Infrastructure

The Washington State Department of Transportation recently awarded $26.5 million to 11 state ports to help them electrify their operations.

[Above photo by WSDOT]

These are the first awards through the Port Electrification Grant Program created by the state legislature in 2023 and funded by Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The WSDOT said all 75 public ports across the state are eligible to seek grants from this program, which is part of a larger statewide initiative to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector.

“We are pleased to support cleaner air quality for those who live and work near the ports,” said Jason Biggs, director of WSDOT’s Rail, Freight, and Ports Division, in a statement. “This program helps ports switch from using fossil fuels, creates a better work environment for port staff and ensures nearby neighborhoods are healthier places to live.”

WSDOT is also involved in a related maritime project to replace the ferry vessels it operates with hybrid-electric models.

To that end, Washington State Ferries (WSF) – a division of WSDOT – recently contracted with ABB to help design and build new hybrid-electric-powered 160-automobile-capacity ferry boats.

Per the new partnership, ABB will select and integrate the technology that will power the new vessels, which includes the engine, batteries, and propeller system. The firm is also in charge of designing a “complete propulsion system,” will oversee the timely delivery of equipment, and offer expertise in equipment installation and commissioning as part of its contract with WSF.

ABB will also play a critical role in training WSF’s crews on the operation and maintenance of these new systems, WSDOT noted.

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded $23.6 million in Thriving Communities Program or TCP grants to three national “capacity builders” and six regional providers that will provide roughly 112 communities – including 12 tribal nations – with technical assistance so they can access federal infrastructure funding and resources.

[Above photo by the USDOT]

Managed by the Build America Bureau within USDOT, the program’s “technical assistance” includes a variety of tasks, from preparing application materials and predevelopment activities, to deploying innovative community engagement, workforce development, and clean technology strategies.

The agency said the overall TCP initiative – created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA – provides two years of no-cost technical assistance to help advance projects that improve health outcomes, reduce housing and transportation cost burdens, improve housing conditions, preserve or expand jobs, and increase reliable mobility options for “disadvantaged communities,” especially small, rural, and tribal ones.

USDOT noted that, out of the 64 communities selected to receive $22 million in TCP grants in 2023, some 37 have now also won federal funding for their communities through various USDOT discretionary grant programs such as Safe Streets and Roads for All program, the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity or RAISE program, and the Rural and Tribal Assistance pilot program.  

“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,” said Morteza Farajian, executive director of the Build America Bureau, in a statement.

The three national “capacity builders” receiving fiscal year 2023 TCP funds are:  

• Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated, in partnership with Community Engineering Corps, Communities Unlimited, Great Lakes Community Action Partnership, Midwest Assistance Program, National Association of Development Organizations, RCAP Solutions, and Rural Community Assistance Corporation, received over $4.2 million to support 16 “main street” programs. USDOT said “main street” funding is focused on tribal, rural, and small-town communities and the interconnected transportation, community, and economic development issues they face.
• Abt Associates Inc., in partnership with EPR, P.C., Equitable Cities, Morgan State University, Nelson\Nygaard, Safe Routes Partnership, and Smart Growth America, received over $4.9 million to support 20 “complete neighborhoods communities” projects. Those projects focus on urban and suburban communities located within Metropolitan Planning Organization planning areas working to better advance complete streets policies and coordinate transportation with land use, housing, and economic development.
• The Conference of Minority Transportation Officials or COMTO, in partnership with AECOM, Intelligent Transportation Society of America, Accelerator for America, Two Degrees, ReConnect Rondo, and MWDBE Training Academy, received over $4.2 million to support 16 “networked communities” projects. Those projects are focused on communities located near ports, airports, freight, and rail facilities to address mobility, access, housing, environmental justice, and economic issues.

USDOT also provided $1 million to $2 million in funding each to six projects benefiting 60 communities in total through a new TCP Regional Pilot Program; a program that allows participants to support TCP activities to communities within their jurisdictions at a state or regional scale. Two projects overseen by state departments of transportation received funds as part of this TCO pilot program, USDOT noted:

• The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities in partnership with the Alaska Municipal League, receiving $2 million to support 18 communities, four of which are tribal nations.

The New York State Department of Transportation, in partnership with the with New York State Department of State and ICF Incorporated, received over $1 million to support five communities: the Town and Village of Alfred, the Village of Dolgeville, the Village of Margaretville, the Town and Village of Massena, and Wyoming County. 

The Federal Highway Administration recently issued $4.575 million in “quick release” Emergency Relief funds to the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to offset costs of repair work for roads, trails, parking areas, and other infrastructure damaged by floods caused by Tropical Storm Hilary in Death Valley National Park and other western federal lands in August.

[Above photo by the National Park Service]

FHWA noted in a statement that its Emergency Relief program provides funding to states, territories, tribes, and federal land management agencies for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events.

Such “quick release” Emergency Relief funds are an initial resource installment to help restore essential transportation.

