Federal grant programs / Department of Transportation

Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects (20.934)

Also known as Infrastructure For Rebuilding America

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$2.3 billion
• Grant awards106
• Typical award$7.8 million
• Awarded in FY 2025$1.4 billion
• Size rank141 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceProject grants

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $14.2 million in fiscal 2021 to $1.4 billion in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 141st largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 80% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 34 states and territories.

What the program funds

The Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects (NSMFHP) program will provide Federal financial assistance to highway, freight rail, port, and intermodal projects of national or regional significance.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Eligible applicants for NSFHP grants are 1) a State or group of States; 2) a metropolitan planning organization that serves an urbanized area (as defined by the Bureau of the Census) with a population of more than 200,000 individuals; 3) a unit of local government or group of local governments; 4) a political subdivision of a State or local government; 5) a special purpose district or public authority with a transportation function, including a port authority; 6) a Federal land management agency that applies jointly with a State or group of States; 7) a tribal government or a consortium of tribal governments; or 8) a multi-State or multijurisdictional group of public entities. Multiple States or jurisdictions that submit a joint application must identify a lead applicant as the primary point of contact. Each applicant in a joint application must be an Eligible Applicant. Joint applications must include a description of the roles and responsibilities of each applicant and must be signed by each applicant.

What the money can and cannot pay for

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorizes the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects program at $8 billion for fiscal years FY 2022-FY2026, to be awarded by DOT on a competitive basis to projects of national or regional significance that meet statutory requirements. NSMFHP grants may be used for the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, acquisition of property (including land related to the project and improvements to the land), environmental mitigation, construction contingencies, equipment acquisition, and operational improvements directly related to system performance. NSMFHP grants may also fund developmental phase activities, including planning, feasibility analysis, revenue forecasting, environmental review, preliminary engineering, design, and other preconstruction activities, provided the project meets statutory requirements including that they are based on the results of preliminary engineering. All large projects funded with NSMFHP grants must be reasonably expected to begin construction not later than 18 months after the date funds are obligated for the project. The Department will divide grants under the NSMFHP program into large and small projects. For large projects, the IIJA specifies that NSMFHP grants must be at least $25 million. For small projects, the grants must be at least $5 million. For both large and small projects, maximum NSMFHP awards may not exceed 60 percent of future eligible project costs.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Matching requirements

Statutory Formula: Title 23, Part 117, Subpart 23 U.S.C. § 117,Public Law 117-58.23 U.S.C. § 117NSMFHP grants may be used for up to 60 percent of future eligible project costs. Other Federal assistance may satisfy the non-Federal share requirement for an NSMFHP grant, but total Federal assistance for a project receiving an NSMFHP grant may not exceed 80 percent of the future eligible project costs. Unless otherwise authorized in statute, local cost-share that exceed the 80 percent Federal-share maximum will not be considered matching funds if the source of those funds is ultimately a Federal program. Non-Federal sources include State funds originating from programs funded by State revenue, local funds originating from State or local revenue funded programs, private funds or other funding sources of non-Federal origins. Funds from the Tribal Transportation Program (23 U.S.C. 202), TIFIA, a Federal land management agency, or other Federal source that is expressly authorized in statute may be used for the non-Federal share. Unless otherwise authorized in statute, local cost-share may not be counted as non-Federal share for both the NSMFHP and another Federal program. For any project, the Department cannot consider previously incurred costs or previously expended or encumbered funds towards the matching requirement. Matching funds are subject to the same Federal requirements as awarded funds.This program has MOE requirements, see funding agency for further details. NA

Award range and average, in the agency's words

For large projects, IIJA specifies that an INFRA grant must be at least $25 million. The average large project award from FY 2016-2020 was $67.7 million. The largest award was approximately $184 million. For small projects, the minimum award is $5 million. The average small project from FY 2016-FY2020 was $10.6 million. The largest award was approximately $35.6 million. The FAST Act directs that at least 25 percent of the funds provided for INFRA grants must be used for projects located in rural areas. From FY 2016-FY 2020 approximately 47% of funding was awarded to projects in rural areas. The USDOT must consider geographic diversity among grant recipients, including the need for a balance in addressing the needs of urban and rural areas. From FY 2016-FY 2021, NSFHP funding has been awarded to projects in 44 States and the District of Columbia.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: $66.5 million to the Florida Department of Transportation for the U.S. 1/SR 5 Long Key Bridge Replacement project in Monroe County, Florida. The project will replace the current Long Key Bridge built in 1982. US 1 is the only roadway linkage across the Florida Keys for 113 miles between the mainland and Key West and is a critical emergency evacuation route for the Florida Keys. Additionally, freight movement over the Long Key Bridge is a lifeline supporting the Florida Keys economy – more than 134,000 trucks carrying an estimated $2 billion in freight cross the bridge each year. This replacement project is critical to the 72,000 people and hundreds of businesses located south of the bridge.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

State and local governments received 99% of the money, nonprofits 0.6%.

By state

33 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.