Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will travel to South Carolina Wednesday to announce $2.26 billion in new federal infrastructure funding, which includes $23 million to build a pedestrian bridge and a hub to improve transit between neighborhoods and college campuses in downtown Orangeburg. File Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI |
License Photo
June 28 (UPI) -- The Biden administration on Wednesday announced more than $2 billion in federal dollars that will go to states and local governments to help fund 162 infrastructure projects nationwide.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg plans to join Rep. Jim Clyburn and other officials in South Carolina to announce $2.26 billion in new government funding, which includes $23 million to build a pedestrian bridge and a hub to improve transit between neighborhoods and college campuses in downtown Orangeburg, according to a statement from the DOT.
More broadly, the infrastructure grants were expected to strengthen supply chains by reducing traffic bottlenecks in major cities and by replacing decaying bridges and roadways to make them safer and more efficient for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.
"Using the funds in President Biden's infrastructure law, we are helping communities in every state across the country realize their visions for new infrastructure projects," Buttigieg said in a statement preceding the announcement. "This round of RAISE grants is helping create a new generation of good-paying jobs in rural and urban communities alike, with projects whose benefits will include improving safety, fighting climate change, advancing equity, strengthening our supply chain, and more."
The federal money is provided as part of the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program -- whose primary aim is to rebuild crumbling infrastructure in all 50 states.
More commonly known as RAISE, the effort was expanded under President Joe Biden's $2.1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in an effort to support an equal number of rural and urban communities, while about 70% of this year's funds will go to projects in historically disadvantaged areas, the statement said.
The funds were intended to help state, local and Tribal governments complete critical infrastructure projects that likely failed to win funding from other DOT grant programs.
"This year's awards will build and repair infrastructure that benefits Americans for future generations to come, while taking steps to reduce emissions from the transportation sector," the government said.
The DOT said it received $15 billion in requests for RAISE funds this year -- far more than the administration had to hand out.
Some of the places receiving funds include:
The city of Chula Vista, Calif., will get $21.5 million to eliminate a rail crossing that has caused accidents and frequent delays.
Iowa will get $24.7 million to replace up to nine bridges in poor condition in rural counties.
A $24.8 million grant will go to building a major transit center In downtown New Orleans, helping the city's bus and streetcar network.
South Dakota will get $18.5 million to resurface Route 6 on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, where driving-related deaths and injuries have gone up in recent years.
In Caldwell County, Texas, $22.9 million will be used to construct a major parking plaza for truck drivers, which will include vending, restrooms, showers, and around-the-clock security.
Buttigieg's announcement, meanwhile, was part of a three-week "investing in America" push by the administration, in which officials plan numerous public appearances to tout the ongoing impact of Biden's legislative agenda that has sought to boost infrastructure, manufacturing and clean energy.
