The U.S. Department of Transportation this week announced $900 million in BUILD grant funding for transportation projects around the country, supporting a similar focus on rural and highway projects as in previous rounds of spending.

"The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has awarded about $900 million in the latest round of its much-sought BUILD grants, dividing the funds among 55 projects in 35 states," reports Tom Ichniowski.
"In announcing the winners for the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grants on Nov. 12, DOT noted that 50% of the total dollars awarded are going to projects in rural areas, continuing a Trump administration emphasis," according to Ichniowski.
A separate article by Mischa Wanek-Libman from November 7 preceded the official announcement of the $900 million total BUILD funding to focus on funding for transit projects announced by congressional offices leading up to the official announcement by the U.S. DOT.
"As of the morning of Nov. 7, transit specific and transit related projects account for $78.18 [million] of the awarded grants. USDOT had $900 million in funding available for this round of BUILD grants. During the FY18 round of BUILD grants, transit accounted for $195 million in awarded funds, but USDOT also had $1.5 billion available for the previous round of awards," according to Wanek-Libman. The most recent round of BUILD funding was announced in April 2019.
Despite the extra funding headed the way of rural areas, the news in at least one urban area, Memphis, focused on how much its BUILD grant would help its public transit efforts.
Now that the announcement is official, there's a state-by-state listing of projects, with a description of each, in a pdf file online.
Several sources on Twitter, like the Eno Center Center for Transportation's JeffDavis and the San Francisco Chronicle's Rachel Swan, provided additional insight into the transportation funding priorities of the Trump administration as compared to the Obama administration.
Once again, the modal selection of #BUILD grants under the Trump Admin skews heavily towards roads... #transportation pic.twitter.com/gZsEyp6ncN
— Jeff Davis (@JDwithTW) November 12, 2019
The Trump Administration announced $900 million in transportation grants today. Here's a snapshot from Transportation Weekly Express, comparing Obama administration multi-modal grants to Trump administration. pic.twitter.com/HeQkxl7mYB
— Rachel Swan (@rachelswan) November 12, 2019
FULL STORY: US DOT Picks Winners for $900M in New BUILD Grants

Amtrak Ramping Up Infrastructure Projects
Thanks to federal funding from the 2021 infrastructure act, the agency plans to triple its investment in infrastructure improvements and new routes in the next two years.

Ending Downtown San Francisco’s ‘Doom Loop’
A new public space project offers an ambitious vision—so why is the city implementing it at such a small scale?

Proposal Would Transform L.A.’s ‘Freeway to Nowhere’ Into Park, Housing
A never-completed freeway segment could see new life as a mixed-use development with housing, commercial space, and one of the county’s largest parks.

Federal Government Announces National Climate Resilience Framework
The document is designed to guide federal investment into community-driven solutions tailored to local conditions and needs.

How to Build for Aging in Place
Why developers should place more emphasis on building homes for aging residents and multigenerational living.

Bringing Planning Back to the People
Has the profession given in to corporate interests, and is there another way forward?
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Washington University
Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
City of Helena
Lassen County Planning and Building Services
City of San Carlos
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.