New funding for Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grants has been approved by a U.S. Senate subcommittee as part of the upcoming 2020 appropriations bill.
What are known simply as BUILD grants are used to pay for any number of transportation infrastructure projects across the country.
The Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee has altogether now given the green light to just under $87 billion in transportation funding for the coming fiscal year.
That funding will also make available some $46.3 billion for highway construction and upgrading projects, and $17.7 billion for airport infrastructure projects spearheaded by the Federal Aviation Administration.
New and continuing rail infrastructure projects spearheaded by the Federal Railroad Administration are receiving $2.8 billion in grant funding, while the Federal Transit Administration is poised to receive $13 billion for similar project work.
The legislation will also provide just over $900 million for port infrastructure projects nationally, as well as funding for bridge replacements and railway/highway grade crossings improvements.
The subcommittee spending bill is now being reviewed by members of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The BUILD program is administered through the federal Department of Transportation and is designed to support investments in a wide array of transportation infrastructure projects.
Between 2009 and 2017, the program provided more than $5 billion for 421 transportation infrastructure investment projects nationally.
By Garry Boulard
