Latest Updates from DOT

LATEST UPDATES FROM DOT  

A Weekly Bulletin from the USDOT Office of Public Engagement  

Vol. 4, Number 97  

Hello, I hope you have enjoyed an incredible week! This week at DOT $3.3 billion in grant awards was announced for the Reconnecting Communities program. The funding is aimed at reconnecting communities that were cut off by transportation infrastructure decades ago, leaving entire neighborhoods without direct access to opportunity, like schools, jobs medical offices and places of worship. Read on for this and other exciting updates… 

Sharing below a roundup of the latest activities and opportunities to engage with DOT and the Biden Administration. Thanks, as always for your interest. If you know others who would like to receive these updates, please direct them to sign up here.   

Secretary Buttigieg Travels to Philadelphia, Tours Ongoing MLK Bridge Rehabilitation Work 

On Tuesday, Secretary Pete Buttigieg toured the $20.1 million Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive Bridge Rehabilitation Project in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one of the first projects in the nation entirely funded with federal dollars under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)’s $26.5 billion Bridge Formula Program. This visit marked the second time the Secretary has visited this bridge, previously visiting to make the announcement of the project in early 2022. During the tour, the Secretary met with workers, including union members, who are actively working on the rehabilitation project and engaged with local labor leaders and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) contractors working on other local infrastructure projects. Later that afternoon, Secretary Buttigieg made an appearance on Deadline White House with Nicolle Wallace to discuss recent infrastructure projects and administration goals surrounding transportation and infrastructure. You can watch that appearance here.  

Secretary Buttigieg with workers at the MLK, Jr. Bridge Project in Philadelphia on Tuesday 

THE PRESIDENT’S FY 2025 BUDGET PROPOSAL 

Statement by Secretary Buttigieg on the President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget 

In a statement released on Monday, Secretary Buttigieg said, “President Biden's Budget allows us to continue advancing vital work underway across the country - making travel safer on every mode of transportation, strengthening supply chains to keep costs down, and modernizing our infrastructure to serve Americans for generations. Americans are already seeing the roads being repaired, new bus and bike infrastructure being built, goods moving more smoothly from ships to shelves, and more - and this budget will accelerate all of that.” The budget—which requests $109.3 billion for DOT-- makes critical, targeted investments in the American people that will promote greater prosperity for decades to come. At DOT, the Budget will: invest in a safer, more efficient aviation system, with more air traffic controllers; crack down on a corporate jet funding loophole; improve our nation’s roads and ensure the nation’s most important bridges remain safe and operational after decades of disinvestment; increase rail safety and improve passenger rail; and fund reliable, safe, and accessible transit. 

President Biden’s FY 2025 Budget Proposal Invests in Aviation Safety 

On March 11, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Mike Whitaker held a press conference at DOT Headquarters to discuss President Biden's USDOT Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. The budget will build on the FAA’s safety priorities by allowing the agency to hire more air traffic controllers, modernize the nation’s infrastructure, and strengthen the agency’s safety oversight. The budget provides $43 million to accelerate the hiring and training of air traffic controllers, which will help the agency meet the goal of hiring 2,000 new controllers in 2025.  The FAA is taking aggressive action to expand the controller pipeline to meet the nation’s air traffic demands, including year-round hiring for experienced controllers from the military and private industry; enhancing the Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative to hire more candidates who can begin facility training immediately upon graduation; filling every seat at the FAA Academy; and deploying upgraded tower simulator systems. The budget also provides a major investment in the safety and resiliency of air traffic facilities and equipment, building on BIL funding used to improve airport infrastructure and FAA facilities across the U.S. You can view the press conference here (beginning at 26:20) and read more about the President’s FY 2025 budget request for USDOT here, and the President’s overall budget proposal for FY 2025 here. 

Deputy Secretary Trottenberg, Secretary Buttigieg and FAA Administrator Whitaker at the March 11 Press Conference 

DOT Recommends Nearly $4 Billion for 14 Major Transit Construction Projects Across the U.S. 

Secretary Buttigieg recommended that 14 large transit projects in 11 states receive nearly $4 billion in federal support for construction as part of President Biden's Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget Request to Congress. These rail and bus rapid transit (BRT) projects will bring about transformative change in their communities by providing transit opportunities to new riders, creating jobs, and jumpstarting economic development. President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is putting historic investment into public transportation, including nearly $100 billion from the BIL to support transit agencies of all sizes. The Capital Investment Grants (CIG) and Expedited Project Delivery Pilot programs are the federal government's primary grant programs supporting new large transit capital projects that are locally planned, implemented, and operated. This includes investments such as new and expanded subway systems, commuter rail, light rail, streetcars, and bus rapid transit. The FY 2025 Annual Report on Funding Recommendations recommends $2.37 billion in annual appropriations requested from Congress and $1.6 billion in FY 2025 funding provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law advance appropriations. 

