The funding comes from a discretionary grant program aimed at supporting infrastructure projects too massive or complex for traditional funding mechanisms.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced close to $1.2 billion awarded to nine applicants for the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) discretionary grant program. The program “funds projects that are too large or complex for traditional funding programs” such as bridge, port, highway, passenger rail, and other major projects.
According to USDOT, “Applications were evaluated based on several criteria, including safety, ability to return transportation infrastructure to a state of good repair, economic benefits like the creation of quality jobs, supply chain resiliency, environmental sustainability and climate resiliency, equity, and innovation.”
The grants include $78 million for Philadelphia’s Roosevelt Boulevard Multimodal Project, which will make improvements on one of the city’s most dangerous streets; $292 million for concrete casing at New York’s Hudson Yards that lays a foundation for the Gateway Project and preserves right-of-way for the Hudson River Tunnel; $60 million for a freeway widening project in Diamondhead, Mississippi; and $260 million for bridge replacement projects in Louisiana and North Carolina.
Planetizen previously covered reporting on the Brent Spence Bridge, which serves as an important freight corridor over the Ohio River. A proposal to improve the bridge and build an adjacent bridge to relieve traffic received $250 million in Mega funding and $1.6 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding last month.

New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition
Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.

A Serious Critique of Congestion Costs and Induced Vehicle Travel Impacts
Some highway advocates continue to claim that roadway expansions are justified to reduce traffic congestion. That's not what the research shows. It's time to stop obsessing over congestion and instead strive for efficient accessibility.

Rethinking the Role of Parking in the American City
In cities big and small, the tide is turning against sprawling parking lots, car-centric development, and minimum parking mandates.

Mapping Sidewalks for Improved Connectivity
A new tool uses aerial image recognition to map a city’s sidewalks and crosswalks. Its developers hope it will aid in creating a more comprehensive understanding of pedestrian networks and where improvements are needed.

Long Beach Residents Oppose Proposed Homeless Services Hub Near Rail Terminus
L.A. Metro’s “end-of-the-line” policy forces people experiencing homeless off transit every night at the same time and location. A proposed hub would provide services a few stops before the end of the line in Long Beach.

The Nation's Most Advanced Secessionist Movement
Legislation supporting the Greater Idaho Movement, which would annex over half of neighboring Oregon, has advanced in the Idaho legislature.
City of Greenville
City of Greenville
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
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.