Federal transportation officials announced Aug. 11 that $2.2 billion will be awarded for local infrastructure projects nationwide, including nearly $41.6 million for four cities in Connecticut.
The federal funds, from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program, are part of last year's passage of an overall $1 trillion infrastructure package by Congress and signed into law by President Biden.
RAISE grants from the deal pave the way for new bridges, roads, bike lanes, railways and ports in scores of communities across the country.
In Connecticut, $23 million will go to Waterbury, $16.3 million will go toward designing and constructing two connected trails in Plainville and New Britain, and Stamford is set to receive $2.1 million, according to WVIT-TV NBC Connecticut.
New Trails in New Britain, Plainville
The first path to be built will fill the last major gap in the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, according to USDOT. The second will connect the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail to the CTfastrak trail in New Britain.
The Capitol Region Council of Governments applied for the funding, and information released by USDOT said a separated bicycle/pedestrian trail will address a known safety issue after 54 collisions were recorded in the area within the last five years.
Three Waterbury Projects to Be Funded
In addition, the city of Waterbury applied for funding and will receive $23.1 million. The money is earmarked for the construction of Phase II of the town's section of the 2.3-mi.-long Naugatuck River Greenway Trail. Part of the monies will also go toward West Main Street renovation and streetscaping improvements, and electrical vehicle charging stations at the Downtown Waterbury Train Station.
‘Complete Street' to Be Designed in Stamford
New Britain-based WVIT-TV reported a RAISE grant totaling $2.1 million was awarded to Stamford after the city applied for funds to design and engineer a "Complete Street" on a little over one mile of the West Main Street corridor. The idea is to improve safety at nine intersections along the roadway by adding more visible crosswalks and shorter crossing distances, an area that has seen 480 collisions with 101 injuries over a four-year period.
USDOT said in a statement that the project also includes adding sidewalks, bus boarding islands and separated bike lanes or shared use of a travel lane.
On the federal agency's website, USDOT also noted that the Stamford project aims to address severe safety issues in an area with substantial minority populations that rely heavily on walking, biking, or public transit to commute to work.
Grants Worth More, But Inflation Takes Its Cut
The competitive RAISE grants this year are more than double the amount awarded the previous year under the same program. A total of 166 projects across the country are getting a slice of the $2.2 billion, a significant increase from the $983 million distributed among 90 projects in 2021.
The 2021 passage of the infrastructure bill led to the 2022 influx of money into the RAISE grant program, totaling an added $7.5 billion over five years.
Though substantial, the new money does not have quite the buying power as anticipated when the infrastructure legislation passed Congress last year. Inflation has driven up the cost of key transportation construction materials; for instance, steel plates for bridges and asphalt for paving roads.
Still, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the funded projects would help modernize America's transportation systems.
"This is a program that recognizes many of the most interesting and compelling ideas and designs and plans aren't going to come from Washington, but more of the funding should," he explained. "That's what we're delivering here."
For many road improvement grants, Buttigieg added, "we're doing it in mind of also benefitting the bike and pedestrian side."
USDOT received approximately $13 billion in RAISE grant applications, he announced.
Today's top stories
