U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy has announced the approval of 180 new infrastructure grants totaling over $3.2 billion. These grants are part of a backlog of more than 3,200 projects left unsigned by the previous administration. Since taking office, Secretary Duffy and the Department of Transportation have approved 329 grants, addressing roughly 10% of this backlog.
"America is building again," stated Secretary Duffy. "At the Department of Transportation, that means getting back to basics: Building More, Building Efficiently and Building Quickly." He criticized the previous administration for delays caused by red tape and social requirements, which he claims added unnecessary costs and time to infrastructure projects.
The largest grant in this package is $550 million allocated for Alabama’s I-10 Mobile River bridge and Bayway multimodal project. This initiative aims to bypass two aging tunnels and replace existing Bayway Bridges, fulfilling a promise made by President Trump.
Secretary Duffy's efforts focus on accelerating the distribution of long-overdue funds while removing what he describes as burdensome requirements such as DEI mandates and greenhouse gas emission reporting. According to him, these measures will save taxpayers millions and reduce road construction costs that had increased significantly under the last administration.
The breakdown of these newly approved grants includes funding across various transportation sectors such as aviation, highways, railroads, transit systems, maritime infrastructure, and more.
