department of transportation announces significant funding for projects in 35 states, inCluding arizona, colorado, and new mexico

Up to $900 million in federal funds are coming out of Washington for a large variety of new transportation infrastructure projects in the states.

In a statement, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said her department was awarding Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grants in order to “repair, rebuild, and revitalize significant infrastructure projects across the country.”

Arizona is receiving $15.3 million for an infrastructure improvement project at the Inland Port Arizona, a large industrial park located on the south side of the city of Coolidge.

The state is also getting $24 million in BUILD funding for the north side rail expansion at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

Colorado has secured $25 million for the building of an exchange between Interstate 70 and Picadilly Road in Aurora, a project that will see the widening and lengthening of the already-busy Picadilly Road.

New Mexico, meanwhile, is slated to receive $12.5 million for a safety and resiliency project along US Route 285 in Santa Fe.

That route between the city of Loving, New Mexico and the Texas border in the Permian Basin is used heavily by oil and gas transport vehicles.

Because of that usage, sections of the route have been subject to sinkholes, while the general infrastructure of the road has declined.

In a statement upon the awarding of the BUILD grants, New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich said, “We need to ensure the highway is safe for heavy work vehicles and for local residents who rely on the road to access employment, education, and emergency services.”

BUILD grants not only particularly target transportation infrastructure projects, they also place an emphasis on projects with a high degree of innovative and sustainable elements.

By Garry Boulard

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