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| BUILD (United States Department of Transportation) | |
|---|---|
| Name | BUILD Grant Program |
| Other names | Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development |
| Established | 2018 |
| Agency | United States Department of Transportation |
| Predecessor | Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery |
| Budget | federal appropriations |
| Website | official site |
BUILD (United States Department of Transportation) is a competitive grant program administered by the United States Department of Transportation to fund surface transportation projects across United States. Established via federal legislation, the program replaced earlier discretionary grant initiatives and emphasizes multimodal capital investments in highway infrastructure, transit systems, port facilities, railroad projects, and other transportation-linked construction. BUILD grants have been awarded to recipients ranging from state governments to local governments, tribal governments, transit agencies, and regional authorities.
BUILD originates from provisions in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act enacted by the 115th United States Congress. The program succeeded the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) discretionary grant program initiated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and later authorized through annual appropriations under the Department of Transportation Appropriations Act. Authority for project selection and oversight derives from statutory language in acts passed by the United States Congress and implemented by secretarial guidance from successive United States Secretaries of Transportation including Elaine Chao, Pete Buttigieg, and predecessors. BUILD’s statutory framework interacts with regulatory regimes overseen by agencies such as the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and Federal Railroad Administration.
Administratively, BUILD is housed within the Office of the Secretary of Transportation and coordinated with modal administrations including the Federal Highway Administration and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy. Program management uses interagency review processes involving the Council on Environmental Quality for National Environmental Policy Act compliance, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for community development coordination, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for environmental permitting. Applications are submitted by eligible entities such as state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, port authorities, Indian tribal governments, transit agencies, and eligible non‑profits. The Secretary’s office convenes technical panels of subject-matter staff and external reviewers, including representatives from the United States Army Corps of Engineers for waterway projects and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration where coastal resilience is implicated.
BUILD is funded annually through Congressional appropriations in the Department of Transportation Appropriations Act and subject to budgetary allocations negotiated within the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations and the United States House Committee on Appropriations. Grants require a local match from recipients, drawing on capital from state infrastructure banks, municipal bonds, private investment partners, regional transportation authorities, and federal formula programs administered by the Federal Transit Administration. Selection criteria include factors laid out in guidance: safety enhancements informed by National Transportation Safety Board recommendations, state of good repair priorities akin to American Society of Civil Engineers infrastructure grades, economic competitiveness and opportunity referencing Department of Commerce indicators, environmental sustainability compatible with Paris Agreement goals, and quality of life improvements aligned with Department of Housing and Urban Development objectives. The program also incorporates performance measures used by Congressional Budget Office analyses and reviews by the Government Accountability Office.
BUILD has financed a diverse portfolio of projects including highway reconstructions involving Interstate 35, bridge replacements similar in scale to projects on U.S. Route 1, multimodal freight initiatives connecting Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach corridors, commuter rail upgrades akin to Northeast Corridor improvements, and transit expansions comparable to Metropolitan Transportation Authority capital projects. Notable awards have supported rural roadway safety improvements in states such as Iowa and Montana, urban intersection redesigns in cities like Cleveland and Baltimore, and port modernization projects at facilities like the Port of New York and New Jersey. BUILD grants have also funded resilient infrastructure for coastal communities affected by storms such as Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Maria, and freight rail grade separations near industrial hubs comparable to work in Chicago.
Impact assessments of BUILD-funded projects draw on evaluations by the Department of Transportation Office of Evaluation and Performance, cost‑benefit analyses similar to methodologies used by the Congressional Budget Office, and post-construction reviews by the Government Accountability Office. Metrics include travel time savings, freight throughput measured against Bureau of Transportation Statistics data, crash reduction consistent with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reporting, and economic output tracked via Bureau of Economic Analysis indicators. Accountability mechanisms include statutory reporting to Congress, federal audits conducted by the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation, and environmental compliance checks by the Environmental Protection Agency. Some BUILD projects have been cited in academic studies published through institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California systems assessing regional growth and equity outcomes.
Critics have raised concerns echoed in reports by the Government Accountability Office and commentary in outlets like The Washington Post and The New York Times about distributional equity, politicization of grant awards tied to representation on the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, and the administrative burden placed on smaller jurisdictions including Native American tribes. Controversies have included disputes over benefit‑cost scoring methods referenced by the Congressional Budget Office, delays linked to National Environmental Policy Act reviews, and debates over the balance between urban megaprojects similar to Second Avenue Subway scale investments and rural connectivity projects. Legal challenges have occasionally invoked federal statutes adjudicated in courts such as the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Category:United States Department of Transportation programs