Transit specific projects land more than $476 million in RAISE grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released the full list of Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program grant recipients on Aug. 11. Of the $2.2 billion the program had available this year, transit specific projects account for $476.5 million, or approximately 22 percent of the 166 projects awarded funds.

USDOT says the program’s grants will “help urban and rural communities move forward on projects that modernize roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports and intermodal transportation and make our transportation systems safer, more accessible, more affordable and more sustainable.”

“We are proud to support so many outstanding infrastructure projects in communities large and small, modernizing America’s transportation systems to make them safer, more affordable, more accessible and more sustainable,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

USDOT evaluated projects based several criteria including safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness and opportunity, partnership and collaboration, innovation, state of good repair and mobility and community connectivity. USDOT notes it also considered how projects would improve accessibility for all travelers, bolster supply chain efficiency and support racial equity and economic growth.

While 33 projects have transit improvements as their primary focus, an additional 18 projects with transit related elements were awarded $194.2 million and there were 13 projects that were awarded $185.2 million that will improve access to transit.

Mass Transit is classifying transit related projects as those with transit infrastructure improvements that take place as part of a series of investments, but where transit isn’t the primary focus; and transit access projects where transit infrastructure improvements are not made, but the investment that will enhance transit services or ease access to services.

Transit specific project grants ranged from $1.3 million awarded to Cadillac/Wexford Transit Authority for the Northern Michigan Rail Planning Phase II Study and the Service Development Plan up to $25 million, which was the highest amount USDOT awarded to individual projects. In addition to those projects highlighted earlier this week when Congressional offices began releasing information on the RAISE grants, some highlights of transit specific projects to be awarded funds include:

• $15 million to Yuba-Sutter Transit Authority in California for its planned Zero-Emission Bus Operations, Maintenance and Administration Facility project that will replace an existing facility with a new one that supports a zero-emission bus fleet, has the capacity for solar power generation and supports micromobility services.
• $20 million to Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority to construct a new Clearwater Transit Center that will be built on a vacant lot owned by the city of St. Petersburg, Fla. The center will include 16 bus bays, bicycle and scooter storage, ride-sharing connections, ADA boarding requirements and a sustainability-focused design that includes solar panels and electric bus charging stations.
• $25 million to Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) for the Five Points Transformation Phase 2 project that will rehabilitate the above-ground portions of the Five Points MARTA station to improve the customer experience, improve bus bays and eliminate modal conflicts.

USDOT issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity for this round of RAISE grants earlier this year; it was the first program to open following passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which provides an additional $7.5 billion to the grant program over five years.

A full list of RAISE grant projects can be viewed at USDOT’s website.