Arkansas receives $40 million in federal infrastructure grants • Arkansas Advocate

Three Arkansas infrastructure projects will receive $40 million in federal funding as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Wednesday. 

The funding is part of $1.8 billion in awards from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program. Wednesday’s announcement brings the total amount of RAISE grants to more than $7.2 billion for over 550 projects nationwide, according to a press release. 

Arkansas projects include:

• $25,000,000 for the I-49 Extension in Crawford and Sebastian Counties – This project will extend I-49 about 14 miles and construct a new bridge crossing over the Arkansas River.

• $11,556,363 for the Bridging Heritage: Main Street Revitalization project in Siloam Springs — This project includes the restoration of Sager Creek Bridge and the revitalization of E. Main Street between Maxwell Street and Lincoln Street. 

• $4,222,900 for the Little Red Greenway in Searcy — The project will create approximately 15.5 miles of greenway linking Kensett to downtown Searcy as an expansion to the existing 5.5 mile Searcy Bike Trail.  

The RAISE program splits funding equally between urban and rural areas, and a large percentage of grants support regions defined as historically disadvantaged or areas of persistent poverty, according to the press release. 

“After decades of underinvestment, the condition of America’s infrastructure is now finally getting better instead of worse – and today we proudly announce our support for 148 more projects in communities of every size across the country,” Buttigieg said. “Through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re funding projects across the country to make roads safer, make it easier for people to move around their community, make transportation infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather, and improve supply chains to keep costs down for consumers.”

As in years past, demand for RAISE funding outpaced available funds, with the Department of Transportation receiving almost $13 billion in requests for the $1.8 billion available this year, according to the press release.