Latest Updates from DOT – January 6, 2023

Secretary Buttigieg Visits Connecticut, Celebrates Major Federal Grant for Gold Star Memorial Bridge

On Wednesday, Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, New London Mayor Michael Passero, Groton City Mayor Keith Hedrick, Groton Town Mayor Juan Melendez and others at a news conference in New London, Connecticut to celebrate a $158 million federal grant to accelerate repairs to the Gold Star Memorial Bridge, a major link on the I-95 corridor. The Gold Star is one of four bridge projects across the country receiving a combined $4.1 billion from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in the first round of the Bridge Investment Program (BIP) Large Bridge Project Grant program, included in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The BIL provides nearly $40 billion over five years to help repair or rebuild ten of the most economically significant bridges in the country along with thousands of other bridges across the country.

While Secretary Buttigieg was in Connecticut, the President visited the Greater Cincinnati area to celebrate a grant for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project , and Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Chicago to highlight a grant for the Calumet River Bridges Project. And yesterday, White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu joined U.S. RepresentativeNancy Pelosi and Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg in California to celebrate a grant for the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge awards in this round were chosen for their importance to local communities and regional economies, and for the essential role they play in moving goods in our national supply chain. This funding comes on top of over $11 billion in formula funding that states have already received from the BIL to help fix tens of thousands of bridges, large and small. The program is a major part of the largest dedicated investment in highway bridges since the construction of the Interstate highway system. 

DOT Reassures Traveling Public About Refunds for December Holiday Travel Disruptions

In the aftermath of thousands of flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines beginning on Christmas Eve, the Secretary has assured the American people that “DOT has your back” and will continue to support the traveling public. If your Southwest flight was delayed or canceled, and you are denied compensation for flights not taken or expenses you incurred -- such as booking a flight on another carrier, meals, hotel expenses, and ground transportation -- please submit a complaint on our Consumer Protection website. The Secretary emphasized that he has “assigned DOT resources to follow through on every complaint to make sure you get compensated, and we will penalize Southwest, as we would any airline, if they fail to meet what is required of them to take care of passengers.” 

FRA Makes More than $11 Billion Available to Modernize the NEC and Other Passenger Rail Corridors

On December 22, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced the availability of nearly $9 billion in funding to upgrade and expand passenger rail services along the Northeast Corridor (NEC). The NEC, stretching from Washington, D.C. to Boston, is one of the highest-volume rail lines in the world, and accounts for 20 percent of our nation's GDP. (Note: FRA previously announced the availability of nearly $2.3 billion in funding for projects not located on the NEC.) The number of Americans utilizing the NEC corridor continues to grow, approaching pre-pandemic levels, with Amtrak ridership alone more than doubling in the last 12 months to 9.2 million passengers annually.

These funds will be issued through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program (Partnership Program), which has grown to $36 billion over five years thanks to the BIL. The NEC Project Inventory, which FRA issued in November, will guide investments under the Partnership Program and promote a transparent, systematic, long-term strategy for growing the NEC. Taken together, more than $11 billion in passenger rail funds have been made available in the first round of funding from the BIL. 

The NOFOs are now posted in the Federal Register for funding from both programs. Applications must be submitted through www.grants.gov. See Section D of the NOFOs for additional application details.

• On December 7, FRA published the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for projects not located on the NEC (also under the Partnership Program) for FY 2022. Applications are due by no later than 5 p.m. eastern time on March 7, 2023.
  
  
• On December 27, FRA published the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the NEC funding for FYs 2022 and 2023. Applications are due by no later than 5 p.m. ET, March 27, 2023.

