Funding Opportunity: U.S. DOT 2019 BUILD Grant

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Information Courtesy of Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT)

U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) recently released the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for 2019 BUILD grants (the program formerly known as TIGER). Please see below for more information on BUILD grants, and how you can secure letters of support from the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) and the Oregon Freight Advisory Committee (OFAC) for your jurisdiction’s applications.

BUILD 2019
BUILD 2019 provides $900 million in competitive grant funds for surface transportation construction projects across all modes. Applications are due by July 15, 2019, and must be submitted through Grants.gov. U.S. DOT’s BUILD grant webpage includes information about the program including the NOFO and information on webinars for prospective applicants.

This year, 50 percent of BUILD funds are reserved for projects in rural areas (areas with fewer than 200,000 persons), with the other 50 percent being reserved for projects in urban areas (areas with 200,000 or more persons). In rural areas, the minimum award size is $1 million; and in urban areas, the minimum award size is $5 million (plus a required 20 percent non-federal match in urban areas). Per statute, planning grants are eligible to receive BUILD funding again this year, however, the U.S. DOT has indicated that like last year, it is very unlikely that any planning applications will be funded. BUILD funds must be obligated by September 30, 2021. The selection criteria closely match previous rounds, which focus on readiness, and a project’s impacts on the state of good repair, economic competitiveness, safety, quality of life, innovation, and environmental sustainability.

Partnership Applications and Letters of Support
In order to help Oregon projects compete effectively, ODOT is willing to serve as a partner applicant on tribal and local government applications for BUILD projects that touch the State highway system.

Requesting OTC Support
For local and tribal government BUILD grants, ODOT has offered to coordinate letters of support from the OTC for all meritorious applications. Similarly, ODOT will coordinate letters of support from the OFAC for all meritorious freight-related projects.

To seek ODOT’s partnership on your BUILD application, or to request an OTC and OFAC letter of support, please complete the BUILD proposal form and return it to Trevor Sleeman at trevor.d.sleeman@odot.state.or.us by Thursday, June 20, 2019. ODOT staff will then review proposals and make recommendations to the OTC for which projects to support and partner on.