On April 8, 2022, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $5 million grant to a multi-university public-private collaboration to establish and manage a “Build America Center.”

Purdue is a partner of the collaboration, led by the University of Maryland. Other partners include Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Stanford University, and the Rebel Group (Netherlands). Dr. Sam Labi, Professor of Civil Engineering at the Lyles School of Civil Engineering, will serve as director of the Purdue Center. 

The Center will offer educational programs, information, and resources for transportation agencies in all areas of alternative and innovative project financing and delivery.

The $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes unprecedented funding for infrastructure projects and several grant programs to support project sponsors seeking to explore alternative project delivery. The Center will support the Build America Bureau and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to foster new approaches to financing development and transformation of the nation’s transportation infrastructure into a modern system.

More information on the Build America Center is available in this press release provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation.