Biden-Harris Administration Opens Applications for More than $5 Billion in Funding for Significant National Infrastructure Projects

Funding made available by President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that the Department of Transportation is now accepting applications for approximately $5.1 billion in funding for projects of regional or national significance for three major discretionary grant programs. The application process has been streamlined into the single Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant Program (MPDG) opportunity.

In the first two years of the infrastructure law, the Biden-Harris Administration has provided nearly $8 billion in grants to communities through the MPDG program to help rebuild the nation's infrastructure, create good-paying jobs while increasing manufacturing capacity and innovation, and create a clean-energy economy to combat climate change and ensure our communities are resilient-components of the President's Investing in America agenda.

"Today's announcement of over $5 billion will fund transformative infrastructure projects that unlock opportunities for communities across the country while creating good-paying jobs and boosting economic competitiveness," said White House Deputy Chief of Staff Natalie Quillian. "This announcement is part of the President's Investing in America agenda, which is building a safe, efficient, and reliable transportation system nationwide."

"Through President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, today we are making over $5 billion available for major infrastructure projects that benefit the economy and quality of life of entire regions of America, from our biggest cities to our most rural areas," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "This will support major infrastructure projects that so large, complex, and ambitious that they could not get funded under the infrastructure programs that existed prior to this administration."

Available funding includes:

• $1.7 billion for the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) program: The Mega program invests in large, complex projects that are difficult to fund by other means and are likely to generate national or regional economic, mobility, or safety benefits. Eligible projects include highway, bridge, freight, port, passenger rail, and public transportation projects of national or regional significance. Per the law, 50% of funds are available for projects above $500 million in total cost, and 50% are available for projects between $100 million and $500 million in total cost.
  
• $2.7 billion for the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program: The INFRA program awards competitive grants to multimodal freight and highway projects of national or regional significance to improve the safety, accessibility, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of freight and people in and across rural and urban areas. Eligible projects will improve safety, generate economic benefits, reduce congestion, enhance resiliency, and hold the greatest promise to eliminate supply chain bottlenecks and improve critical freight movements.
  
• $780 million for the Rural Surface Transportation Grant (Rural) program: While smaller communities receive grants from a wide number of grant programs, including Mega and INFRA, the Rural program is dedicated specifically to projects in rural areas. Eligible projects for Rural grants include highway, bridge, and tunnel projects that help improve freight, safety, and provide or increase access to agricultural, commercial, energy, or transportation facilities that support the economy of a rural area.

Awards for the last round of grants were announced at the end of 2023 and earlier this year, providing long overdue funding to transformative projects across the country. Key projects announced include replacing the Blatnik Bridge from Duluth, Minnesota, to Superior, Washington; replacing the I-5 Bridge over the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon; improving 10 miles of I-10 through the Gila River Indian Community and Pinal County in Arizona; making multimodal improvements in the I-376 corridor of Pittsburgh; and reconnecting communities divided by the Cross Bronx Expressway in New York. The full list of awards announced in the last round can be viewed here: Mega, Infra, Rural.

As in that round, applications for this round of funding will be evaluated based on how well they advance outcomes including safety, economic impacts, job creation, equity, innovation, and climate goals..

The deadline for applications is 11:59 pm EDT on May 6, 2024. Applicants may find the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), Frequently Asked Questions, and other helpful resources here.