U.S. Transportation Under Secretary Carlos Monje Jr.
USDOT News:
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, U.S. Transportation Under Secretary Carlos Monje Jr. joined U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller to celebrate that the Biden-Harris Administration has awarded a $11,466,938 grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to the City of Albuquerque, for the Albuquerque Rail Trail.
The project will create a one mile physically separated pathway through the heart of downtown Albuquerque providing a safe and affordable transportation option for area resident and improving accessibility for an underserved community by connecting to existing bicycle infrastructure and transportation alternatives
This announcement is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Building a Better America Tour that Secretary Pete Buttigieg kicked off today in Tampa, Fla. The tour will see DOT leaders fan out to show how the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering safe, efficient and affordable transportation for communities across the country.
“At the Department of Transportation, we believe that no matter where you live or how you travel, everyone deserves to get around affordably and safely,” Under Secretary Monje Jr. said. “We’re proud to award Albuquerque $11.4 million to build the Albuquerque Rail Trail – a one mile urban trail that will reduce emissions, prevent deadly crashes, and give people who bike a better, safer way to get around their community.”
This grant is part of DOT’s RAISE program that helps urban and rural communities modernize roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports and intermodal transportation and make transportation safer, more accessible, more affordable and more sustainable. This year, Secretary Buttigieg awarded more than $2.2 billion in RAISE grants to 166 projects in all 50 states thanks to the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“We are proud to support so many outstanding infrastructure projects in communities large and small, modernizing America’s transportation systems to make them safer, more affordable, more accessible, and more sustainable,” Secretary Buttigieg said. “Using funds from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this year we are supporting more projects than ever before.”
Grants awarded to New Mexico:
Albuquerque Rail Trail – The City of Albuquerque will receive $11.4 million to construct an approximately one-mile-long urban trail through the heart of Downtown Albuquerque. The project will provide a physical separation between bicyclists and cars which will help reduce collisions. The project will also provide more transportation options and decrease vehicle miles traveled. The project will improve accessibility for an underserved community by connecting to existing bicycle infrastructure and transportation alternatives.
Dark Canyon Bridge Planning – The City of Carlsbad will receive $1.1 million for the planning project that will support planning and design costs for a proposed new bridge at Boyd Drive and Radio Boulevard just south of the city center, crossing the Carlsbad Irrigation Canal and the Dark Canyon regional drainage. By conducting comprehensive planning for this new bridge, including planning for long-term maintenance, the project will create more choices for non-motorized transportation, and use sustainable construction techniques that will significantly limit flooding across the region and improve the condition of the corridor.
The full list of awards nationwide can be found here.
