Senator Murray Announces Availability of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding for Washington State Projects

Senator Murray originally created the RAISE grant program in 2009

ICYMI: Senator Murray Announces More Than $60 million in Federal Infrastructure Grants for Washington State from RAISE Program – MORE HERE

Senator Murray: “I created the RAISE program in 2009 to fund transportation infrastructure projects that reduce traffic, help make goods and cargo flow freely, support local economies, and create jobs in Washington state”

Senator Murray: “I encourage local governments and communities across the state to apply for these funds and reach out to my office for any needed assistance”

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, highlighted the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) publishing a Notice of Funding Opportunity for $1.5 billion in grant funding through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program. The popular program helps communities around the country carry out projects with significant local or regional impact.

Senator Murray originally created the RAISE program (previously known as TIGER and BUILD) in 2009 and has been a longtime supporter of the program, most recently helping secure $7.5 billion for the RAISE program – a 50% annual increase – in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program is funded specifically via the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, which Senator Murray is a member of. In November of last year, Senator Murray announced more than $60 million in RAISE funding for infrastructure projects across Washington state. Senator Murray has secured more than $360 million in RAISE funding for Washington state projects since she founded the program.

“I created the RAISE program in 2009 to fund transportation infrastructure projects that reduce traffic, help goods and cargo flow freely, support local economies, and create jobs in Washington state. And as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I’ve worked to increase funding for the program in our spending bills each year so we can get the major federal investments that Washington state needs to see more often,” said Senator Murray. “I’m proud that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill continues on this work by further investing in the RAISE program—and in the workers, business, and communities it supports—and I’m going to keep pushing to get Washington state the federal dollars we need. I encourage local governments and communities across the state to apply for these funds and reach out to my office for help—I am committed to making sure Washington state punches above its weight when it comes to bringing federal dollars home.”

This is the first discretionary funding program to accept applications as directed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The $1.5 billion in available funding for 2022 represents a 50 percent increase in available funds compared to last year, when applicants requested $10 in funding for every $1 available—demonstrating the national demand for the program. A list of Washington state projects that the RAISE program has funded is below.

RAISE projects are rigorously reviewed and selected based on merit. Projects will be evaluated on statutory criteria of safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness and opportunity, state of good repair, partnership and innovation. New this year, under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, 2022 RAISE applications will also be evaluated on the criteria of mobility and community connectivity. DOT will assess projects for universal design and accessibility for travelers, as well as consider how proposals increase mobility for freight and supply chain efficiency.

At least $15 million in funding is guaranteed to go towards projects located in Areas of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Communities. Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, RAISE expands the number of communities eligible for 100 percent federal share of funding, specifically those in rural communities, Areas of Persistent Poverty and Historically Disadvantaged Communities. To help reach this goal, DOT has launched a tool that will allow applicants to determine if their project location is considered as a Historically Disadvantaged Community. The tool is available here.

Applicants are also encouraged to consider how their projects can address climate change, ensure racial equity, and remove barriers to opportunity, and create workforce development opportunities. Applicants can be more competitive in the process if they are creating jobs with free and fair choice to join a union and good labor standards, creating jobs that underserved communities can access, or are supporting worker opportunities and training. Applicants are also encouraged to utilize registered apprenticeship and local and economic hire agreements.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity is available HERE. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. EST on April 14, 2022, and selections will be announced no later than August 12, 2022.

RAISE Grants Awarded to Washington State in the Last Five Years include:

• $9.02 million for Spokane Valley’s Barker Road Grade Separation Project (2017) 
• $5.6 million for WSDOT’s Rural Rail Rehabilitation project in Whitman, Spokane, and Lincoln Counties (2018) 
• $14.3 million for Spokane County’s Geiger Boulevard Infrastructure Improvement Project (2018)  
• $11.3 million for Spokane Airport’s Rail-Truck Transload Facility Project (2019) 
• $17.75 million for the Port of Everett’s Mills to Maritime Cargo Terminal Project (2020) 
• $7.01 million for the City of Ridgefield’s Pioneer Street Extension Project (2020)  
• $5 million for the Port of Hood River’s White Salmon/Hood River Interstate Bridge Replacement Project (2020)  
• $22.1 million for Snohomish County’s Granite Falls Bridge #102 (2021)
• $2.08 million for Aberdeen’s US-12 Highway-Rail Separation Project (2021)
• $16 million for Port of Longview’s Industrial Rail Corridor Expansion (IRCE) (2021)
• $20 million for Seattle’s East Marginal Way Corridor Improvement Project (2021)

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