Biden administration doles out $4.2 billion for big-ticket infrastructure projects

Boston’s transit agency will receive $472 million from the federal government to replace a century-old rail bridge, as part of $4.2 billion for 44 major infrastructure improvements announced by the Biden administration Monday.

Other projects that received awards include replacing a two-mile bridge in the Florida Keys, untangling a busy intersection in Arizona, electrifying port equipment in Miami and replacing a highway bridge that collapsed in Providence, Rhode Island.

The federal money, which comes as a result of the 2021 infrastructure funding law, comes from two grant programs that fund large projects, the so-called “Mega” grants for outsized projects that are too complex for most federal grant programs, and the INFRA program, which go to highway and multimodal projects that speed freight delivery and promote other economic benefits.

The Transportation Department received nearly 200 applications for funding through the two programs this year, said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

“These projects are going to fund the redesign of highway interchanges to make it safer for drivers, construction of major bridges the communities count on every day, an expansion of passenger rail, expanded capacity of shipping ports to move goods more efficiently and much more,” Buttigieg told reporters.

In Boston, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will use its money to replace a 92-year-old drawbridge that carries 1,100 passenger trains into North Station every week. The Draw 1 bridge between Boston and Cambridge serves both Amtrak’s Downeaster route to Maine and four MBTA regional lines. But the aging bridge has caused substantial delays for passengers in recent years, a troubling prospect as MBTA’s ridership has bounced back quickly since the start of the pandemic.

“As someone who often commutes from North of Boston, I know firsthand what a difference this bridge replacement will make,” said Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll in a statement. “Riders will have faster, safer and more reliable rides to and from North Station. This project will support thousands of good-paying jobs and ensure our infrastructure remains strong and safe into the future.” 

The MBTA has secured awards in every federal grant program it has applied to since the beginning of the year, according to state officials, including efforts to improve accessibility of rail stations, buy and support electric buses and improve bus lanes.

Iowa secured nearly $67 million to rebuild a highway interchange in Des Moines to improve safety and to add more capacity. The Southwest Mixmaster Interchange was originally built in the 1960s to handle 1,000 vehicles an hour; today it handles 1,500 per hour, and that amount is expected to increase.

Several ports received money to increase capacity. A Philadelphia project will expand a terminal by 10 acres and add a second berth to support roll-on, roll-off cargo such as cars, trucks and tractors, including military equipment. Port Tampa Bay will get money to upgrade an “underutilized dock and yard into a large marine terminal, capable of accommodating deepwater ships,” according to the USDOT. Meanwhile, Miami is receiving money to buy electric and hybrid equipment, including 50 electric terminal tractors and 76 hybrid trucks and to install 42 dual charging stations.

Ohio and Wisconsin received money to create overnight truck parking, so that drivers can safely pull over overnight and comply with federal limits on how long they can drive in a day.

Illinois secured $290 million to upgrade aging freight rail bridges on Chicago’s South Side, a move that will allow freight and passenger trains to use separate tracks in one of the country’s biggest rail bottlenecks. The project is part of a decades-long effort from government and freight railroads to speed rail traffic through Chicago, where freight rail lines from all over the country converge.

California won $54 million to build a high-speed rail station in Madera. The state is relocating an existing Amtrak station, which currently has no ticket office or enclosed place to wait. The new station, eight miles to the south, will include a new building, new platforms, trackwork, a bus depot, expanded auto parking and connections to a bike path.

California agencies unsuccessfully tried twice before to secure money for the station—which was not originally planned to be a stop on the high-speed rail service that is planned to eventually connect San Francisco and Los Angeles.

One project that did not receive funding in Monday’s round of awards was a plan to expand Interstate 5 in Portland, Oregon. The Oregon Department of Transportation had requested $750 million to apply to the Rose Quarter freeway expansion. The rejected request leaves the state at least $900 million short of the funding needed to complete the project. The decision is striking, because the Biden administration in April awarded the project $450 million to cover the expanded freeway in an attempt to reconnect the historically Black Albina neighborhood there that had been split apart by the interstate.

“We’re talking about a fiercely competitive program where even excellent applications may not have made the final cut,” Buttigieg told reporters. “When you have a 6 to 1 ratio of the funding that’s requested versus the funding that’s available, then you could be in the top third or even top quarter of applicants and still come up short.”

He said federal officials meet with project applicants who did not receive funding to help make their future applications stronger.

Sometimes, he said, federal officials also have to consider other factors, such as making sure that projects are fairly distributed across the country and have geographic diversity. “In terms of I-5, remember we’re making big, big investments in reconnecting those communities through some of our other programs, and our commitment to that region is going to continue.”