Corinne Kisner, Executive Director of NACTO, issued the following statement in response to USDOT’s award of more than $2 billion in RAISE grants: 

NACTO applauds the Biden-Harris administration for funding more than 150 innovative transportation projects across the country that will meaningfully improve peoples’ lives. These projects will make the country’s transportation system measurably safer, more sustainable, and more equitable. 

Among dozens of other projects, the $2.2 billion in RAISE grants announced today will:

• Connect people walking and biking in underserved neighborhoods to the opportunities in their cities in Phoenix AZ, Chattanooga TN, Houston TX, Alexandria VA, and Washington DC 
• Save lives on the South Side of Chicago by funding a new multi-use path adjacent to a deadly road
• Build dedicated bus lanes to speed transit and make it more reliable in Baltimore MD, Boston MA, and Louisville KY
• Redesign dozens of dangerous intersections in Cincinnati OH, Pittsburgh PA, and Spokane Valley, WA 
• And bring transit within walking distance to multiple neighborhoods in Charleston SC. 

States should use these projects and their focus on multi-modal safety and access as a model for what to fund with the more than $300 billion of federal transportation funding within state control. Thoughtfully prioritizing and funding transportation projects with demonstrated improvements to safety, sustainability, and equity can make the United States healthier, more prosperous, and more resilient. 

###

About the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)
NACTO is an association of 90 major North American cities and transit agencies formed to exchange transportation ideas, insights, and practices and cooperatively approach national transportation issues. The organization’s mission is to build cities as places for people, with safe, sustainable, accessible, and equitable transportation choices that support a strong economy and vibrant quality of life. To learn more, visit NACTO.org or follow us on Twitter at @NACTO and Instagram at @NACTOcities. 

Press Contact
Alex Engel | [email protected]
Billy Richling | [email protected]

For Immediate Release
August 11th, 2022