WASHINGTON– Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $10,251,613 in federal funding for Stafford County to improve the resiliency of Brooke Road. The funding was awarded through the Department of Transportation’s Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) Grant Program, which was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law the senators passed. The funding will help prevent flooding, which has frequently made Brooke Road impassable for extended periods of time. Over the past two years, concerns about the roadway prompted Stafford County supervisors and the Virginia Department of Transportation to implement temporary measures on Brooke Road, including an emergency-use-only connector.

“Recurring flooding is a continued safety hazard and inconvenience for drivers on Brooke Road, sometimes even leaving residents stuck in their homes,” said the senators. “We’re glad this funding will prevent this flooding and help Stafford County residents safely get to where they need to go and avoid delays.”

The funding will be used to re-align a 0.45 mile portion of Brooke Road (SR 608) from Loblolly Lane to Maplewood Drive, a vital transportation route that serves the eastern part of the county and includes access to a commuter rail station.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) announced $1,000,000 for the Southeast Community Greenway Reconnector project in Newport News, VA. The funding, courtesy of the Inflation Reduction Act's Neighborhood Access and Equity Program, will support the designing and planning of the Southeast Community Greenway Reconnector. Decades ago, the Southeast Newport News Community was almost completely cutoff from downtown due to the construction of Interstate 664. The interstate created a physical barrier separating the majority-minority Southeast Community from the economic opportunities of the downtown district.

This funding will be used to reconnect the Southeast Community and Downtown neighborhoods by revamping the 28^th Street Bridge to ensure a safe and convenient connection between these two neighborhoods.

“Decades ago, the construction and expansion of Interstate 664 all but cut off Southeast Newport News from the downtown area, isolating the community from resources and economic opportunities,” the lawmakers said. “We’re glad to secure this funding that will rectify past infrastructure wrongs and help bring communities together.”

Last year, Sen. Warner and Sen. Kaine wrote to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in support of this project. Sens. Warner and Kaine have also secured funding for projects across Virginia to reconnect communities through the bipartisan infrastructure law.  

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $62,362,000 in federal funding for the Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund (VCWRLF) to make clean water infrastructure upgrades across the Commonwealth. The funding was awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, a federal-state partnership that provides low-cost financing to communities for a wide range of water quality infrastructure projects, including municipal wastewater facilities, pollution control, wastewater treatment systems, stormwater runoff mitigation, green infrastructure, and water reuse. More than $47 million of this funding was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Sens. Warner and Kaine helped pass.

“Clean water is important for the health of all Virginians,” the senators said. “We’re glad this funding will help improve infrastructure throughout Virginia and ensure our communities have access to safe water.”

Virginia will use the funding to help communities across the Commonwealth fund necessary water projects that some communities may not have been able to afford otherwise.

Specifically, the funding may be used to:

• Improve wastewater collection and treatment facilities,
• Upgrade stormwater management systems,
• Clean up contaminated brownfields such as abandoned factories, gas stations, and dry cleaners,
• Build living shorelines, which are made from natural materials such as plants, sand, or rock and purify water, buffer floods, and reduce erosion, and
• Conserve lands.

Sens. Warner and Kaine have long supported efforts to improve water infrastructure. Earlier this month, the senators announced over $8.1 million in federal funding to improve wastewater treatment in Kilmarnock and Clarksville. the senators also announced over $4 million in federal funding, courtesy of the BIL for clean water improvement in September of this year.  

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine secured $4.1 million in federal funding for the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority (VSBFA) to help small businesses across Virginia access capital. Specifically, the funding will provide small business owners with technical assistance like webinars, workshops, one-on-one mentoring, job and resource fairs, and community events. The funding was awarded under the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Technical Assistance Grant Program, which was reauthorized and expanded by the American Rescue Plan. The American Rescue Plan was supported by Sens. Warner and Kaine and passed the Senate with a one vote margin.

“Small businesses help keep our communities and economy running, but many of the smallest and most underserved businesses face significant barriers accessing capital,” said the senators. “Thanks to the American Rescue Plan we passed, Virginia is receiving funding for the SSBCI program to help ensure entrepreneurs across the Commonwealth have the resources they need to access capital and grow their business.”

