USDOT Pauses BUILD, INFRA NOFOs

The INFRA and BUILD programs fund projects that build and repair critical pieces of freight and passenger transportation networks, such as highway/rail grade crossings and freight rail and intermodal infrastructure. (BNSF)

The U.S. Department of Transportation is revising the FY 2021 Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) for its BUILD Transportation Discretionary Grant and Infrastructure For Rebuilding America (INFRA) programs.

The DOT states on both program websites that any FY 2021 “NOFOs issued before January 21, 2021, including any previously published on this website or at Grants.gov, are withdrawn, and will not be used.” The programs fund projects that build and repair critical pieces of freight and passenger transportation networks, such as highway/rail grade crossings and freight rail and intermodal infrastructure (see below for details).

For INFRA, DOT noted, “An updated FY 2021 INFRA NOFO will be published soon.” For BUILD, it said, “The Department will publish the final FY 2021 BUILD NOFO at Grants.gov and https://www.transportation.gov/buildgrants/build-nofo by the April 26, 2021 statutory deadline.”

Railway Age asked Commuter Rail Coalition Executive Director KellyAnne Gallagher for her take on the moves.

“It is not unusual for new Administrations to step back and review their discretionary grant programs,” she explained. “They put a hold on any funding programs for a chance to determine if the guidance aligns with their own priorities—in this case, likely adding some emphasis on climate impact, and perhaps other rebalancing of criteria. Also, there had been criticism by the DOT Inspector General and others of the previous Administration’s transparency when it came to project selection under these programs, and to pause the programs gives the new team a chance to review any of these issues.”

Eligible projects for INFRA grants include highway/rail grade crossing or grade separation projects, and freight projects that are intermodal- or rail-related or are “within the boundaries of a public or private freight rail, water (including ports), or intermodal facility.” A freight rail, water (including ports) or intermodal facility “must be a surface transportation infrastructure project necessary to facilitate direct intermodal interchange, transfer, or access into or out of the facility and must significantly improve freight movement on the National Highway Freight Network,” according to the USDOT.

The FAST Act authorized the INFRA program at $4.5 billion for fiscal years 2016-20, and the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act authorized an additional $1 billion for FY 2021, to be awarded by USDOT on a competitive basis. Since 2016, USDOT has selected 94 projects to receive more than $4.1 billion in funding. 

BUILD grants (previously known as Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery or TIGER Discretionary Grants) can fund port and freight rail projects, “which play a critical role in our ability to move freight, but have limited sources of Federal funds,” according to the USDOT. “BUILD can provide capital funding directly to any public entity, including municipalities, counties, port authorities, tribal governments, MPOs, or others in contrast to traditional Federal programs which provide funding to very specific groups of applicants (mostly State DOTs and transit agencies). This flexibility allows BUILD and our traditional partners at the State and local levels to work directly with a host of entities that own, operate, and maintain much of our transportation infrastructure, but otherwise cannot turn to the Federal government for support.”

Since 2009, the program has provided a combined $9 billion to 678 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.

In September, the USDOT announced it would distribute $1 billion among 70 surface transportation infrastructure projects in 44 states through the FY 20 BUILD program.