USDOT Announces $1.5 Billion in Grants
On November 30th Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttgieg announced that, through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) initiative, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) is offering up to $1.5 billion in federal grant money to improve infrastructure and fortify the supply chain for 2024.
Details
“Across the country, I have seen firsthand how projects funded by our RAISE program are helping communities realize long-held dreams and well-planned visions for better infrastructure. We are delivering safer, cleaner infrastructure to communities of every size and in every part of the country, creating a new generation of jobs and helping families build generational wealth in the process,” Buttgieg said in the announcement.
It may seem RAISE is a brainchild of the 2021 Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, but in actuality, it has been around since 2009. In 2023, its most notable grant for the trucking industry was providing funding, $10.5 million of it, to build a truck parking facility near the inland Port of Columbia in Louisiana.
The Biden Administration writes extensively about the announcement on the relevant webpage. Entities such as local and state governments will have to apply a little bit of elbow grease in order to get the funding however, with the USDOT saying: “As was the case in previous years, the Department is encouraging applicants to consider how their projects can address climate change, ensure racial equity, and remove barriers to opportunity.”
Conclusion
There are numerous things to hope for in regards to federal funding for the trucking industry from RAISE in 2024. As mentioned earlier, truck parking was on the to-do list for 2023, and may just happen in 2024 as well. Another listed use of funds was road repair for Route 6, which spans from California to Massachusetts, though the repair was done in South Dakota on a portion that is considered part of a native American reservation.
If you know an organization that might be able to benefit from this grant money (such as a port authority that needs more room for trucks), you can send them the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
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