Sec. 1307. Rebuild rural grant program

556 words·~3 min read·/bill/116/hr/2/rh/section-1307

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

The Secretary of Transportation shall establish a rebuild rural grant program to improve the safety, state of good repair, and connectivity of transportation infrastructure in rural communities. In carrying out the program established in subsection (a), the Secretary shall make grants, on a competitive basis, in accordance with this section. A grant made under this program shall be for no more than $25,000,000. The Secretary may make a grant under this section to— a State; a metropolitan planning organization or a regional transportation planning organization; a unit of local government; a Federal land management agency; a Tribal government or a consortium of Tribal governments; a territory; and a multijurisdictional group of entities described in this subsection.

To be eligible for a grant under this section, an entity specified under subsection

(c)shall submit to the Secretary an application in such form, at such time, and containing such information as the Secretary determines is appropriate. The Secretary shall provide grants under this section to projects eligible under title 23, United States Code, including projects on and off the Federal-aid highway system, that improve safety, state of good repair, or connectivity in a rural community, including projects to— improve transportation safety, including projects on high-risk rural roads and on Federal lands; improve state of good repair, including projects to repair and rehabilitate bridges on and off the Federal-aid highway system; provide or increase access to jobs and services; provide or increase access to— a grain elevator; an agricultural facility; a mining facility; a forestry facility; an intermodal facility; travel or tourism destinations; or any other facility that supports the economy of a rural community; and reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions and improve habitat connectivity. Grant amounts for a project under this section may be used for— development phase activities, including planning, feasibility analysis, revenue forecasting, environmental review, preliminary engineering and design work, and other preconstruction activities; and construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, acquisition of real property (including land related to the project and improvements to the land), environmental mitigation, construction contingencies, acquisition of equipment, and operational improvements. The share of the cost of a project provided with a grant under this section may not exceed 80 percent of the total cost of such project. Federal assistance other than a grant under this section may be used to satisfy up to 100 percent of the total cost of such project. In making grants under this section, the Secretary shall prioritize projects that address— significant transportation safety challenges; state of good repair challenges that pose safety risks or risks to a local economy; economic development challenges; connectivity challenges that limit access to jobs or services; and coordination of projects in the highway right-of-way with proposed broadband service infrastructure needs. Not later than 3 business days before awarding a grant under this section, the Secretary of Transportation shall notify the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate of the intention to award such a grant. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a project carried out under this section shall be treated as if the project is located on a Federal-aid highway. In this section, the term rural community means an area that is not an urbanized area, as such term is defined in section 101(a) of title 23, United States Code.