AASHTO Journal - USDOT Issues Over $1.3B in FY 2025 RAISE Grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently issued $1.32 billion in fiscal year 2025 round one funding from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity or RAISE discretionary grant program for 109 projects nationwide; 14 of which are overseen by state departments of transportation.

[Above image by the USDOT]

The USDOT noted in a statement that its RAISE program supports a broad selection of local, state, and regional projects split equally between urban and rural areas.

The agency added that RAISE grant eligibility requirements allow project sponsors – including state and local governments, counties, tribal governments, transit agencies, and port authorities – to pursue multimodal and multi-jurisdictional projects that are more difficult to fund through other grant and formula programs.

The projects overseen by state DOTs receiving grants from this round of RAISE funding are:

The Arkansas Department of Transportation received nearly $25 million to help design and construct an approximately 4.1-mile bypass that carries US-67 around the west side of Corning, along with two interchanges with US-67. This project will provide an alternate route for commercial trucks around Corning’s downtown business district, reducing the risks associated with large trucks operating on local streets and thus should result in a significant reduction in crashes.
The California Department of Transportation received nearly $15 million to help reconstruct the existing US 101 and Sunset Avenue interchange in the city of Arcata with two roundabouts, as well as providing pedestrian and bicycle access, new bus stops, signage, lighting, a variety of Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA-related improvements, and connections to an adjacent Class I trail system.
The Delaware Department of Transportation received $13.1 million to help elevate a bridge on State Route 9 over Red Lion Creek to be above the 50-year Federal Emergency Management Agency Stillwater elevation; improving the resilience of the bridge structure and roadway surface to withstand more frequent and severe flooding events.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation received $3.2 million to create a new master plan for Kalaeloa Barbers Point Harbor multimodal terminal, which aims to improve environmental sustainability by developing a long-term solution to accommodate growth within the port and allow for increased shipments of containerized freight. The expanded facilities will be able to accommodate cargo intended for the adjacent James Campbell Industrial Park rather than at Honolulu Harbor, where it is currently offloaded, thereby eliminating a 25-mile truck trip from Honolulu, which adds to traffic congestion on nearby state highways.
The Maryland State Highway Administration, a division of the Maryland Department of Transportation, received more than $11.8 million to help design and build a shared use path and additional bicycle infrastructure along MD 210 State Road, Oxon Hill Road, and Kerby Hill Road outside of Washington D.C. This project addresses safety with new sidewalks and restriping of bike lanes to reduce fatalities or serious injuries along the corridor.
The Michigan Department of Transportation received $25 million for the replacement of the East Beltline Bridge supporting the M-37/M-44 highway over I-96 in Grand Rapids. The new bridge will include three travel lanes in each direction, a separated non-motorized path on the west side and sidewalk on the east side, and ADA-accessible features. Safety will be improved through high-visibility markings, signage, and crosswalks, as well as the construction of a separated non-motorized pedestrian/bike path.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation received $25 million to reconstruct approximately 1.5 miles of State Highway 3 outside Minneapolis; a project that will include upgraded pedestrian crossings, improved sidewalks and trails, speed management technology, expanded multimodal options, and improved transit access.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation received nearly $20 million to install ADA-compliant sidewalks on the east and west I-55 frontage roads near Madison. That work includes improving pedestrian crossings, safety signage, crossing push buttons and displays, and lighting for the new sidewalks; a new glare screen fencing on top of the concrete median of I-55; raised medians with pedestrian refuge islands; and new pedestrian facilities on County Line Road and Briarwood Drive over the interstate.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation received $13.2 million to construct a mobility hub in the city of Wake Forest for various modes of transportation, including passenger rail and bus services, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and integrated mobility technology.
The North Dakota Department of Transportation received two RAISE grants. The first, for $24.5 million, will help repair approximately 20 miles of pavement on Interstate 94 and improve the resilience of at-risk infrastructure, specifically addressing the impact of extreme weather events on concrete buckling. The second grant, for nearly $2 million, will fund an evaluation for the best alternative to an at-grade highway-rail crossing of North Dakota 1804 – a major rural arteria – and the BNSF railroad at Marley Crossing southwest of the town of Trenton, which is a high crash location.
The New York State Department of Transportation also received two RAISE grants. The first, for $20 million, will help replace a 73-year-old bridge carrying Veterans Memorial Highway (NYS Route 454) over the Long Island Railroad’s Ronkonkoma Branch in Suffolk County. The second, for $6 million, will fund a study of existing needs related to drainage, seasonal vehicle and parking congestion, and limited pedestrian facilities along an approximately 5.4-mile section of State Route 42 and an approximately 7.35-mile section of State Route 52 in the Catskills Mountain region of New York.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation received $17 million to help rehabilitate the West Newton Bridge that carries Main Street (PA 136) over the Youghiogheny River in the town of West Newton; improving sight distances and stormwater management at the adjacent Main Street and Collinsburg Road intersection while installing a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon at the Great Allegheny Passage trail crossing of Main Street.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation received two RAISE grants, both for $25 million. The first will help reconstruct National Avenue from 1st Street to 39th Street in Milwaukee and add Complete Streets improvements, including separated, raised bike lanes, a “road diet” to reduce travel lanes, raised crosswalks, a raised intersection, transit platforms, and improved sidewalk space. The second grant will help resurface 39.65 miles of road and replace 102 culverts; adding safety features such as guardrail upgrades, centerline rumble strips, shoulder widening, and six-inch pavement markings, as well as the relocation of a pull-off area on WIS 55 about one mile south of the town of Markton.
The West Virginia Department of Transportation’s Division of Public Transit receive $489,750 to map the location and features of all fixed route transit stops in the state; identifying current maintenance needs and make recommendations about which bus shelters have met their useful life and which ones need ADA-related and/or other safety updates.