New Application Process Possible for Federal Infrastructure Dollars

Local governments may have an easier time of it when it comes to applying for funding from Washington, according to sources working on the Trump Administration’s massive transportation initiative.
That component, which is thought will also help public/private transportation infrastructure projects, is part of what is reported to be a 70-page document calling for increased federal transportation funding to be submitted to Congress early next year.
Altogether, the administration is expected to propose that up to $200 billion in seed money from Washington be used for thousands of transportation infrastructure projects.
And that $200 billion will be part of a much larger $1 trillion national transportation infrastructure bill.
The 70-page document, offering what is being described as “detailed legislative principles,” is intended to serve as a template for lawmakers who will be doing the actual work of putting together transportation-related legislation next year.
If passed, a streamlined application process for federal funds will allow applicants to better calibrate their chances for actually obtaining money from Washington.
An additional part of the working White House proposal is expected to call for a more comprehensive use of block grants to support both infrastructure and broadband projects, particularly in rural areas.
Policy experts have noted that, as a reflection of the nation’s aging transportation infrastructure, state and local leaders today are more interested in getting funds to maintain and upgrade existing roads and bridges than might have been the case 20 or 30 years ago when that infrastructure was still being built out.
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