The Department of Transportation has earmarked $1.5B in grants for 91 infrastructure projects in 49 states and the District of Columbia, the DOT said Tuesday.
The Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development Transportation Grants program will focus on projects that seek to improve transit, road, rail and port operations in support of the department’s efforts to refurbish and construct more than 200 bridges across the U.S.
A team of 222 DOT career staff reviewed submissions and selected projects based on their impact on safety, quality of life, economic competitiveness and environmental protection.
The team also chose projects that will promote innovation, foster partnerships between the public and private sectors and gain non-federal revenue for investments in transportation infrastructure.
The DOT will allocate discretionary grant funding through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, and will award a maximum of $25M for a single project.
The department said the BUILD effort aims to re-balance a 10-year under-investment in rural communities.