Today, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced that the Biden-Harris Administration has awarded $77,627,727 from the RAISE discretionary grant program to five different infrastructure projects across New York.
The RAISE grant program, expanded under the president’s infrastructure law, supports communities of all sizes, with half of the FY2023 funding going to rural areas and the other half to urban areas. The grants are part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda that is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out—from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to driving over $470 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating good-paying jobs and building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.
“Using the funds in President Biden’s infrastructure law, we are helping communities in every state across the country realize their visions for new infrastructure projects,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “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.”
This year’s awarded projects will help more people get where they need to be quickly, affordably, and safely. From projects that will strengthen supply chains and reduce bottlenecks, to bridge replacements and road projects to make them safer and more efficient for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, this year’s awards will build and repair infrastructure that benefits Americans for future generations to come, while taking steps to reduce emissions from the transportation sector and support wealth creation and good-paying union jobs. Seventy percent of the grants are going to projects in regions defined as an Area of Persistent Poverty or a Historically Disadvantaged Community.
Like last year, demand for RAISE funding was higher than available funds. This year, DOT received $15 billion in requests for the $2.26 billion available.
Today’s awardees in New York include:
- $21,767,756 for the Kingston Weaving the Waterfront Transportation Project. The funds will be used for the design and construction of multi-modal and active transportation connections on trails and roadways. The project will expand active transportation travel within the Waterfront District by connecting and improving pathways that connect users to cultural, recreational, and historical destinations, as well as everyday services, places of employment, and retail sites. It will also improve safety and reduce the risk of non-motorized travelers.
- $7,044,971 for the Southern Tier Trail Planning and Design Project to complete the planning, environmental, design, and permitting for the construction of an approximate 52 mile trail. The trail will provide residents with safer ways to walk and bike to jobs, healthcare, grocery stores, and schools.
- $20,000,000 for the Broadway Junction Streetscapes Improvement Project. The funds will be used for the design and construction of streetscape improvements. Improvements include lighting, redesign of intersections, repaving of sidewalks and roadways, landscaping, wayfinding, and installation of green infrastructure. This project addresses dangerous safety issues, especially for those using non-motorized transportation options.
- $25,000,000 for the Safe Access for Electric Micromobility (SAFEMicromobility). The funds will be used for the engineering and installation of infrastructure for approximately 173 electric micro-mobility charging and storage stations at New York City Housing Authority sites. Engineering and construction aspects include electrical supply, utilities, drainage, fire safety requirements, security, safety, lighting, and accessibility. The project supports the advancement of energy efficient infrastructure to increase the use of zero emission transportation modes.
- $3,815,000 for the Long Island Greenway East (Phase II) Planning and Design Project. The funds will be used for a feasibility study, and preliminary and final design for the approximate 50-mile Long Island Greenway-East trail. This trail will include a combination of off-road paths and rights-of-way as well as protected on-road facilities, which will maximize the protection of bicyclists and pedestrians.
The full list of projects can be viewed here.
RAISE discretionary grants help project sponsors at the State and local levels, including municipalities, Tribal governments, counties, and others complete critical freight and passenger transportation infrastructure projects that they may not have had the funding to carry out prior to passage of President Biden’s infrastructure law. The eligibility requirements of RAISE allow project sponsors to obtain funding for projects that are harder to support through other U.S. DOT grant programs.
The RAISE program is one of several ways communities can secure funding for projects under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s competitive grant programs. This week, the Federal Transit Administration announced nearly $1.7 billion in funding through the agency’s, which puts more zero-emission and low-emission buses on the road while supporting workforce training on new vehicle technologies.
The Department also published the 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG) Program: a three-in-one grant opportunity for communities interested in funding made available through the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) discretionary grant program, the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program (Rural), and the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program.
For more information on the RAISE program, click HERE.
