FASTLANE Grants name changed to INFRA

[mvak36]

Ran across this today. It looks like all the states have to resubmit their FASTLANE grant applications.

https://www.transportation.gov/buildamerica/infragrants

Applicants may resubmit their previous FASTLANE application, but must explain how the project competitively addresses the improved INFRA Grant criteria.  This NOFO will remain open for 120 days.

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

[Grzrd]

This article provides a little more detail about how the resubmitted grant applications will be combined with the 2018 applications.

[mvak36]

https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/chao-156b-in-2017-18-infra-grants-still-months-away/39393

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao told Congress March 6 that the Department of Transportation expects to award $1.56 billion in 2017 and 2018 INFRA grants "hopefully . . . by the beginning of June . . . the beginning of the summer."

The department has had the INFRA project applications in hand since it closed the grant requests Nov. 2, but Chao said it had to first handle the separate $500 million in 2017 TIGER grants.

Chao told the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that while the department was notifying lawmakers this week about its selections for those TIGER grants — which can cover a wide range of projects across various travel modes — the same USDOT office that first processed those TIGER applications could now turn to the INFRA applications and start sorting through them.

I'm hoping the Bella Vista Bypass gets selected for an award in these grants. Although, I'm sure there are a lot of deserving projects around the country too.

[TheArkansasRoadgeek]

https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/chao-156b-in-2017-18-infra-grants-still-months-away/39393

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao told Congress March 6 that the Department of Transportation expects to award $1.56 billion in 2017 and 2018 INFRA grants "hopefully . . . by the beginning of June . . . the beginning of the summer."

The department has had the INFRA project applications in hand since it closed the grant requests Nov. 2, but Chao said it had to first handle the separate $500 million in 2017 TIGER grants.

Chao told the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that while the department was notifying lawmakers this week about its selections for those TIGER grants — which can cover a wide range of projects across various travel modes — the same USDOT office that first processed those TIGER applications could now turn to the INFRA applications and start sorting through them.

I'm hoping the Bella Vista Bypass gets selected for an award in these grants. Although, I'm sure there are a lot of deserving projects around the country too.

Did Missouri get the grant that the NWA Development Commission (I forgot what agency it was, oops) applied for?

[mvak36]

https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/chao-156b-in-2017-18-infra-grants-still-months-away/39393

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao told Congress March 6 that the Department of Transportation expects to award $1.56 billion in 2017 and 2018 INFRA grants "hopefully . . . by the beginning of June . . . the beginning of the summer."

The department has had the INFRA project applications in hand since it closed the grant requests Nov. 2, but Chao said it had to first handle the separate $500 million in 2017 TIGER grants.

Chao told the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that while the department was notifying lawmakers this week about its selections for those TIGER grants — which can cover a wide range of projects across various travel modes — the same USDOT office that first processed those TIGER applications could now turn to the INFRA applications and start sorting through them.

I'm hoping the Bella Vista Bypass gets selected for an award in these grants. Although, I'm sure there are a lot of deserving projects around the country too.

Did Missouri get the grant that the NWA Development Commission (I forgot what agency it was, oops) applied for?

The article said they will announce the winning projects in June. I hope they do lol. Otherwise, with Missouri's funding woes, it will be a while before it gets built.

[mvak36]

Haven't seen anything official from the US DOT but I've seen some articles about some INFRA grants being awarded. I will post the articles here.

North Carolina
Colorado
Michigan
Nebraska
Ohio
South Dakota
Tennessee
Illinois
Oklahoma
Georgia
Pennsylvania
Louisiana
Wisconsin

One of the articles mentioned that Congress would have to approve these projects. So maybe that's why we haven't heard anything official.

[mvak36]

List of the proposed awards. https://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/infra_proposed_awards_6.4.2018.pdf

Apologies for the smallish font on the screenshot.


The Bella Vista Bypass wasn't listed as one of them  , but it looks like there will be a lot of deserving projects that will get these grants (once approved by Congress).

http://www.ttnews.com/articles/infra-grants-address-congestion-corridor-expansion
A more detailed description of each of the projects could be found at: https://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/infrashuster.pdf

[Revive 755]

Is it just me or do these grants seem like pork being assigned by committee instead of Congress?  I have a hard time seeing widening US 385 in desolate western Nebraska being a better use of funds than the Bella Vista Bypass.

[mvak36]

Is it just me or do these grants seem like pork being assigned by committee instead of Congress?  I have a hard time seeing widening US 385 in desolate western Nebraska being a better use of funds than the Bella Vista Bypass.

The ones I have more of a gripe with is the amount of money allocated to the Wisconsin and Georgia projects. Those GA400 express lanes are going to be tolled, so I don't understand how they could give them that much money for that.

[Rothman]

Congress is the wrong branch to blame for these grants from that perspective.  It is more like earmarks being developed in the executive branch, despite Congress signing the enabling legislation.