Additional funds needed to repair damages on the federal lands affected by Tropical Storm Hilary will be supported by the Emergency Relief program through further nationwide funding allocations, the agency said.

Tropical Storm Hilary’s record rainfall in late August resulted in flash flooding and debris flow across several states, including California and Nevada, for several days. Within Death Valley National Park, the flash flooding damaged numerous transportation facilities including roads, trails and parking areas, and resulted in roads being buckled or completely destroyed, bridges impacted, road surfacing lost, and damage caused by significant debris and erosion.

This tranche of FHWA emergency funding will also be used for repair work at the Manzanar Historic Site, San Bernardino National Forest, Inyo National Forest, and Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge in California.

That emergency fiscal relief will also support flood damage projects in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada to repair transportation facilities, road segments, and collapsed culverts.

The newest episode of the Environmental Technical Assistance Program or ETAP Podcast focuses on the historic bridge inventory, evaluation, and preservation plan put together by the Ohio Department of Transportation and how other state DOTs can implement similar efforts based on that plan.

[Above photo by the Ohio DOT]

The ETAP podcast – a technical service program for state departments of transportation provided by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials – explores a wide array of environmental topics that affect transportation and infrastructure programs.

In this episode, Erica Schneider – assistant environmental administrator for Ohio DOT – and Tom Barrett, Ohio DOT’s historic bridge program manager and state byways coordinator, explain the importance of preserving, relocating, or restoring historic bridges as they attract tourists, create economic opportunities, and offer a way to strengthen a sense of community for towns and cities statewide.

[Editor’s note: For an example of how bridges and byways provide tourist opportunists and historic connections, check out the Ohio DOT video below.]

Ohio is home to more than 500 national registered-listed and historic bridges, constructed with a vast array of materials, including iron, steel, stone, concrete, and wood.

Recently, Ohio DOT completed a historic bridge inventory update for all 9,086 bridges built between 1961 and 197, with seven determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and one considered an early example of environmentally sensitive structural design.

To listen to this podcast, click here.

Governor Laura Kelly (D) and Calvin Reed, acting secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation, recently announced more than $11 million will be awarded to 14 local transportation construction projects statewide through the agency’s “Cost Share Program” for spring 2023.

[Above photo by the Kansas DOT]

The Kansas DOT Cost Share Program – established in 2019 as part of the 10-year Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program or IKE – is designed to help rural and urban areas alike advance local transportation projects to improve safety, support job retention and growth, relieve congestion, and improve access and mobility.

To date, Kansas DOT said its Cost Share Program has resulted in the investment of more than $125 million in state funding in almost 150 projects statewide, with nearly an additional $100 million in matching local funds.

“With these projects, my administration is making investments that address short term challenges to bring long-term solutions to communities,” the governor noted in a statement. “The Cost Share program has been a success because of the partnerships we’ve built with local governments to make financial commitments alongside us.”

[Editor’s note: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently hosted a knowledge session at its 2023 Spring Meeting in Seattle that delved into ways transportation agencies can get the most out of the discretionary grant programs funded by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA enacted in November 2021 – especially in terms of helping fund local infrastructure projects.]

Gov. Kelly unveiled this latest disbursement of Cost Share Program funds at a press event in the City of Gardner, which is getting state fiscal support for its South Center Trail. This particular round of Cost Share Program funding is supporting safer and improved access to schools, health care, recreational amenities, and housing.

“We rely on local leaders to bring us their best ideas for projects that, with a little help, can make a significant difference in a community,” noted Kansas DOT’s Reed. “Communities come to the table with a solid project plan, the support of local business and community members, and matching funds in place. State dollars help get the projects to the finish line.”

State departments of transportation across the country provide funding to local transportation projects via a variety of programs – many aimed at boosting active transportation opportunities.

For example, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, in partnership with the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization or SJTPO, recently awarded $5.2 million to six local infrastructure projects under the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside or “TA Set-Aside” program. 

“As part of our ‘Commitment to Communities,’ we work with the three metropolitan planning organizations to provide federal funding to counties and municipalities for local transportation projects that improve safety and strengthen the cultural, aesthetic, and environmental aspects of our transportation system,” noted New Jersey DOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “[Those] grants will fund projects to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists in six South Jersey communities without having to impact local property taxes.”

Meanwhile, in April, the Illinois Department of Transportation recently awarded $127.9 million through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program or ITEP to support 72 local mobility projects statewide.

“The Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program is … designed to support alternate modes of transportation, to preserve visual and cultural resources, and improve quality of life,” explained Governor Jay “J.B.” Pritzker (D).

Those 72 local mobility projects selected include biking and walking paths, trails, streetscape beautification and other projects designed to encourage safe travel across the various modes of transportation at the local level.

“The ITEP gives our local partners the resources they need to improve quality of life for their communities and strengthen the state’s overall transportation system,” added Illinois DOT Secretary Omer Osman. “We’re putting dollars to work in the communities that need them most, investing in infrastructure and increasing travel options to make Illinois a safer and more enjoyable place to work, build a business and raise a family.”