On June 26 2023, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced that over $38 million in federal infrastructure renewal investments are going to help revitalize communities in the Virginia counties of Northampton, Accomack, Chesterfield, Rockingham, and Fairfax.
The funding is coming via the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE) grant program, which received historic levels of support from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that the senators helped pass.
“Strong infrastructure—from roads and bridges to sidewalks and shared-use paths—is critical to helping Virginians get where they need to go and enjoy the great outdoors,” said the Senators.
“We’re proud to have helped pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that helped make these investments possible, and look forward to seeing the positive impacts they’ll have on Virginia communities,” they added.
The funding will be allocated as follows:
- $23,251,485 is headed to Northampton and Accomack Counties to support the conversion of 16.8 miles of abandoned Bay Coast Railroad into a 10-foot-wide shared-use path that will connect the Town of Nassawadox with several historic towns on the way to the Town of Olney.
- Senator Kaine visited the future trail last year to meet with local leaders and talk about $2.5 million in federal funding both Senators previously secured for the project via the Congressionally Directed Spending process;
- $14,368,180 is headed to Harrisonburg to convert a lane of US-11 to a two-way separated bicycle area between the intersections of Main Street and Noll Drive and Grattan Street and Liberty Street. A shared use path will also be constructed along Main Street between Grattan Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way.
- The project will also include additional pedestrian, bicycle, and intersection improvements to improve safety for the community and will be transformative for the Liberty Street Corridor and Downtown;
- $3,600,000 is headed to Chesterfield County to fund critical planning needed to improve access and safety for the Meadowbrook Community, including improvements to the Hopkins Road/Chippenham Parkway interchange area, and the implementation of bike, pedestrian, and curbside pickup micro-transit options.
- The grant funds will help the county address vehicular safety and congestion issues occurring at the Hopkins Road/Chippenham Parkway interchange area while integrating a safe route and crossings for pedestrians. This project is a continuation of the county’s success in building a strong pedestrian network to connect residents to community services in the area; and
- $720,000 is headed to Herndon to develop a plan to redevelop the town’s land use and development policies, transportation network, and economic and housing development policies.
RAISE discretionary grants help project sponsors at the State and local levels, including municipalities, Tribal governments, counties, and others complete critical freight and passenger transportation infrastructure projects that they may not have had the funding to carry out prior to passage of President Biden’s infrastructure law.
The eligibility requirements of RAISE allow project sponsors to obtain funding for projects that are harder to support through other U.S. DOT grant programs.
The RAISE program is one of several ways communities can secure funding for projects under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s competitive grant programs.
Photo courtesy of the City of Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Learn more about Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE).