USDOT Selects The Ray as Capacity Builder for 15 Communities
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded $5.1 million to The Ray and its partners—Arcadis, InfraStrategies, and Beverly Scott Associates—to serve as a capacity builder for 15 "Networked Communities" under the federal Thriving Communities Program. This two-year initiative provides under-resourced communities with intensive technical assistance to help them identify, develop, and deliver transformative transportation infrastructure projects.
The selected communities, situated near critical logistics hubs like ports and airports, have historically faced barriers to federal funding. By providing high-level expertise in planning, procurement, and technology transfer, The Ray and its partners aim to bridge this resource gap, ensuring these communities can successfully compete for historic federal investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.
“The approach of the Thriving Communities Program centers on equity, community leadership, and workforce development to build and embed long-lasting, community-driven infrastructure solutions.”
Supporting Thriving Communities:
Comprehensive Assistance: The capacity-building team will support projects through all stages, from initial planning and policy analysis to procurement, construction, and long-term maintenance.
Equitable Infrastructure: The initiative focuses on mobility, housing, economic growth, and environmental justice, ensuring infrastructure investments foster wealth-building and opportunity for residents.
Proven P4 Model: The Ray is leveraging its successful "public-private-philanthropic" (P4) partnership model—which it has refined over eight years of net-zero highway testing—to accelerate project execution.
Diverse Geographic Reach: The 15 Networked Communities span urban, suburban, and rural areas across the nation, including locations in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington.
“My father, Ray C. Anderson, helped to green the White House and chaired a sustainability committee under two Presidents. Yet again, through The Ray’s partnership with Thriving Communities, his commitment to net-zero, his belief in technology for good, and his influence through proving—then scaling fast—will be shared across the country with communities that need it most today.” — Harriet Langford, Founder of The Ray
This program represents a significant scaling of The Ray’s mission, bringing its living lab expertise to a national stage and empowering communities to build infrastructure that is not only safer and smarter but more equitable and resilient for generations to come.
