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The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has identified $4.2 billion in construction projects it will help fund via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed three years ago.
In its Oct. 21 announcement, the DOT says 44 projects have been selected in a new round of funding, including projects that involve constructing major bridges, expanding port capacity and redesigning interchanges.
"With this latest round of awards, dozens of major and much-needed projects—projects that are often difficult to fund through other means—are getting the long-awaited investments they need to move forward,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says.
Since the passage of the 2021 bill, funding from two programs tied to the bill has totaled nearly $12.8 billion, including some 85 highway improvement projects, 35 large bridge projects, 20 rail projects and what the department considers 18 large port projects.
Selected projects the latest round include more than $470 million to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority for a draw bridge replacement project in Boston. The 92-year-old bridge to be replaced functions as the primary portal for over 1,100 passenger trains each week into Boston’s North Station.
The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PhilaPort) will receive more than $215 million to expand capacity at the Southport waterfront port terminal in that region. The DOT calls PhilaPort “the fastest-growing port on the East Coast.”
In Monroe County, Michigan, near the Ohio border, some $195 million in funds will go toward replacing what DOT calls “the deteriorating River Raisin Bridge” on Interstate 75. The new crossing is expected to accommodate estimated future traffic, update and replace six existing structures and reconstruct over 2 miles of roadway to improve safety and the efficiency of freight movement.
Other significant projects include: more than $85 million to the Mississippi Department of Transportation to upgrade and repair bridges along I-20 and I-55; more than $68 million to the Iowa Department of Transportation to reconstruct the existing I-35/I-80/I-235 interchange, which was built in the 1960s to handle 1,000 vehicles per hour but now carries an estimated 1,500 vehicles per hour; and $66 million to the Florida Department of Transportation to replace the 2 1/2-mile Long Key Bridge in the Florida Keys region.
