U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced more than $4 million in grants from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) designed to accelerate innovation in highway project delivery. The funds, which offset the cost of demonstration projects, will help to get roads and bridges repaired and built faster and more efficiently. Additional grants will be announced in coming weeks.
“These innovative investments will give drivers time back with their families instead of sitting in snarled traffic caused by longer-than-necessary road and bridge repairs and replacement,” said Foxx. “Creativity is key to innovation, and we have the know-how, which underscores the need for the cost-effective infrastructure investments the Grow America Act will make possible.”
The funding announced comes from the FHWA Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration program, which will ultimately invest $30 million in incentive funding for federal, state, local and tribal government agencies to hasten their use of these innovative methods. The AID program builds on the success of the agency’s ongoing Every Day Counts initiative, a partnership between the FHWA and state and local transportation agencies to accelerate the deployment of innovative methods and cutting project delivery times.
“The agencies receiving these funds are pioneering new techniques in road- and bridge-building,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. “We’re proud to be a partner in this effort by making available the financial resources needed for higher quality and more durable roads and bridges.”