DOT Awards 12 Projects Nearly $274 Million from New Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program

On December 21, DOT announced that it has awarded $273.9 million from the new Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program to help 12 communities around the country complete transportation projects that will increase connectivity, improve safety and reliability, support regional economic growth, and improve the quality of life for people living in rural areas. Due to decades of disinvestment, around 13 percent of rural roads and 10 percent of off-system bridges, most of which are in rural areas, are in poor condition. The fatality rate on rural roads is also two times greater than on urban roads. Facing these sobering figures, the Biden Administration made supporting Americans living in rural areas a top priority. And with a total of $44 billion available through the BIL to help rural communities repair and improve their roads, bridges, airports, ports, and transit systems, DOT is leading the charge to help rebuild rural transportation systems to benefit residents for decades to come.

The Rural program will invest a total of approximately $2 billion through 2026 for projects that improve highways, bridges, and tunnels, address highway safety, increase access to agricultural, commercial, energy, or freight facilities that support the economy, and bring flexible transit services to rural and Tribal areas. The Department received applications requesting approximately $10 billion in funding, far exceeding the nearly $300 million in 2022 funding available. Applicants for the Rural program also benefited from a streamlined application process that reduced the burden for applicants by allowing them to submit one application for three different grant programs.

FTA Announces $686 Million in ASAP Grants to Modernize Older Transit Stations and Improve Access

On December 19, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced 15 grants for projects in nine states to help make it easier for people with disabilities and mobility needs to access some of the nation's oldest and busiest rail transit systems through essential upgrades, such as elevators. Funded by the BIL, the approximately $686 million in grants represents the first round of funding from the new All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP), which is designed to improve the accessibility of transit rail stations so everyone, including those who use wheelchairs, push strollers, or cannot easily navigate stairs, can reliably access the rail systems in their communities. 

Inaccessibility is a significant hurdle for riders using rail systems built before 1990, known as legacy systems. More than 900 transit legacy stations are not fully accessible today. ASAP provides support for transit agencies to repair, improve, modify, retrofit, or relocate station elements or facilities for passenger use. The BIL provides $1.75 billion for this important program over five years. This new program was created under the BIL, which provides $1.75 billion in funding through 2026. In response to the NOFO, FTA received $905 million in funding requests. As a result of this demand, FTA is awarding both the FY 2022 and 2023 competitive grant funding.

FY 2023 RAISE Grants NOFO Now Open

On December 14, DOT published the FY 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $1.5 billion in grant funding through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program for 2023. The program helps communities around the country carry out projects with significant local or regional impact. RAISE discretionary grants help project sponsors at the State and local levels, including municipalities, Tribal governments, counties, and others complete critical freight and passenger transportation infrastructure projects. Half of the FY 2023 RAISE funding will go to projects in rural areas and half will go to projects in urban areas. At least $15 million in funding is guaranteed to go towards projects located in Areas of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Communities, and projects located in these areas will be eligible for up to 100 percent federal cost share, as directed by Congress in the BIL. As was the case last year, the Department is encouraging applicants to consider how their projects can address climate change, ensure racial equity, and remove barriers to opportunity. 

For the FY 2023 RAISE Grants, DOT will conduct a series of webinars that delve into various aspects of the RAISE application process. These webinars will be announced here in the coming weeks. Recordings of the webinars and accompanying slide presentations from the FY 2021 and FY 2022 RAISE funding cycles are available for your review. Additional details are available on the FY 2023 RAISE Application FAQs webpage. The deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. eastern time on February 28, 2023. 

DOT to Join Release of National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization at TRB Annual Meeting

Join the departments of Energy, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) next week during the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. as they roll out the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization. Leadership from all four agencies will join transportation sector stakeholders at a panel discussion on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, from 3:45-5:30 p.m. eastern time to discuss the impact this Blueprint will have on the U.S. transportation sector.

This landmark strategy lays the groundwork for removing all emissions from the transportation sector by 2050. Reducing transportation-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through deep decarbonization is a foremost problem in the race against climate change. The event is open to all registered participants of the TRB Annual Meeting; registration is still available.

