ROUTES Initiative January 2024 Newsletter

USDOT Announces $623 Million in Grants to Continue Building Out Electric Vehicle Charging Network  

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced $623 million in grants to help build out an electric vehicle (EV) charging network across the U.S., which will create American jobs and ensure more drivers can charge their electric vehicles where they live, work, and shop. This announcement includes $311 million to 36 “community” projects, including two Indian Tribes in Alaska and Arizona. These projects invest in EV charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure in urban and rural communities, including at convenient and high-use locations like schools, parks, libraries, multi-family housing, and more. In addition, another $312 million in funding will go to 11 “corridor” recipients whose projects are located along roadways designated as Alternative Fuel Corridors. These projects will fill gaps in the core national charging and alternative-fueling network. 

Project selections in this round of grants include: 

• $10 million to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to build EV charging stations for residents in multi-family housing in disadvantaged communities and rural areas. 
• $15 million to Energy Northwest to install 40 fast chargers and 12 Level 2 chargers across western Washington State and northern Oregon, including many rural and disadvantaged communities as well as on Indigenous Tribal lands. 
• $1.4 million to the Chilkoot Indian Association to build an EV charging station in Haines, a rural and disadvantaged Alaskan community where there are no publicly available EV charging stations. 

Find the full list of grant recipients here. For more information on President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and investments in electric vehicles, please visit FHWA’s BIL web site.

FHWA Opens Applications for Over $9 Billion in Funding to Modernize Nation’s Bridges 

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has announced that it has opened applications for $9.7 billion in multi-year funding to improve the nation’s bridges through the competitive Bridge Investment Program’s “Planning” and “Bridge Project” categories, which fund bridge planning, repair and replacement projects under $100 million.

The Bridge Investment Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is soliciting applications for the following categories of projects:  

• “Planning” grants for planning, feasibility analyses, and revenue forecasting associated with the development of a project 
• “Bridge Project” grants for bridge replacement, rehabilitation, preservation, and protection projects with total eligible costs of $100 million or less 

The NOFO provides available funding for Fiscal Years 2023 – 2026. It also includes updated merit criteria to provide more direction for Bridge Project applicants, as well as updated application templates that FHWA highly encourages applicants to use in providing project information. FHWA plans to conduct outreach regarding the Bridge Investment Program “Planning” and “Bridge Project” grants via a virtual recorded Webinar which will be available on FHWA's Website. Technical assistance is also available to recipients who receive Bridge Investment Program grants.

USDOT Announces $4.9 Billion in Funding for Transformational Infrastructure Projects

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced more than $4.9 billion in funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to 37 projects through two major discretionary grant programs, the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) grant program and the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program. The Mega program, which provides $5 billion in funding through 2026, is focused on projects that are uniquely large, complex, and difficult to fund under traditional grant programs. The INFRA program, for which funding was increased more than 50% by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also funds large scale, transformational infrastructure projects that will improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of freight and people in and across rural and urban areas. Over half of the projects being funded through the INFRA program are in rural communities. Two projects received awards from both programs, following through on the Department’s commitment to invest in non-traditional, multimodal projects that have been neglected because of complications around how to fund them.  

Mega and INFRA awards include:  

• $66,421,000 for the Mineral County I-90 Improvement Project in Alberton, Montana. The project will rehabilitate aging infrastructure on I-90 between the Idaho-Montana state border and the town of Alberton, improving pavement conditions to withstand harsh weather and replacing the Alberton Bridge structures on westbound I-90. The project is receiving approximately $32 million in Mega funds and $34 million in INFRA funds. 
• $28,046,624 for the Elko Nevada Rail Corridor Enhancement Project in Elko, Nevada. The project will design and construct improvements on the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) Overland Route at the UP Elko Yard.
• $8,773,800 for the Logistics Lane in Marietta, Ohio. The project will construct access management and safety improvements over SR7 to the river port on the Ohio River, deploy innovative mobility solutions to track and manage real-time freight information, and expand multimodal technology components in a key freight and logistics corridor in Washington County.
• $200,000,000 for the Hood River – White Salmon Bridge Replacement Project in Klickitat County, Washington and Hood River County, Oregon. The bridge will have higher clearances, wider lanes, better signage, seismic improvements, and a separated cross-river connection for bicyclists and pedestrians.