ENSURING EQUITY IN TRANSPORTATION

DOT Awards History-Making $3.3 Billion for Locally Led Projects to Reconnect Communities 

On Wednesday, Secretary Buttigieg announced $3.33 billion in grant awards for 132 projects through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Grant Program. The funding is aimed at reconnecting communities that were cut off by transportation infrastructure decades ago, leaving entire neighborhoods without direct access to opportunity, like schools, jobs, medical offices, and places of worship. Thanks to additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, this investment is 18 times larger than the investments from the previous year’s standalone Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program.  Both programs are part of the President’s Justice40 Initiative. The Department has created a virtual story that spotlights communities’ stories, the historic context for the program, and the future it seeks through funding the reconnection of communities here. Also on Wednesday, President Biden visited Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he spoke about the Reconnecting Communities awards, saying, “I’m here to announce a first-of-its-kind investment…to help right historic wrongs and, in the process, delivering environmental justice by reconnecting disadvantaged communities and neighborhoods to new opportunities for future prosperity.” 

In this round of funding for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access and Equity program, the Department is awarding 72 Planning Grants, 52 Capital Construction grants and 8 Regional Planning Grants. The full list of Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access and Equity awards can be viewed here. To learn more about all awarded projects please view RCN FY23 Awards Factsheet, and explore the Interactive Reconnecting Communities Story Map about the past, present, and future of reconnecting communities. To find out more about what the Department is doing to advance equity in transportation, see DOT’s recently updated Equity Action Plan here.  

Map of FY 2023 Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhood Grant Recipients 

DOT Celebrates Women's History Month 2024: 

Examining New Opportunities to Advance Gender Justice Across the Transportation Sector 

In celebration of Women's History Month, on March 27, 2024, from 2:00-4:30 eastern time, DOT will host an in-person and virtual event reflecting on advancements in gender justice in the transportation sector. The event will include two panels of industry leaders at the forefront of gender justice and implementing strategies that intend to positively shift outcomes for women, girls, and gender diverse people across the sector. The panel discussions will be followed by an audience Q&A and networking session. The event will be moderated by Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg and Irene Marion, Director of DOT’s Departmental Office of Civil Rights. Register here by March 20 to join us in person at DOT headquarters. This event will also be livestreamed and recorded. No registration is needed for virtual attendance. Click here to be notified when livestream details are available. DOT is committed to providing equal access to this event for all participants. If you need other accommodation such as language translation, captioning (CART services), or alternative formats, please indicate so on your registration form and contact docr.info@dot.gov with your request by close of business March 20, 2024.  Please direct all event inquiries to docr.info@dot.gov. 

  AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS 

FRA Announces $900,000 in New Intercity Passenger Rail Planning and Development Grants 

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced yesterday that it has awarded $900,000 to rail entities in 3 states through the Interstate Rail Compacts (IRC) Grant Program. Created by the BIL, the IRC Program provides new opportunities to entities implementing IRCs to advance multi-state and regional passenger rail service efforts. Taken together, the rail networks being advanced through the inaugural round of IRC grants will improve passenger rail service for large swaths of the Midwest, South, and Southeast, including many states and communities that have never seen passenger rail service or that have had previous services discontinued for years. IRCs are agreements or compacts passed into law by two or more states that support and facilitate the development of multi-state and regional intercity passenger rail services. 

The three entities that received Fiscal Year 2022-2023 IRC Program funding are: Illinois (Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission - MIPRC); Louisiana (Southern Rail Commission SRC); and the North Carolina DOT (on behalf of the Virginia – North Carolina Interstate High-Speed Rail Compact Commission - VA-NC HSR Compact). To date, FRA has announced more than $26 billion in BIL funding for more than 170 projects. Planning activities across 69 rail corridors, which will drive future passenger rail expansion in every region of the country, are also moving forward thanks to the BIL. 

DOT Announces Investments in Innovative Transportation Technology Projects 

Yesterday, DOT announced more than $50 million in grant awards for 34 technology demonstration projects across the country through the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program. The competitive grant program, established by the BIL, provides $500 million over five years for state, local, and tribal governments to leverage advances in technology to create safer, more efficient, and more innovative transportation systems. The projects announced yesterday encompass locations across 22 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This is the second year of SMART grant awards, for which the Department received 321 eligible grant applications. Selected projects focus on how various technologies make transportation safer, cleaner, more equitable, and more affordable across the country in both rural and urban settings. The SMART Grants Program is a two-stage program, with these grant awards focusing on Stage 1 activities, including Planning and Prototyping. Recipients will focus on conducting demonstration projects focused on advanced smart community technologies and systems to improve transportation efficiency and safety. The full list of awards can be viewed here. An interactive map depicting all SMART projects can be found here.  For more information on the SMART Grants Program, sign up for the SMART newsletter on the program website or reach out to smart@dot.gov.  

COMBATTING CLIMATE CHANGE 

FHWA Releases First-Ever National Strategy to Accelerate Deployment of 

Zero-Emission Infrastructure for Freight Trucks 

Earlier this week, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy. Developed by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in collaboration with DOT and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Strategy will guide the deployment of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle (ZE-MHDV) charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure from 2024 to 2040. The Strategy is designed to meet growing market demands by targeting public investment to amplify private sector momentum, focus utility and regulatory energy planning, align industry activity, and improve air quality in local communities heavily impacted by diesel emissions. 

