Open now and closing on April 14^th, the Department of Transportation has published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants. This is the first discretionary grant program to accept applications as directed by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA ) and is a 50% increase in available funds compared to last year. ACPA believes there will be opportunities for innovative applications of concrete pavements that will align with the Administration’s goals. The $1.5 billion fund will announce project selections by August 12^th; the full announcement can be found here, and the Notice of Funding Opportunity can be found here.

In addition to the RAISE grants, the Department of Transportation also announced a sharp increase for the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) funded by the IIJA. At a 146% increase in funds over 2021, the Department will make $246 million available to States this year and a total of $1.2 billion over the next five years. Initiated in 1965, this program funds projects in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, which help connect rural communities to the interstate highway system. While this opportunity is constrained geographically, we believe this massive increase in available funding presents a terrific opportunity to further expand concrete pavement’s appeal to agencies. The full announcement can be found here, and the apportionment notice can be found here.