Build America Bureau at the U.S. Department of Transportation

Exciting News! Please share with your network and potential applicants. Today, the Bureau issued a notice of funding announcement for the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator program for up to $10 million in no-match grants. https://lnkd.in/ekhg7qvj Check out Grants.gov: https://lnkd.in/ejsgWYbU American Planning Association National Association of Counties AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) National Association of Regional Councils American Public Transportation Association Association Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) National League of Cities National Governors Association Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) National Conference of State Legislatures United States Conference of Mayors COMTO National Office Mpact Federal Transit Administration Federal Highway Administration U.S. Department of Transportation Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) Build America Center Accelerator for America AIAI - The Association for the Improvement of American Infrastructure Commercial Law Development Program Partnerships Bulletin Joint Office of Energy and Transportation Northeast Corridor Commission Association of American Railroads National Association of Development Organizations (NADO)

ICYMI: $4.2 million in grants for projects across the US! For non-awarded projects and those that have funding gaps to cover the full cost, Bureau financing can help deliver projects sooner and avoid construction escalation costs. Contact us at BuildAmerica@dot.gov to explore options.

Thanks to Mpact for hosting us this week for an excellent discussion around innovative initiatives, policy changes, funding opportunities, and technical assistance from the USDOT! The Bureau's Jake Sacks and Meredith Davis were joined by Veronica Perry McBeth and April Mclean-McCoy at the "Partnering with the USDOT" panel to help the audience learn how communities can achieve successful projects by leveraging the many resources available through USDOT and the historic level of transportation funding made available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Contact us today to learn more about how we can work together for your community! #MPACT2024 #Transportation

The Bureau congratulates the Bernalillo County/ I-40 TradePort Corridor Regional Infrastructure Accelerator (I40TRIA) on a very successful Summit this week. This RIA is working on a multi-state delivery structure to implement a system of TradePort hubs at strategic locations along the 805-mile stretch of I-40 from the Port of Los Angeles to New Mexico. The I40TRIA will deliver the business plan for the I-40 TradePort Corridor's facilities and infrastructure, catalyze new infrastructure projects, attract private and institutional capital, coordinate innovative financing of infrastructure projects, and build a high performing and effective organization that will result in long-term job creation and other economic opportunities for I40TPC Partners. The Bureau's Carl Ringgold shared insights about the significance/value of the RIA program and attended a tour of what will be one of three TradePort sites (rail complex). The group photo in the room (see photo below) included: City Of Kingman, AZ, City of Winslow, AZ, Bernalillo County, NM, Global Logistics Development Partners | GLDPartners. The photo below of four people includes Carl, Bob (Luis) Gomez, Transportation Consultant – Central New Mexico Rail Park (CNMRP), Tim MacEachen, CCIM, SIOR – Qualifying Broker -Rio Real Estate Victoria Archuleta – Senior Economic Developer – Village of Los Lunas, NM. They provided a tour of what will be a rail location for the tradeport in NM. Tim is pictured below pointing to a map. Carl presented to the broader coalition of partners about the Bureau’s credit finance and technical assistance programs and how they can support the I-40 TradePort corridor. Attendees included representatives from the Port of Los Angeles, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)’s New Mexico Field Office, New Mexico Department of Transportation, Arizona Department of Transportation and numerous partners.

THRIVING COMMUNITIES IN ACTION: In the City of Brownsville, Texas, a bustling border city on the southern tip of Texas that hosts a land port of entry and a deepwater seaport, the community is struggling with unsafe road conditions, especially for pedestrians. Brownsville started receiving technical assistance through the Thriving Communities Program (TCP) in 2023. After identifying the city's top priorities, TCP Capacity Builders, led by The Ray, helped the city prepare a successful application for a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant that will ultimately fund a safety demonstration pilot. TCP’s impact in Brownsville extends beyond U.S. Department of Transportation, too. Capacity Builders have assisted the community in building collaborative partnerships with GSA to tap into funds available through their Land Port of Entry program. They’ve also helped the city strengthen relationships with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Transit Administration, and Federal Highway Administration to develop strategies for infrastructure projects to improve mobility, pedestrian walkability, and safety in the community. TCP staff recently had the pleasure of conducting a site visit to Brownsville, touring several locations, including Tony Gonzalez Park (photo 1, mural artist: Sara Barriera), La Plaza at the Brownsville Terminal (photos 2 and 3), and the Port of Brownsville (photo 4).