In alignment with the Joint Office’s National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, FHWA is announcing the designation of National EV Freight Corridors along the National Highway Freight Network (NHFN) and other key roadways. The designations, which are required by the BIL, are a critical part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s strategy for building out a convenient, reliable, and made-in-America national EV charging network that supports individual drivers and commercial needs. 

Providing ubiquitous and convenient access to electric vehicle (EV) charging and hydrogen refueling along our nation’s freight corridors and at intermodal freight facilities and high-usage ports is key to achieving U.S. goals to promote at least 30 percent ZE-MHDV sales by 2030 and 100 percent sales by 2040. The goal of the Strategy is to align public policy and investments by prioritizing, sequencing, and accelerating infrastructure along the NHFN in four phases. A core objective of the Strategy is to meet freight truck and technology markets where they are today, determine where they are likely to develop next, and set an ambitious pathway that mobilizes actions to achieve decarbonization. 

FHWA Opens Applications for $1.2 Billion in Funding to Cut Air Pollution from Transportation 

On Tuesday, FHWA launched the Low-Carbon Transportation Materials (LCTM) Grants Program, which is aimed at lowering air pollution, specifically greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), through reimbursement and incentive funding for low carbon construction materials and products used in transportation. Funds will be available through a Request for Applications (RFA) to fund activities and projects that advance the use of low carbon materials and products. This RFA approach will allow FHWA to quickly provide reimbursement or incentive funds to states to begin eligible activities and incorporate low carbon materials on construction projects now. 

The program will make $2 billion available from the Inflation Reduction Act for State Departments of Transportation (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico), tribes, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and other agencies to buy materials that create less pollution, including steel, concrete, and asphalt. The federal government is the largest purchaser in the world, with an annual purchasing power of over $630 billion. Through the Administration’s Federal Buy Clean Initiative, the federal government is for the first time harnessing that procurement power to prioritize the use of American-made, lower-carbon construction materials. Later this year, FHWA will also make $800 million available for non-state applicants, including cities, tribes, MPOs, and other agencies. The LTCM program is one of three new programs at FHWA created by the Inflation Reduction Act. These programs together provide over $5 billon for critical new work. 

NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITY 

MARAD Announces $500 Million For Ports Available Through the PIDP Program 

On Tuesday, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $500 million in FY 2024 funding through MARAD’s Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP). Investments made under the PIDP focus on modernizing the nation’s coastal and inland waterway ports as well as strengthening its supply chains and economic security for generations to come. PIDP funds will also aid in the reduction of carriers’ shipping time, costs and ultimately the price of goods for the American people. The BIL provides $500 million annually from FY 2022-FY 2026 in funding for the PIDP Program. PIDP grants help complete critical port and port-related infrastructure projects in urban, rural, and tribal communities. Eligible applicants include port authorities, state and local governments, tribal nations, counties, and other eligible public entities. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis to support projects that improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods through ports and intermodal connections to ports. 

MARAD will host a series of webinars that describe PIDP/NOFO requirements and the PIDP application process. These webinars are an excellent resource for prospective PIDP applicants and will be announced in the near future on the PIDP webpage. Recordings of the webinars will be posted on the website for those who cannot participate in the live events. This program also complements the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Ports Program, which just made $3 billion available. This program will fund zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure to reduce mobile source emissions at U.S. ports, which may include cargo handling equipment, harbor craft and vessels, electric charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure, and several other technology investments. See more here. The NOFO is available on www.grants.gov by searching on CFDA number 20.823 or Opportunity number MA-PID-24-001. The deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. eastern time on May 10, 2024. For additional questions regarding PIDP grants, please email PIDPGrants@dot.gov. 

POSTS OF THE WEEK  

We're cracking down on corporate jet loopholes. President Biden's Budget proposes a fuel fee increase for private jet users, updating the fees private jet users have to pay for the first time in decades to make sure they pay their fair share. 

(@SecretaryPete, March 14, 2024) 

The goal of transportation is to connect. But in too many communities, highways or railways serve as a barrier that divides neighborhoods. The Biden-Harris administration is acting to fix that with $3.3 billion to help 132 communities with projects that reconnect residents. 

(@SecretaryPete, March 13, 2024) 

Opened in 1966, the MLK Drive Bridge in Philadelphia is in need of repair. @SecretaryPete toured the construction of the bridge, which is 100% federally funded through President Biden's infrastructure law and is expected to be completed by Spring 2025. 

(@USDOT, March 12, 2024)  

History will judge today's leaders on how they responded to the climate crisis. Despite unanimous opposition from across the aisle, President Biden has taken the most significant action on climate in world history. His policies will cut our carbon emissions in half by 2030. 

(@SecretaryPete, March 10, 2024) 

Youngstown, Ohio, is benefitting from $10.8 million from President Biden's infrastructure law to build better transit. Mayor Brown explains the impact it's having on his community. 

(@USDOT, March 10, 2024) 

###  

As always, please reach out to us with questions, feedback, and suggestions at engage@dot.gov 

Thank you!    

Kala Wright    

Director of Public Engagement    

Office of the Secretary