The U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) has announced 1.73 billion USD in funding for 127 infrastructure projects across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Blossoming (BUILD) grant programme.
The funding will support a range of road, rail, transit, maritime and aviation projects intended to improve transport infrastructure and freight movement across the country.
Road and bridge projects account for the largest share of the programme, receiving approximately 1.3 billion USD, or around 77 percent of the total funding. Among the projects is a 24 million USD grant to the North Dakota Department of Transportation to rehabilitate sections of Interstate 94, including pavement improvements and the installation of 10 miles of high-tension cable barriers.
Port infrastructure projects will receive 136.8 million USD. The Alaska Railroad Corporation has been awarded 8.5 million USD to extend the freight dock at the Port of Seward by 300 feet to improve cargo handling capacity.
Public transport projects have been allocated 169.9 million USD, including 14.7 million USD for the Milwaukee County Transit System to upgrade three maintenance facilities in Wisconsin.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said:America is fortunate to have a Builder in the White House who knows America is only as great as our infrastructure. That’s why this Department is investing in repairing critical roads and bridges that connect Americans to job opportunities, port infrastructure that bolsters our national security, and aviation and transit projects that move American families. The impact of these dollars will be felt in communities nationwide for years to come.
The programme also includes 62 million USD to expand truck parking capacity in Kentucky, Wyoming, Louisiana, Mississippi and Illinois. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will receive 25 million USD to add truck parking spaces at seven rest areas along four major freight corridors.
Airport infrastructure improvements will receive more than 11 million USD, supporting roadway upgrades at Coolidge Municipal Airport and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
Rail projects have been allocated 87.7 million USD. Among these is a 24.3 million USD grant for the Port of Corpus Christi Authority to modernise and extend rail infrastructure serving the Port of Corpus Christi Inland Port in Texas.
According to the Department of Transportation, the BUILD programme received almost 1,200 eligible applications requesting more than 14.5 billion USD in funding, with the selected projects intended to improve transport connectivity, freight efficiency and infrastructure resilience across the US.
