By: Chris Herman, Deputy Director
In early July, Washington state played host to US Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as he made stops across the state and the region touting projects that have received funding through the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) – also commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
I want to provide updates on two programs with recent award announcements which are both examples of programs important to port districts and were highlighted during Secretary Buttigieg’s visit: the RAISE Grant Program and the Railroad Crossing Eliminating Grant Program. RAISE – Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity has nearly $2 billion in project awards and Washington state did very well, nine projects received $133 million, as Secretary Buttigieg said, more than any other state. RAISE was created in 2009 – then known as TIGER – by none other than Senator Patty Murray. RAISE was one of the first competitive grant programs and began to highlight the critical condition America’s aging transportation infrastructure is in. A $9.4 million RAISE award to replace the 49-year-old Port Orchard Breakwater is coupled with $2 million received from the state legislature earlier this year. The Port of Bremerton is replacing the breakwater, which is well past its useful life, with a resilient, modern infrastructure that will ultimately support the transition of the ferry service to electric. The $15 million project is critical to the local economy and the livelihood of the community. In the press conference with Sec Buttigieg, Governor Inslee called the project a “Gamechanger” and relayed the $185 million economic impact the breakwater has on the local economy.
While RAISE was one of the first competitive grant programs in the post-earmark era, the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program (RCEP) is one of the newest. Established by Senator Maria Cantwell in the passage of IIJA, the program has been a critical need and actively supported by ports for improving safety and speeding freight to its destination. During his tour, Secretary Buttigieg touted a $40 million award for a RCEP grant designed to eliminate the 32nd Street rail crossing in Washougal. Port of Camas-Washougal, a partner in the project with the city and others, hosted the press conference. The project benefits are clear, Rep Marie Gluesenkamp Perez stated: “the (railroad) crossing turns Highway 14 into a parking lot,” referencing the 45 trains-per-day and the more than two and half hours that the crossing is blocked each day.
WPPA congratulates all the grant award recipients but also thanks our local, state and federal elected officials for developing funding programs that responds to and recognize the value that port projects have to the communities we serve. Grant programs like RAISE and RCEP are imperative to keeping projects on time and on budget and providing safety and livability benefits to our communities.
