How Locals Are Planning to Spend $2.2 Billion in RAISE Transportation Grants, Part Two

Part two of a series of post providing specific information for 164 of the 166 projects recently awarded funding by the U.S. Department of Transportation's RAISE grant funding program.

12 minute read

August 29, 2022, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

A conceptual rendering of a cable-stayed bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Sheboygan River in Sheboygan, Wisconsin

The Bicycle and Pedestrian swing bridge planned for Sheboygan, Wisconsin was awarded $5.3 million in funding from the RAISE grant program earlier this month. | Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Transportation

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Biden administration announced $2.2 billion in RAISE grant funding for transportation projects around the United States. With a 50-50 split between urban and rural projects, the Biden administration has promised to leverage the RAISE program, bolstered with funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to reduce emissions while improving equity, increase options for car-free mobility, and improve the sustainability of the nation’s transportation systems.

The Biden administration announced the RAISE program in April 2021 as a replacement for the BUILD grant program of the Trump administration, itself a replacement of the TIGER grant program of the Obama administration. 

To provide more scrutiny of the RAISE grant funding round, especially as compared to the Biden administration’s own ambitions and the funding programs of its predecessors, Planetizen has gathered local news coverage and public relations communications on almost all of the programs funded by RAISE this month.

A few other aggregations of the RAISE grant funding program provide additional insight into the scope and the specifics of the funding round. Mass Transit, for example, tallies the total funding allocated for transit-specific projects at $476 million out of the $2.2 billion total. Freight Waves adds up the funding for all port projects and comes up with a total of $57 million. Yonah Freemark shared the results of an analysis of RAISE spending on Twitter that counted 10 percent of the $2.2 billion going toward new road construction or expansion.

For some anecdotal evidence about how grant programs during the Biden administration are differing from grant programs under the Obama administration, note that a planned extension of the Milwaukee streetcar, known as the Hop, was originally funded with $14.2 million in TIGER grants from the Obama administration. A plan to extend the Hop, however, has been passed over in all four tries for grant funding, including with this most recent round of RAISE grant funding.

The following list completes the work of part one of the series by listing the 82 projects in the second half of the grant award list (out of a total of 166). Also included are news coverage or press releases, starting with projects in the state of Missouri, for all but one of the projects (looking at you, Dallas). See part one of the series for Arizona through Mississippi.

News Coverage

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Puerto Rico

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virgin Islands

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Press Releases

Montana

Nevada

New Jersey

New York

North Dakota

Northern Mariana Islands

Oklahoma

South Carolina

Washington

Environment Infrastructure Transportation RAISE Grants Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Biden Administration Transportation Funding Transportation Planning Secretary Pete Buttigieg Equity Greenhouse Gas Emissions Emission Reductions View More

James Brasuell

James Brasuell, AICP is the former editorial director of Planetizen and is now a senior public affairs specialist at the Southern California Association of Governments. James managed all editorial content and direction for Planetizen from 2014 to 2023, and was promoted from manging editor to editorial director in 2021. After a first career as a class five white water river guide in Trinity County in Northern California, James started his career in Los Angeles as a volunteer at a risk reduction center in Skid Row.

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

Start Learning

You Might Also Like

U.S> Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg delivers a speech in front of a bridge in Washington, D.C. The podium where he stands has a sign that reads: "Building a Better America."

How Locals Are Planning to Spend $2.2 Billion in RAISE Transportation Grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation earlier this month announced $2.2 billion in RAISE grants. The Biden administration has promised that the RAISE grant program will improve equity and sustainability in the nation's transportation systems.

August 22, 2022 - James Brasuell

U.S> Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg delivers a speech in front of a bridge in Washington, D.C. The podium where he stands has a sign that reads: "Building a Better America."

$2.2 Billion in RAISE Grant Funding Announced for Transportation Projects

The Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) competitive grant program, supersized by the federal infrastructure bill in 2021, just announced a new round of funding.

August 11, 2022 - U.S. Department Of Transportation

Freeway Interchange Construction

Biden Administration Proposes New Rule to Track Emission Reductions by State DOTs

Some skepticism is warranted about the potential impact of a proposed federal rule for states and regional planning agencies to track greenhouse gas reductions from transportation investment.

July 10, 2022 - Federal Highway Administration

Most Read

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

Skyscrapers in Jersey City.

New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers

Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.

September 4, 2026 - The Cool Down

Latest News

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

7 hours ago - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

A white RAPID bus. The lower half is light blue, and says RAPID in purple text. The bus is half visible, appearing from the left side of the image.

Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses

Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.

September 15 - KJZZ

Advertise with us
Planetizen Courses

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

View More

Jobs

Senior Planner

Eagle County Government

Assistant or Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Design - Spatial Analysis and Technology

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Planner 2, Plan Review - Land Development

Nashville Planning Department

View More Post Job

Events

2027 Call for Applications: Pro Bono Technical Assistance for Communities Architects Foundation

The Architects Foundation

Shape the Future of Communities with UC's 100% Online Master of City Planning

University of Cincinnati Online

Explore how GIS to addresses today's most pressing challenges at Esri Planning Directors Summit.

Esri

View More Post Event

RFPs and RFQs

Pocatello Regional Airport Business Park Master Plan, Economic Feasibility, and Infrastructure Analysis

The Pocatello Development Authority

For Treasurer/Bookkeeping Services

The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello

Call for Papers, AI and the Future of Urban Planning

Journal of the American Planning Association

View More Post RFP

Write for Planetizen

View Guidelines blue arrow icon