The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has launched the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program for 2024, offering $1.5 billion to support vital freight and passenger transportation projects at the state and local levels. The application deadline for this funding cycle is set for February 28, 2024.

 
In adherence to statutory requirements, USDOT will apportion 50 percent of the grant funding to projects in rural areas, with the remaining 50 percent dedicated to urban initiatives. The agency has pledged a minimum of $15 million for projects in Areas of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Communities, with the potential for a 100 percent federal cost share.

According to the USDOT, the RAISE program will be beneficial in reducing household costs, fostering wealth creation, generating unionized jobs, maintaining robust labor standards, and implementing training and placement programs, notably registered apprenticeships.

In June, over $2.2 billion in RAISE grants were allocated to 162 diverse infrastructure projects across the nation. In August 2022, another $2 billion in RAISE grants were distributed to propel urban and rural communities towards modernizing their transportation networks, encompassing roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports, intermodal facilities, and bicycle and pedestrian systems.

https://aashtojournal.transportation.org/usdot-makes-1-5b-in-raise-grant-funding-available/