On April 13, 2021, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the opening of the FY2021 round of the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program. The RAISE Discretionary Grant program provides a unique opportunity for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to invest in road, rail, transit, and port projects that promise to achieve national objectives. Previously known as the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grants, Congress has dedicated nearly $8.9 billion for twelve rounds of National Infrastructure Investments to fund projects that have a significant local or regional impact. 

Projects for RAISE funding will be evaluated based on merit criteria that include safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness, state of good repair, innovation, and partnership. Within these criteria, the DOT will prioritize projects that can demonstrate improvements to racial equity, reduce impacts of climate change and create good-paying jobs. The eligibility requirements of RAISE allow project sponsors at the local level to obtain funding for multi-modal, multi-jurisdictional projects that are more difficult to support through traditional DOT programs.  RAISE provides capital funding directly to any public entity, including municipalities, in contrast to traditional Federal programs, which provide funding to very specific groups of applicants (mostly State DOTs and transit agencies).

For this round of RAISE grants, construction projects must be shovel-ready and have a minimum construction cost of $5 million. The City currently does not have any shovel-ready projects that meet the minimum construction cost requirement. However, up to $30 million will be awarded towards planning grants for pre-construction activities, such as studies and design.  

The design and drainage study will lead to constructing Owens Road as a connector from Sugar Land to Richmond. The road will serve as a bypass and help alleviate congestion at the US 90A and Grand Parkway intersection, which will improve regional mobility within Fort Bend County. Staff believes the design and drainage study for the Owens Road project will be a competitive project for the DOT to consider for planning funds. Therefore, staff recommends applying for planning funds to go towards the cost of design and a drainage study for the Owens Road project.

The total estimated cost for project design and a drainage study is $670,000.00. The City of Sugar Land local match of $134,000 (20%) is available in the current CIP budget. 

The application is due on Monday, July 12, 2021. The DOT will notify Sponsors whether their projects have been selected for funding on November 22, 2021. This process does not commit the City to expend any funds at this time until the projects have been approved for grant funding.

The Engineering Department requests City Council approve Resolution No. 21-11 supporting the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) RAISE Discretionary Grant Program Application to fund the design and drainage study for the Owens Road project (CST2003).