The US Department of Transportation announced on Thursday that it will invest $2.2 billion in rural infrastructure projects. This has paved the way for the construction of new bridges, roads, bike lanes, railroads and ports in numerous communities across the country.
The competitive grant is more than double his amount awarded the previous year under the same program. The influx comes from PresidentJoe Bidenbacked by his $1 Trillion Infrastructure Act, which provided another $7.5 billion in subsidies over five years.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the project will help America by making communities "safer, more affordable, more accessible and more sustainable." said it would help modernize its transportation system.
Buttigieg traveled to Arizona to focus on projects in Phoenix and Tucson. Earning up to $25 million each. In Phoenix, funds will be used to build a new bike and pedestrian bridge connecting the north and south shores of the Rio Salado trail system.
In Tucson, the funds will be used to remodel a famous street and replace his ill-conditioned 1960s vehicle bridge. It will also add a bike- and pedestrian-only bridge as part of what Mayor Regina Romero has called "a game-changing investment in Tucson's infrastructure."
The Tucson project expands the number of vehicle lanes, while several other projects reduce it. For example, a $17 million grant will help narrow his five-lane road in the Chicago suburb of Munster, Indiana, to his three lanes to reduce traffic accidents.
Other newly announced projects in the Rebuild America's Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program also fund bike and pedestrian paths.
Texas and Kansas Huntsville, Alabama Huntsvillereceives $20 million to improve pedestrian walkways connecting downtown and remote areas. A new bike and pedestrian bridge across the Potomac River between Arlington, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
A total of 166 projects across the country have earned a portion of his $2.2 billion. This funding is up significantly from his $983 million distributed across 90 projects in 2021. This assignment is his largest date to 2009 for a program that underwent multiple name and emphasis changes during the presidency of Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
While funding is still substantial, it does not have the purchasing power expected when the Infrastructure Bill passed Congress last year. This is because inflation has pushed up the cost of key transport construction materials, such as steel plates for bridges and asphalt for road paving.
This year's projects range from new seawalls and harbor improvements in Sitka, Alaska, to building his four-lane parkway in the Virgin Islands.
Among other projects, New Jersey received $20 million to elevate Atlantic City and a road that serves as a major escape route for its casino industry. In Louisiana, $20 million will go to Button for the design and construction of her two train stations along the planned route between his Rouge and New Orleans. Whatcom County, Washington, gets $25 million to replace his 60-year-old ferry on rural Rumi Island with an electric hybrid model.
