USDOT awarded $426 million through the INFRA program to address freight bottlenecks, highway congestion and capacity constraints in 12 states.
Savannah will receive $11.3 million for a four-lane connector linking I-516 with a realigned White Bluff Road, including right-of-way and storm-culvert work.
The corridor supports Port of Savannah freight, Hunter Army Airfield, medical centers and hurricane evacuation traffic as Roads starts are forecast to rise through 2030.
The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $426 million through its Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects (INFRA) program for infrastructure work in 12 states.
The grants will target freight bottlenecks, highway congestion and capacity constraints. The department said in an Oct. 1 statement that the projects will improve supply-chain movement by expanding or upgrading key transportation corridors.
The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $426 million through its Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects (INFRA) program for infrastructure work in 12 states, shown in a map above. Image: USDOT
The $426 million package, the DOT said, includes projects intended to address some of the country’s most significant congestion points in a dozen states, expand bypass capacity and add lanes to heavily traveled highways.
Projects are largely located in the eastern coastal and central US, with two in the western US.
The Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects (INFRA) program is intended to support America’s supply chains and improve road safety through construction of US highways, bridges, and port infrastructure.
The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $426 million through its Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects (INFRA) program for infrastructure work in 12 states, listed above. Image: USDOT
The Autumn 2026 Construction Starts Forecast projects Roads starts of $116.1 billion in 2026, increasing yearly, before reaching $129.8 billion by 2030.
That low-single-digit growth outlook suggests sustained demand for roadway, drainage, bridge and related civil work, even as individual projects move through different funding and procurement schedules.
In the Construction Economy Snapshot, ConstructConnect Chief Economist Michael Guckes reported that, “Roads/Highways reached $8.8 billion in August, down 20.8% from August 2025 but up 3.3% YTD.”
One of the awards will provide $11.3 million to the City of Savannah, Georgia, for construction of a new four-lane divided connector from I-516 to a realigned White Bluff Road.
The local stakes extend beyond commuter traffic. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff said the funding will support right-of-way acquisition and improve a corridor serving Hunter Army Airfield, Memorial Health University Medical Center, Candler Hospital and freight moving to and from the Port of Savannah.
They described the work as part of Project DeRenne, a broader, four-part effort to improve connectivity along the DeRenne Avenue corridor.
The Savannah project includes improvements to storm culverts along a hurricane evacuation and port logistics route. The department also said the corridor will expand capacity to meet industrial demand, including demand associated with semiconductor manufacturing facilities and the movement of U.S. exports.
The project is part of the city’s broader effort to improve connectivity and reduce congestion along the DeRenne Avenue corridor. The federal funding gives the work a significant construction and procurement milestone, yet the USDOT announcement did not identify a contractor or construction start date.
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