Nearly $1 billion in grants have been awarded by the Biden administration through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grants program for improving America's infrastructure.
The grants were given to 90 projects in 47 states and the District of Columbia and Guam, a Nov. 19 press release by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) said.
"We're proud to support these great projects that will improve infrastructure, strengthen supply chains, make us safer, advance equity, and combat climate change," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the release
The New Mexico DOT will receive $25 million to reconstruct approximately 21 miles of U.S. 64 in Northwestern New Mexico, the press release said. It is the maximum allowed for RAISE grants. Each state is given a cap of $100 million in total funding, according to a report by Black Hills FOX.
The New Mexico project includes “the replacement of four bridges with wider, more resilient structures; improvements along 21 miles of roadway, including enhanced lighting, widened shoulders, rumble strips, and new pavement. Fiber optic cable will also be installed to connect communications and monitoring equipment, which will improve corridor management practices,” the release said.
RAISE funding is provided to support roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports, or intermodal transportation in the United States, the release said. Grants are awarded on a “competitive basis for projects that will have a significant local or regional impact,” according to Black Hills FOX.