In December 2022, Virginia received $230.4 million in American Rescue Plan funding for the SSBCI program, which will enhance access to capital for Virginia’s small businesses. The $4.1 million in funding will help ensure very small and underserved businesses receive technical assistance to assist them in applying for funding through this and other federal programs. The VSBFA anticipates providing technical assistance to 1,000 beneficiaries, resulting in 500 pitch applications submitted to the state’s SSBCI capital programs and other federal programs.

Sen. Warner, the co-chair of the Senate CDFI Caucus, has been a longtime leader in Congress for increasing access to capital for small businesses in underserved communities. To combat hemorrhaging jobs and the loss of economic opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic, Warner authored legislation to make a record $12 billion investment in CDFIs and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) and successfully fought to include it in the December 2021 COVID-19 relief package, which the senators voted to pass. Sen. Kaine pushed for permanent authorization of the Minority Business Development Administration, including his Reaching America’s Rural Minority Businesses Act, as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

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WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) applauded $10,000,000 in federal funding for St. Paul’s Blue Greenway, a multipurpose park that will be located in St. Paul’s Redevelopment Project in Norfolk. Specifically, this funding will be used for the park’s development, which includes uncovering a buried creek and creating a resilient creek area, which will provide the neighborhood with a green space that will also help prevent future flooding. Once finished, St. Paul’s Blue Greenway will feature two playgrounds, a 10-station fitness area, splashpad, overlook deck, channel pier, outdoor stage, game tables, bike racks, grills, and an outdoor public gathering area and pavilion. 

“We’re thrilled to see this federal funding go towards building an inventive green space that will serve families in the St. Paul’s community while addressing the complex flooding challenges facing the region,” the Senators said. “We will be following the development of this project and look forward to seeing Norfolk lead the way with innovative solutions that strengthen our climate resilience.”

This funding was awarded by the Department of the Interior’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program – a nationally competitive program targeting grant assistance to help economically disadvantaged urban communities with no, or almost no, access to publicly available, close-by, outdoor recreation.

The ORLP program is funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which was permanently authorized by Congress in 2020 as part of the Great American Outdoors Act – a once-in-a-generation law Sens. Warner and Kaine helped pass. The LWCF supports increased public access to and protection for federal public lands and waters — including national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and recreation areas — and provides matching grants to state governments for the acquisition and development of public parks and other outdoor recreation sites. Sens. Warner and Kaine have for years helped to deliver millions of dollars in federal support for resilience efforts in the St. Paul’s area, including through the Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot and BUILDS Programs; Housing and Urban Developments’ Choice Neighborhoods and Natural Disaster Resilience Programs; the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Program; the Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management Project; and through the Fiscal Year 2022 budget and the draft Fiscal Year 2024 budget.

This funding helps advance the Biden-Harris administration's America the Beautiful initiative, a locally led, voluntary conservation and restoration effort that aims to address the nature and climate crises, improve equitable access to the outdoors, and strengthen the economy

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WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $16,395,565.20 in federal funding, courtesy of the Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, awarded to the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation (MBC) to deploy broadband and expand access to high-speed internet throughout Virginia.

The funding will be used to construct approximately 130 miles of new fiber to build eight open-access middle mile fiber segments, the physical high-capacity fiber optic cables needed to connect internet service providers to larger data centers and local networks, which will support service for residential and business customers and provide critical broadband connectivity to 32 industrial and business park sites in 12 Virginia localities across Central and Southside Virginia.

“Access to high-quality, high-speed internet is crucial in the 21^st century,” said the senators. “We are proud to have played a key role in creating and passing legislation that continues to deliver substantial funding to Virginia in order to achieve universal broadband coverage across the Commonwealth.”

