U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced that the Biden-Harris Administration has awarded $83.5 million to support four projects in Illinois from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program to advance projects that modernize roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports and intermodal transportation and make transportation systems safer, more accessible, more affordable and more sustainable. This year’s total allocations nationwide include more than $2.2 billion provided from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides an additional $7.5 billion over five years for the program to help meet the demand to get projects started nationwide.
“We are proud to support so many outstanding infrastructure projects in communities large and small, modernizing America’s transportation systems to make them safer, more affordable, more accessible and more sustainable,” said Secretary Buttigieg. “Using funds from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this year we are supporting more projects than ever before.”
Projects were evaluated on several criteria, including safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness and opportunity, partnership and collaboration, innovation, state of good repair and mobility and community connectivity. The Department considered how projects will improve accessibility for all travelers, boost supply chain efficiency and encourage racial equity and economic growth, especially in historically disadvantaged communities and areas of persistent poverty. Half of the funding is designated for projects in rural areas and the remainder of the funding is designated for projects in urban areas.
Locally, the City of East Moline will receive $23.7 million to complete streetscaping of 15th Avenue from Sixth to 13th Street, 12th Avenue from First to Seventh Street, and Seventh Street from 15th to 12th Avenue. A new road and streetscape will extend from Third Street along Bend Boulevard to Sixth Avenue. This project will help revitalize and promote local economic growth in an area that has suffered due to a major decline in manufacturing in the 1980s. The project will connect two brownfield redevelopment sites to downtown and make the area a destination for business, recreation and entertainment with connections for vehicles, bikes, buses, trains and boats to the commercial center. The project increases pedestrian safety at rail crossings and includes dedicated trails for non-motorized users. This is expected to result in modal shift for commuters to walking or cycling and away from personal vehicles.
Later this year, the Biden-Harris Administration will announce recipients of the first-ever National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA) program, as well as the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program and the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program (RURAL).
The full list of awards can be found by clicking here.