DOT Approved $2.9 Billion to Overcome Infrastructure Needs

DOT Approved 529 Delayed Grants to Speed Up Infrastructure Work

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy says the Department of Transportation (DOT) has approved 529 delayed infrastructure grants. These DOT approved grants total more than $2.9 billion. The approvals are part of a push to reduce a large backlog of more than 3,200 project grants.

According to the DOT, 1,065 projects have now been approved since the start of the current administration. These projects are valued at nearly $10 billion. The agency says this total accounts for over one-third of the original backlog.

Approved Grants Aim to Fix Long Delays

The DOT says many of the delayed grants were first announced during the Biden administration. However, the money was not officially released. The funds had not been signed off or obligated, which held up project progress.

Secretary Duffy says the DOT is now focusing on what it calls “core infrastructure.” The department is also working to speed up the process by cutting certain policies that had been in place.

Approved Projects Include Delayed Rail and Port Work

The newly cleared projects include some that were first announced more than a year ago. Among the DOT approved grants are:

• $21 million for rail safety work just north of Ann Arbor, Michigan. This was first announced in June 2022.
• $12 million for improvements at the Manatee County Port Authority in Florida. This was announced in September 2022.
• $110 million for a bridge in North Carolina that will connect to the Outer Banks. This project was announced in January 2023.
• $47 million for upgrades at the Port of Baltimore. This was first announced in December 2023.

The DOT says these approvals may help local communities start work on projects that have been stalled. However, construction start dates may still depend on planning and permitting at the state and local levels.

DOT Approved Changes to Grant Policies

As part of this new push, the DOT has changed how it reviews grants. The department has removed some administrative rules that had been used before. These removed requirements include:

• Social cost of carbon accounting
• Greenhouse gas emission reporting
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies

The DOT says these changes should lower costs and speed up project timelines. The department also claims that greenhouse gas reporting had added several months to the permit process.

Officials also say construction costs rose by about 70% under the last administration. It is not clear how much of that rise was due to the now-removed policies.

More DOT Approved Projects Expected

The department has not said how many delayed projects are still left. But it says work will continue to approve more of them. These are grants that had already been announced publicly but had not yet been signed off.

Secretary Duffy says the department’s goal is to “rip out red tape” and get construction moving again. The DOT hopes that by changing how grants are handled, it can speed up results and possibly save taxpayer money. The true effects of the changes will become clearer as construction begins in the months ahead.