Riverhead Town has been awarded $24.12 million in federal transportation grant funding made available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Supervisor Tim Hubbard announced Friday afternoon.
The RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) discretionary grant program provides funding for investments in surface transportation infrastructure that will have a significant local or regional impact.
The largest portion of the federal grant award will help fund a new parking garage to shift parking from the riverfront, according to the press release. The town’s application said Riverhead wants to build a 504-space parking garage in the existing First Street parking lot. It allocated $14.6 million toward the $23.7 million projected cost of the structure. In addition, $4.8 million will be allocated for flood protection and $4.6 for streetscapes, Hubbard said.
“I am beyond excited that Downtown Riverhead was awarded federal RAISE funding in a highly competitive selection process,” Hubbard said in the release.
“I am grateful that the application prepared by the Community Development team was so well received by the federal Department of Transportation after being strongly supported by our entire Congressional delegation.” Hubbard said.
“On behalf of the entire Riverhead Town Board, and more importantly every Riverhead resident, I want to thank Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Nick LaLota for their diligent advocacy and support of Riverhead’s application to the federal Department of Transportation. It is bipartisan efforts such as this that prove that government on all levels can come together for the betterment of residents regardless of political party,” he said. Hubbard noted that “New York State and Suffolk County have also been valuable funding partners in Riverhead’s recent downtown revitalization advancement.”
Dawn Thomas, Department of Economic Development, Planning and Building Director, said the Community Development Division has sought the federal transportation funding since 2020.
“The complex application was entirely undertaken by town staff. Staff has been relentless in improving the application each of the last five years,” Thomas said. “I am excited that with the continued support of Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Nick LaLota that 2024 is the year we won what is the largest single grant funding award in the history of the Town of Riverhead,” she said.
“Today, thanks to our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I am proud to deliver a highly competitive $24.12 million U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE grant… to Riverhead to reimagine and revitalize its downtown,” Schumer said. “This transformational infusion of federal funding will allow Riverhead Town to reclaim the Peconic riverfront for public enjoyment; install necessary flood mitigation measures; spur mixed-use development; and make downtown safer and more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike.”
Gillibrand said she was “thrilled” to announce the grant award, which she said “will revolutionize Riverhead’s downtown.”
Congressman Nick LaLota said he was “proud to support the transportation project outlined in the successful funding application, specifically the parking garage and the plan for implementation of ‘complete streets’ throughout the main thoroughfares of Downtown Riverhead, which will transform Riverhead into a vibrant economic development hub on eastern Long Island.”
The $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law in November 2021. It was championed by President Biden, though it was a scaled-back version of his initial $2.3 trillion infrastructure investment proposal, resulting from a series of compromises to win bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. After amendments, it passed in the Senate 69-30 and was passed, as amended in the House by a vote of 228-206. Former Rep. Lee Zeldin voted against the bill twice, on its original passage in the House and on passage of the final bill, as amended by the Senate.
Editor’s note: This story has been update to provide additional context about the source of federal funding.
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