DOT awards $363M in grants for highway projects

Highways E1280862929481 OdThe U.S. Department of Transportation on Thursday, Aug. 2, announced the availability of more than $363 million in grants to fund a wide variety of highway improvements, from interstate rehabilitation and reconstruction to technologies designed to improve safety and reduce construction congestion.

The Federal Highway Administration invited states, cities, tribal governments and local planning organizations to apply for federal funding from 12 grant programs. Nearly 1,500 requests were made from every state, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. totaling about $2.5 billion. Grant funding was made available through enactment of the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012, Part II.

The 12 programs are:
• Truck Parking Facilities;
• Interstate Maintenance;
• Transportation, Community and System Preservation;
• Innovative Bridge Research and Deployment;
• Public Lands Highway;
• National Scenic Byways;
• Value Pricing Pilot;
• Highways for Life;
• Delta Region Transportation Development;
• Railway-Highway Crossing Hazard Elimination in High Speed Rail Corridor;
• National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation; and
• Ferry Boat.

All 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico were awarded grants. Descriptions of each program and grant awards can be found at www.fhwa.dot.gov/discretionary/2012factsheets.cfm.