The U.S. 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 the nation’s communities are resilient.
“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."
Funding Made Available
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.
Previous Grant Awards
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, Minn., to Superior, Wash.; replacing the I-5 Bridge over the Columbia River between Vancouver, Wash., and Portland, Ore.; 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.
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.
