LYNDEN, WA – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded a $2,000,000 grant to the City of Lynden to complete planning for its project to relocate Pepin Creek, which runs in deep roadside ditches that overflow and flood the area during winter storms when large quantities of water flow across the U.S.-Canada border.

Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), who supported Lynden’s grant application, applauded the grant announcement.

“Every day is infrastructure day in Lynden and Whatcom County!” said Larsen, the lead Democrat on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. “Thanks to the hard work of Mayor Korthuis and the Lynden City Council, Lynden has the funding it needs to move a step closer to rerouting Pepin Creek – a critical project that reduces the impacts of flooding and pollution on residents and businesses, improves road safety for all users, and protects salmon and other endangered fish.”

Lynden Mayor Scott Korthuis celebrated the grant announcement and emphasized the importance of the funding to the city’s long-term plans.

“We were very excited to hear that the City of Lynden has been awarded a $2 million grant for the Pepin Flood, Agriculture, Safety, Salmon, and Transportation (FASST) project,” said Korthuis. “The City of Lynden will receive the funding from USDOT (U.S. Department of Transportation) through its Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Discretionary Grant Program. We especially want to thank Rep. Rick Larsen and our U.S. Senators for their effort in obtaining this funding. This design grant will allow the city to create a plan for the transportation corridor and infrastructure (water, sewer, and stormwater) for this important area of the city for future development. This area will provide a significant number of parcels for development once the infrastructure is completed; the Pepin subarea will provide most of the developable lots in the city over the next several years.”

DOT awarded the funding through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Discretionary Grant Program, which enables communities of all sizes to carry out road, rail, transit and other surface transportation projects with significant local or regional impact. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $7.5 billion over five years for the existing RAISE program, formerly known as TIGER and BUILD grants – a 50 percent increase in funding. For more information on RAISE grants, click here.

Larsen Has Secured $103.9 Million in RAISE Grants for WA-02 Since 2022

Larsen has secured seven RAISE grants totaling $103,906,000 for local communities since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was signed. In addition to the $2 million grant for Lynden, Larsen has helped deliver:

• $25 Million for Lynnwood’s Poplar Way Bridge – In August 2022, DOT awarded the City of Lynnwood a $25 million RAISE grant to construct a new six-lane, multimodal bridge over I-5 in Lynnwood, between the intersections of 196th Street SW (State Route 524)/Poplar Way and 33rd Avenue W/Alderwood Mall Boulevard.
• $25 Million for Whatcom County’s Lummi Island Ferry – In August 2022, DOT awarded Whatcom County a $25 million RAISE grant to replace the 60-year-old Lummi Island ferry with an electric-battery hybrid ferry and build related infrastructure.
• $9.5 Million for Blaine’s Bell Road Project – In June 2023, DOT awarded the City of Blaine a $9.5 million RAISE grant to improve safety and accessibility and reduce congestion at the Bell Road (State Route 548)-BNSF at-grade rail crossing. 
• $17.9 Million for Port of Bellingham’s Shipping Terminal Rail Connection Project – In June 2024, DOT awarded the Port of Bellingham a $17,931,000 RAISE grant to renovate a shipping terminal site, returning the site to a fully functioning multimodal terminal with more efficient loading and unloading of railcars on the terminal.
• $4.9 Million for the Tulalip Tribes’ Road Safety Project – In June 2024, DOT awarded the Tulalip Tribes a $4,975,000 RAISE grant to plan, design and construct improvements to the 4th Street and 88th Street NE crossings of Interstate 5.
• $19.5 Million for Skagit Transit’s Maintenance, Operations, and Administration Facility – In January 2025, DOT awarded Skagit Transit a $19,500,000 RAISE grant to continue renovating its MOA facility in Burlington.

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