Cities, metropolitan planning organizations, tribal governments and other agencies that shepherd transportation projects can now apply for federal aid in using materials and products that help reduce construction's carbon footprint. Up to $800 million is available in the second round of the Low Carbon Transportation Materials Program from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation.
The Federal Highway Administration announced the call for applications on Aug. 27.
The agency made $1.2 billion available under this program to state departments of transportation in March, receiving applications for roughly twice as much that amount, says Shailen Bhatt, Federal Highway Administrator, and will announce those grant recipients next month.
"We're going to have to make tough choices," he adds. "The demand is out there."
The winners for this $800-million round will be announced next spring, he says.
In addition to funding use of cleaner construction materials such as carbon-capture concrete, composites and porous pavement, the program will provide resources for agencies to implement processes and coordinate with industry to quantify emissions of construction materials, according to an agency announcement. "Applicants are encouraged to update procurement processes to allow for or encourage the use of these materials," it adds.
"People are used to using what they’re using; there's always some resistance to change, particularly on the cost side," says Bhatt. "It's more costly to develop supply chains around some of these materials. Profit margins are low in this industry. We're trying to level the playing field a bit, defray costs and show that you can build with lower-carbon-footprint materials."
The Federal Highway Administration collaborates with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. General Services Administration to implement low-carbon programs that were authorized in the Inflation Reduction Act.
The funding notice is available from the program website: Low Carbon Transportation Materials Grants Program.
