The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced that assistance is forthcoming for 112 communities through the Thriving Communities Program (TCP). The TCP aims to facilitate the planning and development of transportation and community revitalization activities, providing tools to ensure that under-resourced communities can access the historic funding provided in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
"President Biden’s infrastructure law has created a once-in-a-generation opportunity through which communities are reimagining and delivering safe, reliable transportation," stated U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "Our Department is proud to help another 112 under-resourced communities with hands-on assistance to secure federal infrastructure funding, and then deliver those projects well."
According to a DOT news release, since its inception in April 2023, the program has aided 176 communities. The DOT will award grants totaling $23.6 million to three national and six regional Thriving Communities Capacity Builders. These funds will support the 112 communities, including 12 Tribal Nations. Out of the 64 communities selected last year, 37 have now secured federal funding for their communities through DOT discretionary grant programs such as Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A), Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE), and the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program.
Build America Bureau Executive Director Morteza Farajian said, "The Thriving Communities participants have proven that this technical assistance model can tremendously impact their success rate not only in competing for federal grants but also in better utilizing innovative solutions to deliver their projects more efficiently and cost-effectively."
A news release revealed that the DOT received 229 letters of interest for this year’s National Thriving Communities program. The program offers two years of no-cost, intensive technical assistance to under-resourced and disadvantaged communities. This assistance helps them identify, develop, and deliver transportation projects to achieve locally-driven economic development, health, environment, mobility, and access goals.
