend the Red Line 5.5 miles to provide train service to four new stations on the city’s South Side.
- $1.32 billion for 109 infrastructure projects under the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity discretionary grant program.
- $785 million for 24 projects through the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program. Projects included replacing a bridge in Cullman, Alabama, and replacing dirt roads in two Kansas counties with paved roads and stormwater infrastructure.
- More than $332 million for 171 projects through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Infrastructure Grants program. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport will get $84.3 million for a new taxiway and bridge, and $6.7 million will go to the Tallahassee International Airport in Florida….
- $635 million for 49 projects to install more than 11,500 electric vehicle charging ports, along with hydrogen and natural gas refueling infrastructure, across 27 states….
Among the cities across the country that are getting shovel ready for major publicly funded builds to keep everyone connected and moving, are Detroit, Nashville and Indianapolis:
- $44.5 million in grants to 14 projects under the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program. Detroit will get $10.5 million to build a portion of a greenway along a former rail corridor; the Metropolitan Government of Nashville-Davidson County will receive nearly $9.4 million to connect a historically underserved neighborhood with downtown Nashville, Tennessee.
- Nearly $150 million to the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corp. to help fund a new 24-mile bus rapid transit line in Central Indiana and $22 million to Monterey-Salinas Transit to build a six-mile segment of a planned 20-mile BRT line connecting the two California cities.
Good To Know
A Fact Sheet from the federal government summarizes the scale and scope of infrastructure projects previously funded through the IIJA, and lists:
- 175,000+miles of roadway repair and improvement
- 11,200+ projects expanding and improving public transportation
- 10,200+ projects building and repairing bridges
- 1,400+ projects improving roadway safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians
- 500+ projects on ports and waterways to improve supply chain efficiency
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