The U.S. DOT this week published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to apply for $1 billion in FY 2020 discretionary grant funding through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grants program.
“BUILD grants will upgrade infrastructure across America, making our transportation systems safer and more efficient,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said in a statement.
As the federal government looks to enhance America’s infrastructure, FY 2020 BUILD transportation grants are for planning and capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure and are to be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant local or regional impact. BUILD funding can support roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports, or intermodal transportation.
U.S. DOT says that projects considered for BUILD grants will be evaluated based on merit criteria that include safety, economic competitiveness, quality of life, environmental sustainability, state of good repair, innovation, and partnership.
To better address the needs of rural America, the U.S. DOT intends to award 50% of BUILD transportation grant funding to projects located in rural areas that deliver positive benefits for these communities, consistent with the department’s ROUTES initiative. For this round of BUILD grants, the maximum grant award is $25 million, and no more than $100 million can be awarded to a single state, as specified in the appropriations act.
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SOURCE: U.S. DOT
