$900,000 awarded to bckp regional intergovernmental council for rural and tribal assistance pilot program to support legal, technical, and financial advisors to help advance infrastructure projects

The Department of Transportation's Immediate Office of the Secretary awarded a Cooperative Agreement worth $900,000 to BCKP Regional Intergovernmental Council on August 24, 2026, under the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program (CFDA 20.943) to support legal, technical, and financial advisors advancing infrastructure projects in rural communities.

The recipient will complete a MacCorkle Avenue Bus Rapid Transit and Transit-Oriented Development Planning Study serving Boone, Clay, Kanawha, and Putnam counties in West Virginia. Deliverables include a work plan, quarterly reports, project deliverables, and compliance with 2 CFR 200. The period of performance runs through August 23, 2029.

BCKP Regional Intergovernmental Council, doing business as R I C, is a West Virginia Council of Governments serving the four-county region as an Economic Development District. The organization has prior experience receiving federal infrastructure and economic development grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission and Economic Development Administration.

The Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program, established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides reimbursable grants to enable rural and tribal entities to employ or procure expert advisors for development-phase assistance on transportation infrastructure projects reasonably expected to be eligible for DOT credit and grant programs. The program supports early-stage activities to advance projects toward construction readiness.

Activities to be performed: maccorkle avenue bus rapid transit (BRT) and transit-oriented development (TOD) planning study. Deliverables/expected outcomes: work plan, quarterly reports, project deliverables and 2 CFR 200 compliance. Beneficiaries: boone, clay, kanawha, and putnam county residents