(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — The City of Pueblo will receive $11.5 million in grant funding to install electric vehicle (EV) chargers, and Otero County is set to receive $40 million to install passing lanes along US 50 between Pueblo and the Kansas state line, thanks to allocations of grant funding. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper recently celebrated investments from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for 11 projects across Colorado totaling nearly $112 million, including several cities and counties in Southern Colorado. The investments are made possible through various grant programs at DOT, including the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant, Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG), Reconnecting Communities Pilot Grant (RCP), and the Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) programs. Many of these were created or received historic levels of funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.  “Through investments like these, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act continue to support Colorado as we work to meet our state’s changing needs – from improving our roadways to strengthening local economies,” said Bennet. “I’m grateful that the Department of Transportation heard our calls to support many of these projects.” Among the 11 municipalities that will receive funding, two in Southern Colorado are slated to receive over $50 million. The City of Pueblo will receive $11,520,192 to install 260 EV charging ports near low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. The funding comes from the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program. Otero County will receive $40.5 million from the MPDG to install twelve individual passing lanes across five segments of the US 50 High Plains Freight Corridor between the urban center of Pueblo and the Kansas state line.  Other municipalities in northern and western Colorado that are receiving a portion of the $112 million in allocations include Greeley, Mesa County, Pitkin County, Commerce City, Park County, the City and County of Denver, Larimer County, Roaring Fork, and Fort Collins.