DOT awards $426M for infrastructure projects

An 8-mile highway in Kentucky and lane additions along about 20 miles of Interstate 4 in Florida will receive the largest awards in a $426 million Department of Transportation funding round covering infrastructure projects in 12 states.

The department announced the awards in an Oct. 1 news release. Kentucky’s four-lane highway project received $85.1 million, while the Florida project received $85 million, according to the full project award list.

The funding targets bypass expansions and lane additions on some of the busiest highways in the U.S., according to the release.

Highway and freight projects receive funding

The awards come from the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects program, also known as INFRA. Part of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the program offers competitive grants to bolster U.S. supply chains.

Beyond Kentucky and Florida, the awards include:

• Kansas: $53.5 million for the Kansas State Highway 96 reconstruction and enhancement project in Wichita.
• Mississippi: $44 million for expansion of the I-55/I-69 freight corridor in DeSoto County.
• Missouri: $42.1 million for the I-70 St. Louis Airport Corridor project in St. Louis County.
• Louisiana: $28 million for improvements at the Kaliste Saloom interchange in Lafayette.
• Maine: $27.8 million for I-295 improvements in Cumberland County.
• California: $25 million for the State Route 71 gap closure project in Los Angeles County.
• Georgia: $11.3 million for Project DeRenne, a freight mobility, military and workforce readiness connector in Savannah.
• Oklahoma: $11 million for the 24th Avenue NE improvement project in Norman.
• New Jersey: $7.2 million for the Cumberland Freight Access and Economic Development project in Millville.
• Wyoming: $6.7 million for I-80 Green River Tunnels repair and safety enhancements in Green River.

Awards follow transportation program extension

Lawmakers extended federal surface transportation programs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act through the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions, signed on Sept. 2. The extension covers the Highway Trust Fund, keeping programs such as INFRA authorized.

The highway and freight awards follow other transportation infrastructure funding announcements. DOT announced a $481 million investment in airport infrastructure on Sept. 3. According to a Sept. 14 DOT release, the Federal Aviation Administration also distributed $1.1 billion to airports in 46 states and three territories.

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