Pete Buttigieg

After a brief meeting with the U.S. Secretary of Transportation this week, the chair of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority is feeling optimistic about the realities of a restored Amtrak route across the state's southern tier.

More than $2.8 billion in federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal has been directed to Montana over the last few years, and Missoula has netted its share of the pie, boosting a growing list of projects.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg credited the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for helping make the $110 million airport project possible. It's one of 51,000 projects across the country that have received funding from the federal legislation.