“We are absolutely thrilled and deeply honored to be a part of this transformative project, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our electric cooperatives, ISPs, and other telecom providers,” said Tad Deriso, President & CEO of MBC. “The substantial infrastructure investment in middle mile fiber by the NTIA and GO Virginia represents a remarkable triumph for rural Virginia, as it paves the way for significant strides in bridging the digital divide and attracting more economic development investments to the region. MBC has a proven track record of executing fiber infrastructure projects on time and within budget, and we eagerly anticipate collaborating with our funding partners, our telecom provider customers, and the communities involved to make this project a resounding success.”

Details on the eight middle mile fiber segments are as follows:

• The South Hill to Kenbridge segment will improve the capacity of the fiber route that supports the marketability and feasibility of the Kenbridge Commerce Center site in Lunenburg County as well as residential and business customers along the route.
• The Blackstone to McKenney segment will support additional broadband capabilities at Fort Barfoot, a Virginia Army National Guard installation near Blackstone, VA for future rapidly mobilized national security operations and the expanding federal and private contractor workforce.
• The Dinwiddie to Prince George segment will enable fiber connectivity for industrial, business, education, and biotech/pharmaceutical clusters in Dinwiddie County, Prince George County, and the City of Petersburg.
• The MAMaC in Greensville County segment supports economic development in Greensville County by providing diverse fiber to enhance the marketability of the 1,600 acre MaMaC Megasite in Greensville County.
• The Heartland Innovative Technology (HIT) Park in Prince Edward County segment will provide new diverse fiber to the recently established Heartland Innovative Technology Park.
• The Sussex Mega Site in Sussex County segment will create middle mile fiber diversity for the Sussex County Mega Site, enhancing the site’s marketability for advanced manufacturing.
• The Heartland Innovative Technology (HIT) Park to Cumberland segment will provide a diverse fiber route from HIT park to the north, to tie into other fiber backbone routes that extend to Ashburn, Culpeper and Charlottesville.
• The Shannon Hill Regional Business Park in Louisa County segment will provide diverse fiber to the 700-acre Shannon Hill Regional Business Park for the park’s targeted industries of manufacturing, data centers, biotechnology, and logistics and distribution.

The Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program provides funding to expand and extend middle mile infrastructure to reduce the cost of connecting areas that are unserved or underserved with current broadband infrastructure. The program was created by the bipartisan infrastructure law (BIL). 

Sens. Warner and Kaine have long fought to expand access to broadband in Virginia. Last month, Sen. Warner visited Big Stone Gap to celebrate $25 million in funding for the deployment of broadband in Southwest Virginia. These announcements come in addition to over $1.4 billion in previously announced funding for the deployment of broadband throughout the Commonwealth as a result of the bipartisan infrastructure law. 

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $1,398,428 in federal funding for the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to expand access to mental health care in Virginia. The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Community Mental Health Services Block Grant program. This program allocates funding to states to provide comprehensive, community-based mental health services to adults and children with significant mental health conditions. 

“Every Virginian deserves access to high-quality, affordable mental health care,” said the senators. “The last few years have underscored the importance of access to mental health services, and we’re glad this funding will help more Virginians reach the care they need.”

States may distribute funds from this program to local government entities and nongovernmental organizations to provide community mental health services. The funding was made possible by the (BSCA), which the senators helped pass. In Fiscal Year 2023, Virginia has received over $25 million in federal funding through the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant program.

Warner and Kaine have long supported efforts to expand access to mental health care. Warner and Kaine are sponsors of the CONNECT for Health Act, which would expand coverage of telehealth services, including mental health treatment and treatment for substance use disorders. Warner has additionally successfully pressed the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to finalize long-delayed regulations allowing doctors to prescribe controlled substances, including those that treat opioid use disorder, through telehealth. Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced legislation to reduce and prevent suicide, burnout, and mental and behavioral health conditions among health care professionals, which President Biden signed into law last year. Last year, the senators announced $1 million in federal funding through the BSCA to expand and enhance the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in Virginia. Kaine has also introduced legislation to support children’s access to mental health care, which was included in last year’s government funding bill that the senators helped pass.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $1,000,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the A.L. Philpott Manufacturing Extension Program (MEP), also known as GENEDGE Alliance, in Martinsville. This funding will help GENEDGE support small and medium-sized medical device manufacturers across Virginia in their efforts to strengthen medical supply chain resiliency and improve product quality by providing the manufacturers increased access to specialized expertise and resources. Specifically, with this funding, GENEDGE will assist the businesses in increasing sales, creating jobs, training more experts in the medical device manufacturing process, reducing risks in the process, providing educational resources, and growing our manufacturing industry.

