Regional Infrastructure Accelerators Program

Authorized in the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST), the Regional Infrastructure Accelerators (RIA) Program assists entities in developing improved infrastructure priorities and financing strategies for the accelerated development of a project that is likely eligible for U.S. Department of Transportation credit assistance.

Accelerators serve defined geographic areas and act as resources to:

Evaluate and promote innovative financing methods for local projects.
Build the capacity of state, local, and tribal governments to evaluate and structure projects involving private investment.
Provide technical assistance and information on best practices for infrastructure financing.
Increase transparency in infrastructure project analysis and innovative financing for public infrastructure projects.
Facilitate creation of pipelines of investment-ready infrastructure projects.
Bundle smaller-scale and rural projects into more attractive, larger investment opportunities.
Through the RIA Program, the Build America Bureau has funded 24 Accelerators, creating a network of resources to advance transportation infrastructure projects. These accelerators are:

Developing funding and financing strategies to identify and leverage feasible funding mechanisms, such as grants, loans, public-private partnerships (P3s), and state and local contributions.
Designing or enhancing effective governance frameworks to manage project delivery effectively. Laying the technical groundwork for specific infrastructure projects through feasibility studies, conceptual designs, and cost estimation.
Functioning as a convener to facilitate interaction among stakeholders, such as government entities, private investors, community groups, and technical experts. Serving as an educator and technical resource by providing training, best practices, and technical assistance.
Conducting statutory and regulatory compliance analyses to evaluate project requirements related to federal, state, and local laws, including environmental, labor, procurement, and other matters.
Completing specialized analyses, such as traffic and revenue modeling, economic impact assessments, and risk evaluations to inform decision-making.

Eligible Applicants: U.S. public entities including state, multi-state, county, municipalities, MPOs, regional transportation planning organizations, Tribal governments, and others. No prior RIA designation is required. Priority will be given to new applicants.
To be selected as an RIA, an applicant must be an eligible applicant. An eligible applicant is: A U.S. public entity, including a state, multi-state or multi-jurisdictional group, municipality, county, a special purpose district or public authority with a transportation function including a port authority or public transportation agency, a Tribal government or consortium of Tribal governments, MPO, regional transportation planning organization (RTPO), Regional Transportation Commission, or a political subdivision of a State or local government, or combination of two or more of the foregoing.