ORANGEBURG, S.C. — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has announced that more than $2.2 billion from the RAISE discretionary grant program will go to 162 different infrastructure projects across the country.
The funding includes $28 million for truck parking projects in Louisiana, Michigan and Texas.
The RAISE grant program, expanded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, supports communities of all sizes, with half of the funding going to rural areas and the other half to urban areas.
“Using the funds in President Biden’s infrastructure law, we are helping communities in every state across the country realize their visions for new infrastructure projects,” Buttigieg said. “This round of RAISE grants is helping create a new generation of good-paying jobs in rural and urban communities alike, with projects whose benefits will include improving safety, fighting climate change, advancing equity, strengthening our supply chain, and more.”
Truck parking
Caldwell County, Texas
A total of $9 million will fund the design and construction of a commercial truck parking plaza in the northwest quadrant of state Highway 130 and the San Marcos Highway/state Highway 80 intersection. The plaza will include about 20 short-term and 100 long-term truck parking spaces. The project also will have entry/exit gate control, lighting, fencing, 24-hour monitored security, and a rest stop with restrooms, showers and other amenities.
Caldwell Parish, Louisiana
A total of $10.5 million will fund the land acquisition and construction activities for a truck parking facility located near the inland Port of Columbia, Ouachita River and state Highway 165. This will include parking for about 50 commercial trucks and 100 cars, as well as 12 electric vehicle charging stations.
Wayne County, Michigan
A total of $8.5 million will fund what’s being called the Truck Stop of the Future Initiative. The project will include electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Redford, Michigan for Class 1-8 vehicles. The project will include multiple DC fast chargers, solar canopies and battery energy storage systems.
Other projects funding by the money include:
- Chula Vista, California: Palomar Street Grade Separation Project: $21.5 million to eliminate a rail crossing that causes frequent delays for drivers and been the site of 85 crashes over a 10-year period. Project also separates Palomar Street from the rail corridor, making it safer for people who walk, bike, and roll.
- Iowa: Rebuilding Bridges: $24.7 million grant to replace up to 9 bridges in poor condition in rural counties. Some bridges are weight-restricted and currently force detours for both residents and commercial truck drivers.
- Eudora, Kansas: Church Street Community Connectivity and Multimodal Enhancements Project. $21 million grant to fix Church Street between 20th and 28th Street near schools, converting a two-lane road into three lanes with a center turn lane and new shared-use paths. Also realigns an intersection, installs a roundabout and adds new stormwater infrastructure.
- Jackson, Kentucky: Panbowl Lake Corridor Project: $21 million grant to make improvements to KY 15, the main artery through town, and strengthen an earthen dam that helps protect community from catastrophic flooding. Jackson was the site of historic, deadly flooding in recent years.
- New Orleans, Louisiana: New Orleans Downtown Transit Center and Connecting Corridors: $24.8 million grant to construct a Downtown Transit Center for the city’s bus and streetcar network and make safety improvements at intersections with a history of pedestrian-involved crashes.
- North Bergen, New Jersey: Tonnelle Avenue Bridge and Utility Relocation Project: $25 million grant to relocate and construct a new, approximately 100-foot road bridge to carry Tonnelle Avenue over a new railroad right-of-way for the new Hudson River Trunnel in North Bergen.
- Standing Rock, South Dakota: Route 6 Reconstruction and Preservation: $18.5 million grant to resurface BIA 6 on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, addressing a road with higher than average roadway injuries and deaths.
The full list of projects can be viewed here.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
