Secretary Duffy is chipping away at the unprecedented Biden-Buttigieg backlog of more than 3,200 unsigned projects.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced the Department has approved another 180 infrastructure grants to get America building again. The latest grants, which total more than $3.2 billion, are part of the unprecedented backlog of more than 3,200 projects the previous administration announced but did not execute. Since assuming office, Secretary Duffy and the Department of Transportation have approved a total of 329 grants, or roughly 10% of the Biden-Buttigieg backlog.
“America is building again,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “At the Department of Transportation, that means getting back to basics: Building More, Building Efficiently and Building Quickly. The last administration liked to grab the headlines but didn’t want to do the hard work of building. They also tied road construction up with red tape and leftist social requirements – adding millions in costs and months of delay – all while our outdated infrastructure sat in disrepair. This administration has a different vision: drain the swamp and make government work for the American people.”
Alabama’s I-10 Bridge:
The largest grant within this package is $550 million for breaking ground on Alabama’s I-10 Mobile River bridge and Bayway multimodal project. This project will allow the state to implement desperately needed infrastructure upgrades by bypassing two aging tunnels and replacing the existing Bayway Bridges.
Completing this project was a major promise made by President Trump.
Reminder:
The Trump Administration inherited a record number of 3,200 unobligated grants that had been announced by the previous administration but never obligated. This unprecedented backlog of unobligated grants delayed critical investments in communities across the country. Under Secretary Duffy’s direction, the Department is working diligently to accelerate the distribution of these long-overdue funds and address core infrastructure projects.
As part of this process, the Department has ripped out burdensome DEI, Green New Scam, and social justice requirements that Congress deliberately did not mandate. This includes social cost of carbon accounting, pointless greenhouse gas emission reporting, and discriminatory DEI language.
Additional examples of removed leftist requirements can be found here.
Removing these requirements will save taxpayers millions. Road construction costs skyrocketed roughly 70% under the last administration. The greenhouse gas reporting burden alone increased project costs and added months to the permitting process.
Grants Breakdown:
The latest series of 180 grants approved are outlined below. A more detailed breakdown of each grant can be found here.
FAA
- Airport Improvement Program
- 3 projects ($1.95 million)
- Airport Terminal Program
- 33 projects ($277.1 million)
FHWA
- Bridge Investment Program
- 17 projects ($1.4 billion)
- National Scenic Byway Program
- 1 project ($342,000)
FRA
- Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI)
- 6 projects ($221 million)
- Corridor Identification and Development Program
- 2 projects ($4 million)
- Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (NEC)
- 1 project ($30 million)
- Railroad Crossing Elimination
- 14 projects ($25 million)
- Special Transportation Circumstances
- 1 project ($2.4 million)
FTA
- Low or No Emission (Bus) Grants
- 30 projects ($494 million)
- Tribal Transit
- 6 projects ($3.5 million)
MARAD
- Port Infrastructure Development Program
- 2 projects ($70 million)
- Transportation Demonstration Program
- 1 project ($38 million)
OST-P
- Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD)
- 4 projects ($60 million)
- Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects (INFRA)
- 6 projects ($262 million)
- National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega)
- 1 project ($9.9 million)
- Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program (Rural)
- 5 projects ($189 million)
- Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A)
- 6 projects ($14.6 million)
OST-R
- Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART)
- 27 projects ($90.6 million)
OST-X
- Payments for Small Community Air Service Development Program
- 14 projects ($12 million)