Management

APTA wants transit projects to receive a greater percentage of RAISE grants

March 3, 2023

An average of 33 percent of RAISE grants awarded between FY 2009 and FY 2016 went to transit related projects; in FY 2022, transit projects were awarded 18.6 percent of the grants.

A chart developed by APTA illustrating the percentage of transit projects to be awarded RAISE grants (previously called TIGER and BUILD) between FY 2009 and FY 2022.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) wants to see more transit projects awarded funds through a competitive grant program that aims to support infrastructure investments that support national objectives.

APTA is calling on the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to support projects that will improve our nation’s public transit, passenger rail and multimodal infrastructure in its selection of Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant recipients.

In a letter to Transportation Secretary Peter Buttigieg, APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas wrote, “The RAISE Grant program is an extremely valuable resource for communities to carry out critical public transportation programs, and we strongly urge the Department to direct a significantly greater percentage of RAISE grant funds to these vital, community-enhancing projects.”

In August 2022, USDOT announced more than $2.2 billion in RAISE capital grant awards to 166 projects in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Of these funds, APTA estimates that USDOT provided $418 million to 31 public transportation-related capital projects, equal to 18.6 percent of available funding. This is significantly less than the historical average, which was approximately 33 percent.

“We applaud the department’s decision to prioritize improving racial equity, reducing the impacts of climate change, and creating good-paying jobs when evaluating RAISE project selections. Public transportation projects directly address each of these key priorities,” Skoutelas wrote. “Given the synergy of the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities and public transportation, we are confident that projects that support critical public transportation initiatives will rate very highly under RAISE grant criteria.”

USDOT opened the FY 2023 round of RAISE grants in December 2022 with $1.5 billion in available funds.