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Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded $2,000,000 in funding to the City of El Paso for innovation and development at the six international ports of entry in the El Paso through the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grant program.

Congress provided $100 million annually for SMART grants in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Congresswoman Escobar was the only Representative in the region to vote in favor of this historic piece of legislation.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to send millions of much-needed federal dollars into our community,” said Congresswoman Escobar. “I am so proud to have fought to secure this critical investment as our community focuses on upgrading our outdated infrastructure with particular care given to innovation and customer service. So many El Pasoans – including businesses – use our land ports of entry, I’m glad the federal government is putting money toward their improvement.”

The SMART Grant Program was established to fund public infrastructure projects focused on advanced smart community technologies and systems in order to improve transportation efficiency and safety.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Congresswoman Escobar voted for on November 5, 2021 and President Joe Biden signed into law on November 15, 2021, unlocks millions of dollars in federal funding to help communities across the country build stronger and more sustainable infrastructure to support our economy.