ST. LOUIS, MO — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announces that the Biden Administration will invest nearly $1 billion in American infrastructure through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grants program. The funding has been awarded to 90 projects in 47 states and the District of Columbia and Guam.

“We’re proud to support these great projects that will improve infrastructure, strengthen supply chains, make us safer, advance equity, and combat climate change,” Buttigieg said. “As in past years, we received far more applications than we could fund; this cycle saw about a ten-to-one ratio of requests to available dollars. But going forward, with the passage of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we will be able to support far more infrastructure projects to support jobs and everyday life in communities across the country."

The program selection criteria encompassed safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness, state of good repair, innovation, and partnerships with a range of stakeholders. Within these criteria, the grants reflect the department’s priorities for creating good-paying jobs, improving safety, applying technology, and addressing climate change and advancing racial equity.

Listed below is an example of FY21 in the Construction Digest area:

St. Louis County, Missouri will receive $18.2 million to reconstruct approximately 1.5 miles of West Florissant Avenue, a principal arterial in the Greater St. Louis area, from Stein Road to Ferguson Avenue, through the towns of Dellwood and Ferguson. The project includes a new shared-use path, upgrades to transit stops, new traffic signals, medians, modified property access, new crosswalks, and improved ADA-compliant sidewalks. The project will also relocate and add additional bus stops, pedestrian wayfinding, and create new greenspace and landscaping. Pedestrian-scale lighting will also be included.

The project addresses safety challenges for vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders while removing barriers to opportunity for the community. A new multi-use path will improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety. The pathway will be essential for residents who do not have access to cars and will provide viable transportation alternatives.