DOT Announces Appointments to the Transit Advisory Committee for Safety

On December 15, Secretary Buttigieg announced the appointment of 24 members to two-year terms on the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)’s Transit Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS). TRACS provides information, advice, and recommendations on transit safety and other issues as determined by the Secretary of Transportation and the FTA Administrator. TRACS meets as a full committee at least once a year. Meetings are announced in the Federal Register and are open to the public. The first meeting will be held in early 2023. Since 2009, TRACS has provided FTA with valuable recommendations on critical issues, such as establishing a Fatigue Management Program for the Bus and Rail Transit Industry and researching transit worker accidents and fatalities to better protect them in railway corridors. The TRACS charter was renewed in February 2022.

White House Releases Inflation Reduction Act Guidebook for Clean Energy and Climate Programs 

Last month, the White House released the first edition of a new resource entitled, Building a Clean Energy Economy: A Guidebook to the Inflation Reduction Act’s Investments in Clean Energy and Climate Action, which provides clear descriptions of the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax incentives and funding programs to build a clean energy economy, lower energy costs, tackle climate change, and reduce harmful pollution. The Guidebook will help state, local, territorial, and Tribal leaders, the private sector, non-profit organizations, homeowners, and communities better understand how they can benefit from these investments and unlock the full potential of the law. The Guidebook walks through the law program-by-program and provides background on each program’s purpose, eligibility requirements, period of availability, and other key details. New developments will be published on www.CleanEnergy.gov to keep stakeholders and potential beneficiaries up to date on the latest deadlines and details.

Treasury Publishes Details of Clean Energy Vehicles Tax Credit 

A new tax credit to buy new or used clean vehicles has gone into effect. The U.S. Treasury Department released a list of vehicles that are eligible for the new tax credits beginning on January 1, 2023, as well as a helpful FAQs page for consumers. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) is the most significant climate legislation in U.S. history, and its provisions will finance green power, lower costs through tax credits, reduce emissions, and advance environmental justice. The IRA made several changes to the tax credit provided in the Internal Revenue Code for qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles, including adding fuel cell vehicles to the tax credit. The IRA also added a new credit for previously-owned clean vehicles. The FAQs provide detail on how the IRA revised the new clean vehicle credit for individuals and businesses, and information on the credit available under the previously-owned clean vehicle credit for individuals, and the new credit for qualified commercial clean vehicles.

FMCSA Creates New Online Tool to Help Entry-Level Drivers Seeking Training

Last month, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) added a new webpage on its Training Provider Registry website designed to aid entry-level drivers seeking driver training. The new tool recommended steps drivers can take when selecting a training provider. This information is also available as a downloadable guide. FMCSA’s Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) regulations set the minimum federal requirements that training entry-level drivers must complete before testing for certain commercial driver’s licenses and CDL endorsements.

Winter 2023 Issue of FHWA’s Public Roads is Now Available Online

The Winter 2023 issue of FHWA’s Public Roads magazine is now available online, and can be viewed as a virtual magazine or in .PDF format. This issue addresses relationship building across agencies, integrating wildlife and transportation safety, Traffic Incident Management (TIM), safety for all road users for Complete Streets, and more. Share feedback on this issue and share ideas for future issues at publicroads@dot.gov.

BTS Releases 28th Transportation Statistical Annual Report (TSAR)

On December 30, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) released the 28th edition of the Transportation Statistical Annual Report (TSAR). The report is a collection of key transportation indicators along with an overview of the transportation system, to display ongoing technological change, shifting national priorities, and cultural, demographic, and economic challenges that have altered expectations of what is important to report to transportation stakeholders. Focus areas that reflect the topics in BTS’s legislative mandate that include: State of the System, Passenger Travel and Equity, Freight and Supply Chain, Transportation Economics, Transportation Safety, and Energy and Sustainability. TSAR 2022 also includes an assessment of the state of transportation statistics and efforts to improve how statistics are collected, compiled, analyzed, and published. TSAR is a report of the BTS Director to the President and Congress.