FHWA Releases $61 Billion to States

Construction work takes place on a viaduct north of downtown Miami (CHUYN/Getty Images)

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States are getting their third annual raise in highway funds while dollar amounts remain unchanged for bridge and Appalachian development highway improvements from a $61 billion pot of infrastructure money released by the Federal Highway Administration.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg thanked President Joe Biden when announcing the release Oct. 5 of Fiscal Year 2024 apportionments for 12 formula programs in the third round of bipartisan infrastructure law funds to improve the nation’s aging infrastructure in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

“Long-needed major improvements are coming to America’s network of roads, bridges and highways,” Buttigieg said, noting that the Transportation Department is “proud to deliver funding to modernize roads and bridges across America — strengthening our supply chains, creating good-paying jobs and connecting Americans to every corner of this country.”

Federal infrastructure law funds are distributed each fiscal year by FHWA based on congressionally mandated formulas.

FHWA announced that it has allocated $61B in FY24 apportionments under President Biden’s #BipartisanInfrastructureLaw to all 50 States, DC & PR to continue the important work of delivering a safer, cleaner and more efficient transportation system for all. https://t.co/oI81oF9fOs pic.twitter.com/lWVzZkbinO — Federal Highway Admn (@USDOTFHWA) October 5, 2023

FY2024’s $61 billion is $17.6 billion more given to formula programs compared with FY2021, which was the annual allocation before the infrastructure law was enacted. Federal-aid highway program funds are authorized periodically by Congress to help states pay for construction, rebuilding and improving highways and bridges on eligible federal-aid routes and for other specially designated programs and projects.

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Bhatt 

“These historic investments in American infrastructure give states the flexibility they need to determine how to allocate funds for a range of transportation projects, such as improving safety for all road users, replacing aging bridges and reducing carbon emissions,” Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt said.

For FY2024 federal-aid highway programs, $54.6 billion was authorized to be appropriated from the Highway Trust Fund. That's up from FY2023’s $53.53 billion and up 4% compared with $52.48 billion in FY2022.

The funds allocated for three fiscal years ending in FY2024 remain the same ($5.3 billion annually) for bridge repair formula grant funds to be used by states to renovate or replace aging bridges. Also unchanged for the third fiscal year is a total of $246 million to develop the Appalachian highway system and be split among Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The largest grants go to Alabama ($73.87 million) and West Virginia ($40 million). The states receiving the lowest shares are Mississippi ($3.19 million) and Maryland ($11.17 million).

For FY2024 federal-aid highway programs, the highest amount at $29.58 billion will go to the National Highway Performance Program, $14.39 billion to the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, $3.11 billion to the Highway Safety Improvement Program and $2.63 billion to the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program. Other funds include $1.45 billion earmarked for the PROTECT Program, which issues grants to states for extreme weather and natural disasters, and $1.42 billion for the National Highway Freight Program.

The FY2024 apportionment of National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program funds is $885 million, the same as FY2023 and higher than FY2022’s $615 million.

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