The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced $1 billion in BUILD transportation grants, once again showing a preference for car-centric, rural projects in selecting the winners of this competitive grant process.
In September, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced $1 billion in Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants.
The BUILD grant program was known during the Obama administration as the TIGER grant program, but was rebranded and refocused in 2018 under U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao's leadership. While the TIGER program was popular among urban jurisdictions for its focus on urban transit systems, the BUILD program has been a boon for rural jurisdictions.
"The grant funding, announced Sept. 16, will support 70 projects in 44 states," according to reporting on the news by Eleanor Lamb, who also provides details on projects awarded BUILD grants in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Kansas, North Dakota, and Colorado.
Among the projects listed for highway improvements, the project in Georgia will build facilities for safe wildlife crossings, and the project in North Dakota is focused on reducing flooding. The only projects included in the article not devoted to automobile infrastructure are plans for a transit hub in Colorado and a multi-modal bridge to connect to Erie, Pennsylvania's waterfront.
Writing for the National Association of Counties in a separate article, Zach George picked up on the rural focus of the BUILD grant program, noting that Secretary Elaine Chao announced that "50 percent of BUILD funding went to rural projects. Of the 70 awards, 19 went directly to county applicants or county projects."
In a rare instance of urbanism-focused coverage of the recent round of BUILD grant funding, Christian MilNeil reeveals the winner and loser of BUILD grant funding in the state of Massachusetts. "The Trump administration turned down a request for federal funding for a planned bus rapid transit corridor on Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester and Mattapan, and opted to award funding to a $300 million highway interchange in Hopkinton instead," according to that article.
The U.S. Department of Transportation a full list of the 2020 BUILD grant awards and a press release from Secretary Chao.
See also previous Planetizen coverage of BUILD grants.
FULL STORY: DOT Announces $1 Billion in BUILD Grants
$544 Million in Transit Capital Investment Funding Announced
The latest round of funding for the Federal Transit Administration's Capital Investment Grant funding program was announced this week.
Elaine Chao Resigns as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation
The fallout from this week's attack on the U.S. Capitol Building includes numerous resignations of top Trump administration officials, including Elaine Chao, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
How RAISE Grants Promote Car-Free Mobility
While there are many reasons to break away from automobile dominance, the RAISE grant program is the only federal effort fully reflecting a public transit and active transportation priorities.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
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.
Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals
The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.
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.
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.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association