“Virginians rely on their medical devices every day, and supporting our medical manufacturing industry is critical to ensure patients and providers can access the products they need,” said the Senators. “The pandemic highlighted the importance of ensuring our domestic medical supply chains are strong to improve public health, lower costs, and reduce our reliance on other nations. This funding will strengthen our efforts to do just that. We’re glad these federal dollars will help GENEDGE support small and medium-sized manufacturers across Virginia by training workers, creating jobs, reducing risks in the manufacturing process, and improving the quality of medical devices.”

GENEDGE is a part of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network. In Fiscal Year 2022, the MEP National Network generated $35.80 in new sales growth for manufacturers for every one dollar received in federal funding, which is up $9.60 from Fiscal Year 2021. Last year, Sens. Warner and Kaine announced over $2 million in federal funding for GENEDGE.

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WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $25,000,000 in federal funding from the Department of Agriculture awarded to Scott County Telephone Cooperative to deploy broadband and expand access to high-speed internet in Southwest Virginia. Tomorrow, Sen. Warner will join Rural Utility Services Administrator Andrew Berke, members of the LENOWISCO Planning District Commission, and community leaders in Big Stone Gap, VA to celebrate this funding and touch on the importance of bringing high-speed internet to rural communities.

“For almost two decades, dating all the way back to my time as governor, I have stressed the need for access to broadband coverage and high-speed internet in every corner of the Commonwealth, and I was proud to negotiate the bipartisan infrastructure law that has made significant progress on this front,” said Sen. Warner. “Access to fast, reliable, and affordable internet is crucial to ensuring our rural communities grow and thrive, and I’m thrilled that this $25 million investment for Norton, Wise County, and Lee County will help our small businesses, students, and residents stay connected.”

“High-quality internet is crucial to reach services like health care, work, and educational opportunities,” said Sen. Kaine. “Every Virginian, no matter where they live, deserves access to affordable, reliable internet access. I’m glad this funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which I was proud to help pass, will help thousands of Virginians in Norton, Wise County, and Lee County do just that.”

The funding will be used to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network that will provide high-speed internet to more than 17,000 residents, 1,018 businesses, 37 farms and 49 educational facilities in Norton City, Wise County and Lee County Virginia. This funding was awarded though the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect Program, and funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law (BIL).

Sens. Warner and Kaine have long fought to expand access to broadband in Virginia. Earlier this year, the Senators announced over $1.4 billion in funding for the deployment of broadband throughout the Commonwealth. As a key author and negotiator of the BIL, Sen. Warner also previously secured $65 billion in funding to help deploy broadband and decrease costs associated with connecting to the internet, and Sen. Kaine voted for the BIL to help make the funding possible. As part of that funding, Virginia received $5 million to help make a strategic plan to deploy coverage. 

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WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) applauded $10,035,800 in federal funding to support 10 Virginia-based Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in their mission to expand lending and investment opportunities in disadvantaged neighborhoods and communities. The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Program (CDFI Program). The CDFI Program invests in and builds the capacity of CDFIs to serve low-income people and underserved communities lacking adequate access to affordable financial products and services.

“CDFIs are critically important financial institutions that help underserved communities across the Commonwealth and the country access capital,” the Senators said. “Early on in the pandemic, we fought for increased CDFI funding because we saw that initial relief efforts weren’t reaching underserved communities. We’re glad to see that funding flowing to communities across Virginia to help bridge that gap.”