This year for the first time, we welcomed six regional capacity builder teams to the Thriving Communities Program (TCP). These organizations represent seven state DOTs and regional planning organizations, and through the regional pilot, the goal is to bring technical assistance even closer to home for rural communities in Alaska, Colorado, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and West Virginia. At the TCP convening this week, each capacity builder introduced the group to their approach – what they aim to accomplish, how they plan to provide localized technical assistance, and who their key partners are. It was an exciting exchange of ideas and the beginning of a three-year community of practice. Want to learn more about TCP? Please visit https://lnkd.in/g-bZHN9P

Did You Know: Of the 64 communities in the first Thriving Communities cohort, 39 had never won a grant from U.S. Department of Transportation. In just one year, 67% of those communities became first-time grantees! And we’re not just talking about big cities, either. The City of Douglas, Arizona (pop: 15,589), the municipality of Isabela in Puerto Rico (pop: 42,817), and the City and Borough of Wrangell, Alaska (pop: 2,064; pictured: Harbor Basin, credit City of Wrangell) are among those first-time awardees, and those grant dollars will support projects that range from developing comprehensive safety action plans to reconstructing a historic harbor. Want to learn more about the Thriving Communities Program? Please visit https://lnkd.in/g-bZHN9P

Thriving Communities Program (TCP) capacity builders are getting in some face time! TCP capacity builders provide no-cost technical assistance to communities across the county over a two-year period, but most of that support happens remotely. This week, we’re in-person at U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters for the TCP Convening. Capacity builder teams led by Abt Global, COMTO Headquarters, and Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated (RCAP) are holding sessions on community engagement, project prioritization, the WealthWorks model, and more (pictured). Community leaders will head home with more tools in their proverbial toolboxes. Want to learn more about TCP? Please visit https://lnkd.in/g-bZHN9P

"When we welcomed the first Thriving Communities Program cohort a year ago, it was with the recognition that communities themselves are the best positioned to advance community-driven priorities. "We set out to create a program that gives communities the flexibility they need to meet those infrastructure needs – not through one-off funds for a study or a discrete task, but multi-year support from expert capacity builders.” - Christopher Coes, Acting Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation, speaking at the 2024 Thriving Communities Program (TCP) Convening TCP provides no-cost technical assistance to disadvantaged communities – rural, urban, and in between – as they seek to move transportation infrastructure projects from concept to completion. Want to learn more about TCP? Please visit https://lnkd.in/g-bZHN9P

THRIVING COMMUNITIES IN ACTION: Jackson, Mississippi, has been ranked the 10th MOST dangerous place for pedestrians in America, and although it is the state capital city, a history of fractured relationships with other government agencies means that there has been little funding to address critical infrastructure needs across the city.  In West and South Jackson, areas with civil rights history and minority neighborhoods that have been divided from the rest of the city by interstates, disinvestment is seen in the aging pavement and disconnected sidewalk networks.  The Thriving Communities Program has helped bring together the city and county, together with state agencies, to identify and prioritize pedestrian and safety projects, including an application for a Safe Streets for All (SS4A) demonstration grant and a Safe Routes to School grant. These are strategic opportunities to identify funding streams that can support safety and transportation infrastructure in the community over the long term. The Mississippi Federal Highway Administration field office has also supported the conversations happening between the city, county, and state. Stakeholders are working together to build a different future for the City of Jackson’s transportation landscape. Want to learn more about the Thriving Communities Program? Please visit https://lnkd.in/g-bZHN9P