AASHTO Journal - USDOT Makes $1.5B in RAISE Grant Funding Available

The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued a notice of funding opportunity for $1.5 billion in funds via its Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity or RAISE discretionary grant program for 2024, which aims to help states and localities complete critical freight and passenger transportation infrastructure projects. The deadline to apply for this round of RAISE grants is February 28, 2024.

[Above photo by USDOT]

As required by statute, USDOT must allocate 50 percent of that grant funding to projects in rural areas, with the remaining 50 percent allocated to projects in urban areas.

Additionally, the agency said in a statement that at least $15 million in funding is guaranteed to go towards projects located in Areas of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Communities, with projects located in those areas eligible for up to 100 percent federal cost share.

As was the case in previous years, USDOT said it is encouraging applicants to consider how their projects can address climate change, ensure racial equity, and remove barriers to opportunity.

USDOT said it also intends to use the RAISE program to help lower costs for household budgets; encourage wealth creation and the formation of unionized jobs; the incorporation of strong labor standards; plus the development of training and placement programs, especially registered apprenticeships. 

In June, USDOT awarded more than $2.2 billion in RAISE grants to 162 different infrastructure projects across the country, while in August 2022, the agency issued roughly $2 billion in RAISE grants to help urban and rural communities move forward on projects that modernize roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports, intermodal, bicycle, and pedestrian systems.