The funding is distributed as follows:

• $6,140,000 to Capital Impact Partners in Arlington, VA.
• $797,900 to Freedom First Federal Credit Union in Roanoke, VA.
• $660,000 to the ECDC Enterprise Development Group in Arlington, VA.
• $560,000 to Arlington Community Federal Credit Union in Falls Church, VA.
• $510,000 to the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc. in Roanoke, VA.
• $510,000  to Appalachian Community Capital Corporation in Christiansburg, VA.
• $482,900 to RVA Financial Federal Credit Union in Richmond, VA.
• $125,000 to Foodshed Capital in Charlottesville, VA.
• $125,000 to Mobility Credit Acceptance, LLC in Richmond, VA.
• $125,000 to Peoples Advantage Federal Credit Union in Petersburg, VA.

Sens. Warner and Kaine have long worked to ensure that underserved communities have better access to financial services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sens. Warner and Kaine secured funding for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) in pandemic relief packages modeled after Sen. Warner’s Jobs and Neighborhood Investment Act. Last year, Sen. Warner launched the bipartisan Senate Community Development Finance Caucus to serve as a platform where policymakers can coordinate and expand on public and private-sector efforts in support of the missions of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs).

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $25,000,000 in federal funding for the expansion of I-64 in New Kent County. Awarded through the Department of Rural Surface Transportation Grant program (RURAL), this funding will add a third lane to I-64 in each direction, widen shoulders, add rumble strips and wider and flatter clear zones for an approximately 10-mile segment in New Kent County.

“This substantial investment for improvements to I-64 will make the highway safer, easier to travel, and help connect our rural communities,” the Senators said. “We see this grant as a sign of progress toward fulfilling the administration’s commitment to closing the I-64 gap by adding a third lane all the way from Hampton Roads to Richmond, but more work remains. We are glad to see the bipartisan infrastructure law continue to deliver funding that will help improve and ease the stress on Virginia’s highway system.”

Sens. Warner and Kaine have consistently pushed for infrastructure funding for Virginia to help fund much-needed improvement projects across the Commonwealth. As part of the bipartisan infrastructure law Sen. Warner helped negotiate and Sen. Kaine supported, the Department of Transportation’s RURAL grant program was created to provide funds that paved the way for investments in highway infrastructure throughout Virginia and the country. In May, Sen. Kaine led a push that Sen. Warner joined to urge the U.S. Department of Transportation to make investments to reduce congestion in the I-64 corridor between Richmond and Hampton Roads.

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* High-quality photographs of Sen. Mark R. Warner are available for download here *

Photos may be used online and in print, and can be attributed to ‘The Office of Sen. Mark R. Warner’

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $4,999,975.50 in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding for planning broadband expansion projects in the Commonwealth. Awarded to Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, this first phase of funding will allow Virginia to develop their plans for deploying funding made available under the bipartisan infrastructure law to expand access to high-speed internet.

“Last year, we passed  once-in-a-generation funding for infrastructure projects across the country, and we’ve heard from communities across the Commonwealth about the difference these resources will make, from fixing unsafe bridges to modernizing our local airports,” the Senators said. “But in the twenty-first century, infrastructure doesn’t stop at roads and bridges—it must include access to broadband. That’s why we fought to make sure the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would also help close the digital divide in Virginia and provide access to affordable, reliable broadband to every corner of the Commonwealth.”

The BEAD program, created and funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law which Sen. Warner negotiated and Sen. Kaine supported, will support Virginia’s development of a Five-Year Action Plan to deploy universal broadband. Specifically, the grant will support planning and pre-deployment activities in the Commonwealth including providing technical assistance to sub grantees and further developing plans to build broadband capacity In rural and underserved areas.

Sens. Warner and Kaine have long fought to expand access to broadband in Virginia. During negotiations for the bipartisan infrastructure law, Sen. Warner secured $65 billion in funding to help deploy broadband, increase access, and decrease costs associated with connecting to the internet. The BEAD Program was created and funded through this landmark legislation and provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs in all states and territories.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $703,900 in federal funding for communities throughout Southwest Virginia in order to boost economic development and upgrade old and out-of-date equipment used for critical public services. The funding is awarded through two programs within the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development division, which aims to support economic development and essential services that improve quality of life in rural communities.

