Projects critical to freight receive more than $1B in federal funding

The Biden-Harris administration has awarded more than $1 billion to nine infrastructure projects under a new discretionary grant program.

According to a U.S. Department of Transportation news release, the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) grant program funds infrastructure “projects that are too large or complex for traditional funding programs.” Eligible projects include highway, bridge, freight, port, passenger rail, and public transportation projects that are a part of one of the other project types.

Several projects receiving funding under the Mega grant are noteworthy to the trucking industry.

The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project will receive $250 million from the grant. One of the worst truck bottlenecks in the nation, the corridor sees over $400 billion in freight movement annually. Funding will go towards the construction of a companion bridge and improvements to eight miles of Interstates 71 and 75 through Kentucky and Ohio. The Brent Spence Bridge will receive approximately $1.6B in federal funding.

In Louisiana, the I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge Replacement Project will receive $150 million. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development expects the value of truck freight moved in the region to grow from $13.5 billion in 2020 to $28.2 billion by 2050. The project addresses another truck bottleneck.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation will receive $60 million for improvements to the Interstate 10 freight corridor. The projects will widen I-10 from four to six lanes from west of
Diamondhead to east of County Farm Road.

More than $80 million will go toward improvements of the Interstate 44 and U.S. 75 corridor in Oklahoma. The project will eliminate a freight bottleneck by reducing crashes and travel delays.

Other projects receiving funding through the Mega grant:

• $292 million for the Hudson River Tunnel project in New York.
• $110 million to replace Alligator River Bridge in North Carolina.
• $117 for a commuter railroad project in Chicago.
• $78 million for the Roosevelt Boulevard Multimodal Project in Philadelphia.
• $30 million for the Watsonville-Cruz Multimodal Corridor Program in Santa Cruz County, Calif.

“From the Hoover Dam to the Golden Gate Bridge, some infrastructure projects are so large and complex that they defy traditional funding systems – and so significant that they become iconic parts of the American landscape,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “After receiving over 100 applications, we are proud to fund these nine infrastructure megaprojects across the country to create jobs, strengthen our supply chains, expand our economy, and renew America’s built landscape.”

The Mega grant program is expected to shell out $5 billion for infrastructure projects through 2026. LL