Road Projects Capture 77% of $1.74B in BUILD Grants | Columbus Ohio Dump Trucks

Road projects received approximately $1.33 billion. Transit projects received $169.9 million, followed by maritime projects at $136.8 million, rail projects at $87.7 million and aviation-related projects at $11.6 million, according to an ENR analysis of the FY 2026 award database.

The funding distribution mirrors what Charlotte NC dump truck contractor are seeing across the industry, according to Jonathon Porter, director of AGC's Highway & Transportation Division.

"What stands out most is the emphasis on roads and bridges, especially seeing roughly three quarters of the funding going toward those projects," Porter said in an email to ENR.

"But the scale of demand is just as significant," he added. "This demonstrates the demand for transportation investment remains far greater than any single competitive grant program can address."

The selected projects include interstate interchange improvements, bridge replacements, truck parking expansions, freight rail upgrades, port infrastructure and passenger rail capacity work. No FY 2026 BUILD award exceeded $25 million, although many grants will help advance projects with substantially larger overall costs.

Freight Projects Stand Out

Among the largest roadway awards, the city of Lake Elsinore, Calif., received $25 million toward reconfiguring the Interstate 15-State Route 74 interchange, while the Riverside County Transportation Commission in Tucson, Ariz., received $25 million to add an operational lane and related improvements along a three-mile stretch of eastbound State Route 91. Also in Tucson, a $25-million grant will help replace the Rillito River bridge and reconstruct approximately one mile of First Avenue.

Freight mobility emerged repeatedly throughout the award list. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet received $25 million toward expanding truck parking at seven interstate rest areas along Interstates 75, 71, 65 and 64. Overall, USDOT awarded about $62 million for truck-parking projects in Kentucky, Illinois, Mississippi, Louisiana and Wyoming. Mississippi's $22.1-million grant will expand truck parking at the Hancock County Welcome Center on Interstate 10 while adding parking-availability technology.

Maritime and rail projects also featured prominently.

ENR's analysis of the FY 2026 BUILD award database found road projects received approximately $1.33 billion, or about 77% of total funding. Texas received the largest aggregate share of BUILD grants among the states. Awards involving multiple states were allocated equally among participating states for the state-level analysis.

ENR

At the Ports of Indiana-Jeffersonville, a $25-million grant will help construct a new dock, install a 300-ton overhead crane, build a craneway and warehouse, and expand cargo-handling infrastructure. The Port of Corpus Christi Authority received nearly $24.3 million for the second phase of inland port rail improvements, including about 12.5 miles of new track and related rail infrastructure.

Passenger rail also received funding. A $25-million grant will help fund the $128.8-million L'Enfant Station and Fourth Track Project in Washington, D.C., adding a fourth main track and improving Virginia Railway Express station facilities to increase capacity for commuter and intercity passenger rail.

Texas received the largest aggregate share of FY 2026 BUILD funding at approximately $105 million, according to ENR's analysis. Kentucky, Iowa, Ohio and Kansas rounded out the top five recipients. (See accompanying chart for the Top 10 states.)

Created in 2009 as the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, BUILD was later renamed RAISE before returning to the BUILD name this year.

USDOT selected the 127 awards from nearly 1,200 eligible applications requesting more than $14.5 billion, illustrating the continued demand for one of the federal government's most competitive discretionary transportation grant programs.

Porter said the awards "strengthen the pipeline of transportation columbus oh dump truck work over the next several years," although many recipients still must complete grant agreements, design, environmental reviews and other preconstruction steps before construction begins.