“We are glad to support investments that will spur economic development and fund much needed equipment for public works,” the Senators said. “These grants will help to ensure that Virginia’s rural communities have equipment they need to safely and effectively serve residents, from trash collection and construction to providing community safety services and well-maintained gathering spaces.”

Awarded through the USDA Rural Business Development Grants:

• $250,000 to the Town of Hillsville, VA to assist with the completion of the fifth phase of the Southwest Virginia Farmers Market, including pavement, curb, and gutter.
• $105,000 to the Town of Richlands, VA to create a revolving loan fund that will serve as a recruitment and retention tool for micro- and small businesses.

Awarded through the USDA Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program: 

• $200,000 to Grayson County for the purchase of two sanitation vehicles to replace older vehicles that are unreliable and in need of costly repairs.
• $93,700 to the Town of Coeburn for the purchase of a backhoe to be used by the public works department. 
• $50,000 to Alleghany Highlands Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in Covington, VA for the purchase of two fourteen-passenger vehicles, which will help replace older, unsafe vehicles.
• $5,200 to the Town of Boones Mill for the purchase of a law enforcement vehicle to replace an older, unsafe vehicle in need of costly repairs. 

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $76,530,000 in federal funding for the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, also known as Jefferson Lab, in Newport News to support multiple projects that are critical to ensuring the U.S. remains a leader in science and technology. The funding was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation Sens. Warner and Kaine helped pass in August to lower costs for Virginians and build a strong foundation for future national security and economic growth, in part by accelerating scientific programs and national laboratory infrastructure projects.

“This funding is a powerful example of how the Inflation Reduction Act, which we proudly helped pass earlier this year, will accelerate the development of key technologies,” said the Senators. “We’re glad Jefferson Lab’s research programs and infrastructure projects are receiving this support and look forward to seeing Virginians at the lab continue to lead the way in technological innovation.”

This funding will help make critical laboratory upgrades and support Jefferson Lab’s cutting-edge work in various fields, including projects that will help increase our understanding of the fundamental building blocks and forces at work in our universe—information that can play a key role in the development of an array of technologies, including those with clean energy and medical implications. It is part of $1.5 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act for national laboratories to research and develop new technologies to help the U.S. meet its energy, climate, and security needs.

Sens. Warner and Kaine have consistently advocated for funding for Jefferson Lab and its programs. 

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WASHINGTON, — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced two direct loans for Virginia from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)’s Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program: a loan of up to $82.6 million to help finance the I-81 Regular Project—which is focused on various improvements in Roanoke County, including the construction of additional lanes and bridge replacements—and $15 million for the I-81 Rural Project to extend highway on and off ramps in Frederick, Pulaski, Rockbridge, Shenandoah, Smyth, Washington, and Wythe Counties, as well as in Abingdon and Wytheville.

“Anyone who has traveled on I-81 knows that it’s in desperate need of repair. That’s why we’ve fought for upgrades that will make it easier and safer for Virginians to travel I-81 for work or for fun, and for Virginia businesses to ship their products to customers near and far,” said the Senators. “We’re pleased these loans are headed to Virginia to help make I-81 improvements possible, and will keep working to build on the progress we made with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to ensure that Virginia communities can build and maintain their roads and bridges.”

More than one-third of all trucks that drive through Virginia and approximately half of the Commonwealth’s value of goods are transported along I-81. In the last decade, I-81 has experienced significant traffic growth, with travel expected to continue increasing along the interstate.

Sens. Warner and Kaine have consistently championed infrastructure funding for Virginia. In 2019, Warner and Kaine wrote to DOT and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), requesting funding for vital improvements to I-81 that would enhance safety and reduce traffic congestion. Warner and Kaine have long supported transportation projects to address traffic congestion and expand transportation options in the Commonwealth, including by passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The BIL reauthorized and expanded the TIFIA program to help fund future infrastructure projects like this. Kaine successfully included his bipartisan legislation in the BIL to streamline the application process for TIFIA loans, helping more Virginia communities access TIFIA financing.

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