WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced $22million for two projects in Nebraska, part of $1.8 billion in awards from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program. Today’s awards fund 148 projects nationwide and bring the total amount of Biden-Harris Administration RAISE grants to more than $7.2 billion for over 550 projects across the country.
“After decades of underinvestment, the condition of America’s infrastructure is now finally getting better instead of worse – and today we proudly announce our support for 148 more projects in communities of every size across the country,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re funding projects across the country to make roads safer, make it easier for people to move around their community, make transportation infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather, and improve supply chains to keep costs down for consumers.”
The competitive and popular RAISE program, which was authorized $1.5 billion a year on top of already appropriated funds thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, supports a diverse slate of communities with projects of local and regional significance. Funding is split equally between urban and rural areas, and a large percentage of grants support regions defined as historically disadvantaged or areas of persistent poverty. The eligibility requirements of RAISE allow project sponsors, including state and local governments, counties, Tribal governments, transit agencies, and port authorities, to pursue multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional projects that are more difficult to fund through other grant programs. RAISE discretionary grants invest in critical freight and passenger transportation infrastructure projects that would otherwise not receive the funding needed if not for President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
RAISE is a keystone program of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, rebuilding and repairing critical infrastructure using American-made materials and spurring historic levels of private sector investment in regions around the country. Investing in key transportation infrastructure initiatives through programs like RAISE is growing the economy from the middle out and bottom up, lowering costs for families, and creating good-paying, union jobs for American workers in their home communities.
As in years past, the demand for RAISE funding outpaced available funds, with the Department receiving almost $13 billion in requests for the $1.8 billion available this year.
Projects in Nebraska announced today include:
- $750,000 for the Investment into Intermodal Mobility and Community Connectivity project in Lincoln County – The project will explore the development of an alternate route for freight traffic that minimizes conflicts with non-motorized travelers in both residential and downtown employment centers. The project will also lead to the creation of an active transportation infrastructure and improve existing infrastructure, including the inland port designation of the Nebraska International Port of the Plains, including the incorporation of EVs and EV charging for inland port activities. Additionally, the project will identify alternative truck routes that reduce traffic and vehicular idling in disadvantaged neighborhoods and downtown areas.
Gary Person, President and CEO of the North Platte Area Chamber and Development Corporation, talks about receiving the grant and what it will be used for.
- $21,389,417 for the Court Street Access and Safety Transformation (CAST) Initiative in Beatrice – The project includes the rerouting of Highway 136 one block south to Market Street and the redevelopment of Court Street as a pedestrian-focused corridor with improved seating, bike racks, trash receptacles, sidewalks with lighting, amenity zone elements, wayfinding monuments, intersection treatments, and the addition of some public outdoor space. By rerouting a busy State Highway and rebuilding Court Street, pedestrian and cyclist safety risks will be dramatically reduced in the downtown business area. Additionally, the creation of a complete pedestrian connection between downtown and the nearby trail system will create new recreational opportunities for pedestrians.
The full list of projects can be viewed here.