View the full list of Mega and INFRA here and here. Rural awards were announced in December 2023. As with last year’s awards, despite these historic increases in funding, these programs were significantly oversubscribed. The Department received 117 applications requesting $24.7 billion in Mega funding and 190 applications requesting $24.8 billion from the INFRA program, far exceeding the amounts of funding available. The next application period is expected to open in mid-2024. 

USDOT Announces Winners of the Intersection Safety Challenge 

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced the winners of the Intersection Safety Challenge Stage 1A at the TRB Annual Meeting. The Challenge aims to transform roadway intersection safety by incentivizing new and emerging technologies that identify and address unsafe conditions involving vehicles, and vulnerable road users at intersections. The Challenge draws on the expertise of researchers and practitioners from universities, State and local agencies, private sector developers, and other organizations. Given the overwhelming interest in Stage 1A, U.S. DOT is exploring ways to engage all interested parties in future stages of the Intersection Safety Challenge. For updates on opportunities to participate in the Intersection Safety Challenge in the coming year, please visit this website.

USDOT Announces Grants to Upgrade Almost 4,500 Public Electric Vehicle Chargers 

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced it is awarding nearly $150 million to 24 grant recipients in 20 states to make existing electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure more reliable. The grants will be used to repair or replace nearly 4,500 existing EV charging ports and, in some cases, bring them up to code. These targeted investments complement the tens of billions in Federal and private sector funding that is building out a national EV charging network, and support good paying jobs across the country installing, maintaining, and repairing EV infrastructure. For a full list of grant recipients, please visit the FHWA website.  

FHWA Announces $729 Million to Repair Roads and Bridges Damaged by Natural Disasters and Extreme Weather Events

The Federal Highway Administration has announced it is providing $729.4 million to 34 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The funds will be used to support repair needs following natural disasters, extreme weather, or catastrophic events, such as hurricanes, flooding and mudslides. These events will receive federal reimbursement funding under the FHWA’s Emergency Relief (ER) program as the result of major disaster declarations. FHWA’s Emergency Relief Program supports the Department’s priority of addressing climate change by providing funding to help states perform repairs following major natural disasters and extreme weather events. The program includes funding for continued repairs from the 2022 flooding in and around Yellowstone Park; 2022 Hurricanes Ian, Fiona, and Nicole; 2023 flooding and mudslides in Vermont; and other disasters across the country. A listing of FY 2024 Emergency Relief Program allocations with funding information for each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico can be found here.

 USDOT Announces $88.3 Million Loan for Louisiana to Build Critical Connector Project 

USDOT Announces Progress Delivering Results for America 

The U.S. Department of Transportation has released a report updating the public on the Biden-Harris Administration efforts to improve America’s transportation infrastructure. The report includes updates on DOT’s key priorities, including rail safety, strengthening consumer protections for air travelers, and the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), among others. You can view the DOT 2021-2023 Progress Report here. 

DOT Launches New Advisory Committee to Help Shape Federal Approach to Transportation Innovation 

FHWA Releases New Traffic Control Device Manual with Updates to Improve Safety for Pedestrians, Bicyclists, and All Road Users 

FTA Takes Nationwide Step to Address Assaults on Transit Workers 

AAPA and MARAD Announce Initiative to Identify National Port Cargo Handling Needs 

FHWA's Fostering Multimodal Connectivity January 2024 Newsletter 

FHWA's Public Roads - Winter 2024 Newsletter 

Noteworthy Practice: TAP-ing into HSIP 

Tribal Development of Trails and Other Dedicated Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructure 

Trails as Resilient Infrastructure Guidebook 

USDOT Discretionary Grant Preparation Checklist for Prospective Applicants 

Pedestrian and Bicycle Funding Opportunities